Fundamental Biblical Beliefs - Bible Study - Part 5 - Sin and God's Law

This evening is part five, sin and God's law. It's important for us to look at these fundamental elements of the Bible. When we think of God's law, we think of His holy law, His loving law, and the opposite of that is something called sin. Human beings have trouble with God's spiritual law. Because, as it says in Romans chapter 7 and verse 14, we know that the law is spiritual, but we are carnal, we are physical. And so it is definitely a challenge for us to deal with God's spiritual law as human beings. We find in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4 that sin is the transgression of the law. Now, I want to note something about this passage. We've heard this statement so many, many times, but this is a Bible study, so let's notice carefully in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 4. From the King James Version, the one we in the church like to quote, it says, Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. Well, it turns out that in this passage, where it says the word law, that's not an accurate translation. The first scripture I read in Romans 7 and 14, for we know that the law is spiritual, that law is a word in the Greek called nomos, and it is the law. But here in 1 John 3, it is a different word. And just to be absolutely accurate, this word is anomia. In a sense, it's similar, but anomia actually is a word that means without law, or wickedness. It's still about law, but it's without it. So the more accurate translation is the New King James Version. And here's a good example of how the New King James is an improvement in so many ways over the Old King James. It says in 1 John 3 and verse 4 in the New King James, Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. So we can see here that the mind of humans is without law. It's not just breaking the law, but it's lawless in the sense that it is without law. And that the Bible also translates as wickedness. It's a different mindset. And so when we come as humans to God's law, it's something difficult for us. Let's look to see both of these words used in the same sentence. We find this in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9.

1 Timothy 1 and verse 9 says, Knowing this, that the law, so here's nomos, the law, the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and this insubordinate. So you see the word lawless there is anomia, and the word law is God's law. Let's just pause here a moment. The law, God's law, is not made, the Greek word for made means laid out, sort of like a blanket, it's not laid out, sort of, on a table for the righteous person. Why is that? Well, it's not made to restrict the crimes of a righteous man. It's because a righteous man is not committing the crimes, right? He is not disobedience, he is not lawlessness, he's not ungodliness, unholiness, he's not profaning what is holy, therefore the law is not laid out for him. Doesn't mean it doesn't apply to him, but it's not laid out for him because he has this spiritual mindset. So we see here by this very verse that a righteous person is thinking differently than a person who is without law or is wicked. God's law, we find in Romans chapter 7 and verse 12, is unique. It is called holy, the commandment is holy, just, and good. And actually those things are what you and I are told to be. As sons of God, led by his spirit, we are to be holy, with God dwelling in us. We are to be just in God's sight. We should be just and doing justly, and we should be good. The Bible speaks of good works, those are the things driven and led by God's Holy Spirit. So, we find here that holy is things of God. God is the source of love. Love is the law. Just means observing God's divine laws, being right in his eyes. And we find that good is doing things beneficial, upright, honorable. And here's the result then. I'll complete this section with Psalm 119 and verse 165. Psalm 119 and verse 165 says, Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. So, we see there what Paul is referring to. The law is not there to prevent us from crimes against God, because we who love the law are not stumbling. And that is the position or the mindset that we want to be in, led by God's Spirit, right in his eyes. And then we don't have a problem with God's law. As David says here, great peace have those who love your law. And now for part two, here's Wayne Ward. Thank you, Mr. Elliott. Yeah, so part two, we're going to kind of hone in on the fundamental biblical teaching that God's love defines the love of God. So, we'll have three or four scriptures here to examine that. Let's turn to Romans chapter 13 and verse 10.

Romans 13 verse 10, love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Fulfillment here doesn't mean it's the end of the law, that it's complete or that it's completed, but it's a pleroma in the Greek. It's what makes full. Love is the fullness of the law. Love is what you get from the law. The law of God is, it's not just an empty set of rules made, for strict compliance, to show God how well we toe the line. If God wanted that, He could go out to any military command and get a fleet of people who do that. God's law produces love, and He is calling those who will use it, who will obey it, in order to love. It's the ultimate expression of love, the full expression of love, as the law of God is love. It is the love of God. Let's turn to 1 John 5 verse 3.

1 John 5 verse 3 says, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. And keeping the commandments is love. It's agape. It's the love that is of God. Turn to John 14 verse 21. It says, He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him. Keeping the law draws the love of God to us. Just like any parent that sets rules for a child, it's very endearing for the parent to see that child even just trying, you know, earnestly trying to abide by the rules. It's the same for God. Okay, let's turn to John, skip ahead one chapter to John 15 verse 10. John 15 verse 10 says, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Section 3 here is, God's love is love for the God family and for one's neighbor.

