Observations Gleaned From the Scriptures by JaneEllen #4

The Laws of God

How many Laws of God were there?  Who were they given to?  Which one are we to obey today?

The Book of Genesis is the beginning of all things from God. God created Adam and told him how to worship Him. (A Law)  Hebrews 11:4 says BY FAITH Abel (Adam’s son) offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain (another son of Adam).  Romans 10:17 says FAITH comes from hearing God’s Word. So whatever God told them to do, Abel obeyed.  Cain did not. Cain suffered the consequences of his disobedience.  In the beginning God spoke directly to the heads of families. So they heard God’s Word directly from Him. If this hearing of God’s Word produced a FAITH in the people that led to obedience, they were blessed by God.  If they disobeyed God’s Word, they suffered the consequences.

Whatever the way was that God gave Adam to worship Him became the Law of the Gentiles.  We don’t know much about this law except in the Old Testament God sent prophets to teach and pronounce judgment against Gentile cities.  This was the first Law of God.

The Book of Exodus is the beginning of a way to worship God for a new people: The Jews. It is called The Law of Moses because God gave the law to Moses and Moses gave it to the Jews. It ran concurrently with the law to the Gentiles. When the Jews had faith in God’s Word and obeyed Him, they were blessed. When the Jews did not follow this law (the Word of God), they suffered the consequences of disobedience just like Cain did.  This law also ended when Jesus died on the cross. This was the second Law of God.

God has always been specific about how He wants to be worshiped. The way God told the Jews and Gentiles to worship Him used to be different.  Now we (Jews and Gentiles) are all to worship Him in the same way.

In the Book of Acts, we have the beginning of a new way God wants to be worshipped.  In Acts 2, this new way God wants to be worshiped was given to the Jews first. In Acts 10, this new way to worship God was given to the Gentiles also. Both Jews and Gentiles were given the same way to worship God. Everyone today is still either a Jew or a Gentile.

As you read the Book of Acts, look for how people were told to worship God. In the Book of Acts, we are told a church was created. The church in Acts is the only church ever created by God and the only church to which God has ever added a person – Acts 2:47. In this church and only this church are all the ways God wants to be worshiped. Most of the rest of the New Testament tells us how this church is organized, what it is allowed to do, how people in this church are to act and what happens to people who do not worship God the way He wants to be worshiped. This is the only church mentioned in the Bible.  This is the third and final Law of God.

Revelation 22:18-19 says we are not to add anything to God’s Word (the Bible) or delete anything from God’s Word and gives the consequences for not following God’s Word exactly.

Only what is in His Word (the Bible) is acceptable to God.

Only by reading the Bible will we know how God wants us to worship Him.

Only by comparing how we are currently worshiping to what the Bible says will we know if we are worshiping God the way He wants to be worshiped.

Only by comparing the church where we currently worship to the church in Acts 2 will we know if we are in the only church God ever created.

Until next time, I remain with a song in my heart.       JaneEllen