The Four Spiritual Laws
Law 1
God loves his creation and loves himself. God desires a mutually beneficial give-and-take
relationship with humanity.
God’s love
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and
God abides in them (1 John 4:16). Since
God loves himself, he expects to be given his due. You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
God’s desire
[God] desires everyone to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4)
To be ‘saved’ here is tantamount to the blessing of having
life (John 10:10).
Why do we not experience this abundant life?
Because…
Law 2
Humanity has not loved God as they ought; therefore, they
incur God’s wrath which includes the curse of death.
Death as consequence
of disobedience
The wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23). Sin came into the world through one man, and
death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned
(Romans 5:12).
Adam’s disobedience compromised his God-given purpose to
have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28).
This is why all creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of
the children of God (Romans 8:19).
This situation is desperate, but…
Law 3
God is continually working to set things right. God chose Abraham and through him Israel to bless
the world, that is, to undo Adam’s curse.
Abraham’s blessing (the Promise)
In Abraham, all the families of the earth shall be blessed
(Genesis 12:3). Abraham trusted the
Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). The ‘righteousness’ here is God’s righteousness,
that is, his promise to set things right.
Israel and the Law (Old Covenant)
Israel’s obedience to the law was meant to give life
(Leviticus 18:5). However, Israel did
not obey the law and came under the law’s curse of death (Romans 9:31). Both Jews and Gentiles are under the power of
sin (Romans 3:9). However, this was not
the end of the story.
Jesus as true Israel (New Covenant)
Jesus fulfilled Israel’s function to bless the world. As the new Adam, Jesus reverses the curse of
death because he was obedient. The
righteous [Jesus] by their faithfulness [obedience] will live [resurrect] (Habakkuk
2:4). Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death for all (1 Corinthians
15:22). With Jesus, the Holy
Spirit-infused new creation makes its appearance. We can partake of this resurrected new
creation.
What Jesus accomplished is available to all, but…
Law 4
To be saved, that is, to gain abundant life, humanity
must enter into a mutually beneficial give-and-take relationship with the
triune God and with all of God’s creation.
Love is the key
Faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of
these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Obedience is a part of love
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 (John 15:10).
Self-sacrificial love is the highest love
Jesus gave of himself and we must take up our cross
and give. We are never more Christ-like then
when we love self-sacrificially—it proves our love (John 15:13).
Our destiny
When we are like Jesus, then we will fulfill our God-given
purpose of a Godly-dominion over a new earth forever (Isaiah 65:17). AMEN!