In Romans chapter 13 and verse 10, it says, Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Now, think about that for a minute. In all of God's law, and God is love, and he wants us to love, in all of God's law and all of his commandments, they do no harm to a neighbor or to God. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Thus, the law is based on loving one's neighbor, loving others, and it fulfills it. You know, that is an incredible thing that God is and that God has created. He has a law that is love for everyone and does nobody harm. It's not like if you benefit, someone else has to suffer under God's law. No, that is Satan's way. God's law of love, everybody, everybody is blessed. In Matthew chapter 22 and verse 37, Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.

This is the first and great commandment in verse 39, and the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. In other words, everything that God is wanting from us, teaching us, prophesying is for the benefit and the blessing for all. And so Jesus said in John chapter 13 and verse 34, a new commandment I give you in the new covenant. He wants us to even kick this up a notch, as they say. A new commandment I give you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. So without God's Holy Spirit, it shouldn't just be a trade-off of, well, love your neighbor as yourself. That's kind of 50-50 if you can reach that level. Now he says, I want you to love one another as I have loved you. I want you to give to one another to the degree that I have given to you. And so this becomes a type of sacrificial love now. Like God has sacrificed his time, his effort, his son to love us, we are to really fully embody the godly mindset and assist, love, contribute, even sacrificially, to our own demise or decline, as it were, in order to fulfill that. So now back to Wayne for part four. Thank you. So part four yet examines that it is a fundamental biblical teaching that God's law and his love are unchanging over time. They're immutable. Let's start off in Malachi chapter three, in verse six, which simply declares, for I am the Lord, I do not change. Malachi 3 verse six. God declares that he does not change. It follows then his law or his way do not change. It is his law that upholds all that is holy and righteous. And this is internal. This does not change through any age. Let's turn to Psalm chapter 111. Psalm 111 verse seven, the works of his hands are verity, surety, and justice, and his precepts are sure. And they stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his commandments. His praise endures forever.

Let's turn again to Psalm 119. Psalm 119 verse 142. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is true. Verse 144. The righteousness of your testimonies is everlasting. Give me understanding, and I shall live. Let's skip ahead to verse 160. And the entirety of your word is true. Every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. God is immutable, and his way is immutable. Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 51.

And verse 6. 6 to 8 here, Isaiah 51 verse 6 to 8. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. We need to remember, abiding in God's law is abiding in what is eternal. Nothing of math, nothing, nothing, nothing we can possess in the physical sense is permanent. It will all pass away. Turn to part five, back to Mr. Elvig.

The Ten Commandments are foundational elements of God's law of love. The Ten Commandments, in part, are foundational principles for humans, because there are elements in those Ten Commandments, certainly, that apply to all the family of God. But some are specific, just for humans, because they do not relate to specific aspects of being spirit beings. But in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 2, we humans, by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. So His laws are divine and they're eternal, but there are factors of them that apply to physical humans. And when we love God and keep His commandments, then we also love the children of God, the physical children of God. Verse 5, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. They're actually good if we have a spirit. They're enjoyable. They're positive, and they're certainly good for everyone. You cannot separate love from the Ten Commandments or from the law of God. And therefore, by the way, those who keep the commandments, you cannot separate the love of God out of them either. Think about that. If the commandments are love for others, then those who love others have love. And the two intertwine, you can't sort of pull them apart. Let's take a look at this over in Romans chapter 8 and verse 35. Paul raises this fact that if we really are love, and if we really are obedient, then you can't separate that just out of us somehow. It's not something really separate. It becomes part of us, part of you. So in Romans chapter 8 and verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now we think that this is, oh Christ is sending out this love, and who's going to chop that love off? No, that's not what he's saying here. What we need to do is flip two words. Who shall separate from us the love of Christ? You see, the discussion is never that the love of Christ will stop coming to us, or the love of God will stop coming because they are love. The big question here is what or who can stop from us the love of Christ flowing through us? Shall tribulation? Now if you go through tribulation and distress, will you stop loving? Will the love of Christ stop coming? Will that be separated out of you? Well, that's a good question.

