LAW OF GOD

Transcript:

0:00 Intro

Keeping His law, the psalmist says, there is great reward. So it is a blessing for us if we order our lives according to his commandments. 

Today's video is on the Law of God. Looking for some answers Kyle and I went to Trinity Reformed Church to get pastor van Eyk's thoughts on the subject. This is Faith to Film. 

The Law of God is the expression of our sovereign creator's will for our lives and since He is a sovereign creator, His will is sovereign as well. 

0:32 Where does the law come from? 

The law comes from God. It is written to us in the scripture but it is the expression of His own moral character and perfection. So God is a law unto Himself. He's not under obligation to any law like we are. The law is the expression of his own moral character. Understanding the law of God is important for a multitude of reasons. First of all it helps us understand what sin is, it enables us to clearly grasp why it is that God must be so severe in his punishment of sin, it helps us to understand what Christ has done to redeem sinners in his perfect obedience to the law of God and in His taking the penalty for a broken law in His death on the cross, and then it also informs the Christian how he ought to live in thankfulness for God's great deliverance in Jesus Christ. 

1:32 Why follow God's law? 

We ought to follow God's law because he commands us to. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we are to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 1 that we are to be holy since our God is holy. And so that's the primary reason. He's sovereign, His law is our command. But there's another reason. He's not only sovereign He's graciously sovereign and so His law is an expression of His kindness to us and in keeping His law the psalmist says "there is great reward." So it is a blessing for us if we order our lives according to His commandments. 

2:15 Do old testament laws still apply? 

When you speak about the application of old testament laws to new testament Christians you have to make some differentiation. So no. Not all old testament laws apply. We are not obligated to keep the sacrifices, we may eat barbecued lobster and bacon, though, in the old testament those dietary laws forbade that. But there is the moral law of God which is summarized in the ten commandments and that law continues to be the rule of life for the Christian believer because it is the moral law that reflects the character of God. 

2:56 What is the greatest law? 

So, our Lord Jesus summarized the ten commandments with two commandments. The first commandment, great commandment, you shall love the Lord your God summarizes the first four commandments of the ten commandments. And then the commandment you shall love your neighbor as yourself summarizes the last six of the ten commandments. Having said that, however, if you notice the ten commandments begin with you shall have no other gods before me, ends with you shall not covet and coveting is idolatry. So, the greatest commandment of all commandments because it encapsulates all commandments is love for God and devoted worship of Him.