Monday, January 25, 2021

What are the Laws written on our hearts? The Love of God

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10 NKJV

 We've been in an ongoing study answering the question what are the Laws God has written on our hearts or put in our hearts and minds? Tradition tells us that God has put the Ten Commandments within us. That the Church has the Mosaic Law engraved within, this is how we keep those commandments. Sisters and brothers, nothing could be further from the truth.

 In this study, we have seen how the Law is the ministry of condemnation. That the Ten Commandments are the ministry of death. God isn't putting death and condemnation within us. God brings life and Love not condemnation and death.

 So what has God placed within us? Faith, He has put Faith within our hearts. Romans 12 is clear, all believers have Faith. Faith is a Law in the same sense gravity is a law. It works every time it's used. 

 God also has placed within us the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. That is that we are now the abode of the Spirit, and we have new life in Christ. We who believe have the very life and nature of God within. 

 And finally, God has placed within us His divine Love. The very Love of Almighty God has been shed abroad in our hearts.

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 MEV

 James calls the Love of God the royal law. God loves us and has put His love within us. His Love is eternal and unconditional.

 Too often when hearing about the Love of God it is shared only in the sense of how well you are loving others. How well you are not holding grudges, harboring unforgiveness, or getting into strife with others. What we need to hear is how much God unconditionally loves us. How His Love is matchless and unfailing towards us. That His Love is continually cascading over His Body, the Church, ever reminding us of His steadfast Faithfulness, mercy, kindness, and long-suffering towards us.  

 When we receive His great Love for us within it transforms our thinking. It changes our motives within. It forms and fashions more mercy and kindness than we ever thought possible. It moves us to forgive and go the extra step in goodness to others. 

 When we say the Law and commandments are not written or engraved upon our hearts traditional religion gets upset. They cry out how then will people behave or act morally? How will they live uprightly? 

 The truth is no matter how many laws you pass, no matter how many rules you create, no matter how many regulations you dictate, none empower anyone to actually fulfill those commands. They only cause the flesh to crave the wrong and resist the right. The strength of sin is the law.

 One then asks does Grace then give freedom to sin? The answer is very difficult to receive. Why? Because of the wrong thinking of religious tradition and the negative influence a fallen world has on the patterns of thought of mankind. 

 The truth is this, yes Grace does give the freedom to sin. What?! When reading this you may be incorrectly reading into what I stated. Grace gives you the freedom to sin but it doesn't shield you from the consequences of sin. What am I saying?

 Freedom isn't true freedom if you're not able to make negative decisions. Think of it, why don't you just steal your groceries from the store weekly? Is it only because theft is illegal? If so, then your true heart is that of a thief and not one of love. What if taking all the groceries you wanted without paying was suddenly legal? Would you still pay for your groceries?

 Think before you respond. If you didn't pay, the business owner, his employees, and the various food companies and their employees would be drastically affected. If you would pay regardless of what the law says then you understand the motivation of love within your heart. The love within your heart wouldn't want to afflict financial harm and undue burden and stress on others even though it wouldn't affect your life.

 The same goes for sin. God looks for sincerity. He seeks sincere relationships. He wants to know if your heart truly desires sinful deeds or does your heart long for Him and His ways of conducting your life. This is the Grace of God in action. 

 To help and bring more clarity, you as a Christian are free to commit all the sin you wish. Jesus paid the price for all your sins. God isn't going to punish Jesus for your sins and then turn around and punish you also. That would imply Jesus' work was insufficient and we know that it was.

 God isn't going to punish you for sinning. However, don't misunderstand the statement. You're free to sin, sin all you want. However, you're also free to experience all the consequences that sinful living entails. If you commit adultery, be prepared for major consequences. You will lose the dignity and trust of members of your family. You will pay immensely in divorce courts. Shame and guilt will haunt you. People will speak of you behind closed doors and your reputation will be shattered. People will never forget you're the person that cheated on their spouse. 

 Though God isn't punishing us for our sins, there are some spiritual consequences for sin. It erodes our confidence in prayer. It dulls our spiritual senses. We also shrink back from fellowship. So are we free to sin? Yes, we are free to choose relationship or rebellion. That's what makes for sincerity in Faith. Again, above all God desires sincerity and truth within our hearts and mind. 

 In summation, God has not written condemnation and death upon our hearts. He has put within us His Faith, His Love, His Spirit and given us His life within. We are a habitation of God through the Spirit. God loves us eternally and this Love within brings real transformation that produces sincerity on the part of believers. God is a Good and Loving and Faithful God. 


Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much!!!!! Very well explained. - Riva

John W Reed said...

Thank you Riva. Please share this truth with others.

Anonymous said...

Excellent word bro!