If you really don't have godly character, if you really don't love the commandments, if you're not love, in other words, then that obedience that is separate from your mindset could stop, couldn't it? And you might be one of those, like in our past fellowship, that say, oh, finally I'm free from that law. Wow, I never wanted to do that anyway. To the rest of it, that just didn't make sense. I mean, that's who we are. I mean, shall distress, Paul asks, shall persecution, you know, if they waterboard you and they say bad things about you, if they strip you naked, you're in peril, or they threaten to kill you, will that love of God, the love of Christ, separate out of you? Will it stop? As it's written in verse 36, for your sake we're killed all the day long, we're a counter as sheep for the slaughter. So yes, we do have a hard row to hoe. Will you stop loving? Will that love be separated out of you? But he goes on in verse 38. He says, for I am persuaded that neither death, the threat of death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, or powers, problems, or things present, or things to come, or fear of heights, fear of depths, or any other created thing, shall be able to separate, flip the words, from us, the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. See, that love comes through from God the Father, through Jesus Christ, to you and me, via his Spirit. And when we're led by that Spirit, we not only have love, we show love. And there should be nothing here that stops that love in us.

Just here, notice who the victor in this is. It's not Jesus Christ somehow getting through his love to you and me. Verse 37, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors or victors through him who loved us. His love to us is not questioned here. It's our love, our love of God, and our love of others, who will separate from us that love. Jesus was the one who gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai as Lord. If we go to Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 22, you know, it's interesting. Jesus here has this whole background in history and in time being God and with God and creator and everything. And here he's a human being, and sometimes he's speaking to us, and we don't realize that he has a connection with what has happened in the past. And so on Mount Sinai here in Deuteronomy 5, 22, these words, the Lord spoke to all your assembly, Moses said, in the midst, from the midst of the fire in the mountain, the cloud in a thick darkness with a loud voice, he added no more, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

So the one who became Jesus Christ wrote on these stones, gave them to Moses. Now, if we go to the New Testament, let's hear Jesus Christ talk about the commandments in Matthew 19 and verse 17. Matthew 19 and verse 17. We'll start in the second half of this verse.

He says, if you want to enter life, keep the commandments. So the commandments that he gave are crucial. They're very, very, very crucial. They are foundational elements. They are so foundational elements of God's love. He says, if you want to enter life, eternal life, keep the commandments. Now, Jesus was keeping them. He was about to enter life as a first fruit. He's our pioneer, our captain. He's showing us the way, and he's telling us here, if you want to enter life, keep these commandments. And the person in verse 18 said to him, which ones? And Jesus said, and we're not sure here, the writer may be giving an excerpt of his reply, but Jesus responds by quoting commandments number six, seven, eight, nine, five, and an overview of commandments five through ten. And so what he's quoted as saying here is, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness. He goes back to commandment five, honor your father and your mother, and then he summarizes, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. These are really foundational elements of God's law of love, and he specifies them here. You see here, the Ten Commandments really are applications of God's law for human beings. It's humans who can murder and commit adultery, steal, lie, honor father and mother, and love neighbor. But all of those are extensions of God's law of love, and they are for us to follow at this time as human beings. Okay, over to Wayne for part six. Okay, yeah, we're going to go to part six here. This is basically showing the fundamental biblical teaching that all types of unhappiness result from the from transgressing God's law. So, I mean, really, how much do we really need to study here? Right? Just turn on the news to see how happy the world is, right? Not very. But let's start here in Romans chapter three, verse 12. Romans 3 verse 12, it says, they have all turned aside, they have turned, they have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Paul here in this, he's cobbling together a number of Psalms, but here he tests, attests to the sorrow and misery and inevitable destruction of mankind, because they, all of mankind, is guilty of sin. Verse 19 says, now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law. Everyone is under the penalty of the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. So the whole world now suffers in the destruction and misery because they abide in sin.

As such, they don't know the way of peace. Keeping God's laws are the way to peace. But man doesn't even look to consider, you know, the law of God, because the natural man has no fear of God, as Paul expresses here. And what is the fear of God? Let's turn to Proverbs chapter 8.

In verse 13, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Turn back to chapter 3, Proverbs 3 and verse 8.

Here we go again. Proverbs 3 and verse 7, sorry, 7 and 8, do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord, depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. So fear the Lord means to hate and to depart from evil. And doing so produces what is good for our lives. That doesn't mean you will not ever get sick. For all of us, at some point, the flesh will fail.

And that is only for God to know how that will happen for each of us, and his business to know, and not us. But the health and the strength that we gain from departing from evil is in our hearts and our minds, in the greater spiritual sense. Remember how we know the Spirit God has given us is of power, right? It's of strength, is of love, it's of the heart, and is of a sound mind. This is what Paul taught Timothy. And when we turn there now, 2 Timothy 1 verse 7. But here in Proverbs 3 verse 8, this is the word flesh, literally means string. That sounds kind of strange. But Strong shows this can be a reference to something like an umbilical cord. So as a baby depends on that umbilical cord for its life, we can get the sense that departing from evil is healthy for us in a similar way, and that it perhaps maintains our connection to what supplies life to us. God's law. Jesus says if you want, we just, Mr. Eliot just said, Jesus said if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. So keeping the God's commandments is the means to a healthy and vital spiritual law, life. And the UCG Bible commentary concurs that this, it says, quote, it says, quote, can be understood to include mental and spiritual health. So this kind of health is the health in the whole being, in the greater scope of our spiritual, eternal lives. But sadly, all of mankind has turned away from this, because man would rather follow what seems right to him. Let's turn to Proverbs 14.

In verse 12. Proverbs 14 verse 12 says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Even in laughter, the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above.

This is actually a very sobering scripture for the Christian, not just for the man or woman of the world, because this speaks of the backslider, one who once took up with the ways and the laws of God and then turned away. This type of person really most definitely shows himself to be filled with his own ways. He is satiated or satisfied with his own desires, all of which are the ways of death, and the ways of mirth, the ways of the good times, will come to sorrow and grief, as that's what sin produces. In the beginning, when a person turns from God, there is usually a sense of joy or goodness, as it was explained, it happened at one point in our former association, but this is deceiving because that's how we are lured away from God, because nothing bad seems to happen in the short term. Lightning won't strike you if you quit, but those good times will eventually turn to sorrow and grief and eventually to eternal death, and once you're down that path. As the person of God no longer fears God, he no longer hates evil, because it all just looks fine.

I'll turn the remainder back over to Mr. Eliot.

The seventh and final point is that God's law promotes a fulfilled life, a life with relationships, in harmony with sharing, with blessings, a life that is filled with meaning and purpose. In Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 29, look how God laments when people don't follow his law, and why he laments when they don't love and follow his law. He says, oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would deeply reverence me and always keep all my commandments.

Why? That it might be well with them and with their children forever. God only wants good, and he's given everything he has for us to be blessed and to have a very fulfilling life, both now and forever. You know, one proof of God's existence that is the strongest proof to be is that God's way works.

It is just incredible. It's like David said in Psalm 119, oh, how I love your law. Initially, we don't. As I mentioned back at the beginning, human physical carnal humans have a tough time with God's spiritual law, but when it really becomes us and we become it in that sense, we become love as we grow in godliness, then we begin to say, wow, this really works.

And there's no defect in it. You know, in the code, there's nothing wrong. Nowhere does it get out of sync. It always works. And it's impossible for anything like that to have evolved or come from another source. It is just incredible. As it says in Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 9, here's a man who was not led by God's Spirit. He was given an incredible amount of wisdom on the human level. This is Solomon. But he writes this a little bit on the carnal side. He's warning people, you know, go ahead and live carnally.

Here's how it's going to work out. Rejoice, oh young man in your youth, you know, young carnal guys and young carnal gals, you know, he's saying, yeah, go out there and try to live it up and party and whatever.

Let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, you know, just live it up. Have the best life you can. But then he says, but know that for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. Now he's teaching and he says in verse 10, therefore, because of this, remove sorrow from your heart. Put away evil from your flesh.

For childhood and youth, they're useless. They're just useless. So even here he is saying, listen, if you want to be happy, then put away evil. Put away lawlessness. In Psalm 119, in verse 98, here David, who had just in the previous verse talked about, he now loves God's law. He says in verse 98, you who through your commandments make me wiser than my enemies. God's law really is a blessing. It really contributes to a much greater life. Your laws are ever with me. I'm keeping those.

In verse 99, with them I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients because I keep your precepts. And in verse 101, I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word. God's law does promote a fulfilled life, and it has quality relationships with unity, opportunities to share, which cause us to actually be happy.

That's where happiness comes from. Not one of everything at Walmart doesn't make you happy, but sharing and serving and helping others with their lives and contributing, these give us a sense of fullness and completeness in life. And then, of course, God blesses us in so many ways, now and ultimately forever. So, in conclusion, the purpose of God's law of love is for all humanity and all of the God family combined to be blessed by God's law, by the blessings that God's law of love bring to us. Let's see this over in Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 3 through 5. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 3.

Paul says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is blessed. Jesus Christ is blessed, and they have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. They are blessed through this process. We are blessed through this process. We all, in loving each other, are more fulfilled and blessed by it. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Keeping the commandments is love. Being without blame before Him is obedience to the commandments, and being holy is having Him in us with His Holy Spirit leading us in obeying His law. So, as we've seen, sin certainly curses one's life, but obeying God's law of love is a blessed life for everyone, now and forever. Next time in part 6, we'll take a look at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and we'll proceed on through the 20 fundamental beliefs from there.