I am a person who looks
at the world as black and white. Something is either right, or it is wrong. For
me, what determines what is right or wrong are the consequences, not the
action/choice itself. At this point, I’m not sure how accurate that view is, but
it has led me to contemplate right/wrong, sin, and the importance of God’s law.
The problem for me is this: when I look at sin, I don’t really comprehend what
is wrong with it other than it will bring me death, eventually. I might know
that it’s wrong because of being taught that it is, or maybe my conscience
tells me, but I don’t really grasp what’s wrong with it. I’m still not certain
that I fully do, but I believe that God is trying to enlighten me.
It all begins with God.
Everything does, right? God is a being that I don’t believe we will ever fully
understand. We simply can’t. As created beings, we have a really hard time
wrapping our minds around someone who wasn’t created. That being said, we can
still learn a lot about Him, and He wants us to know Him. He has told us about
Himself. He is love (1 John 4:8), gracious and compassionate (Exodus 33:19),
and just. This is His character, the very essence of who He is.
Now, think about the Ten
Commandments. What is the essence of the Decalogue? Jesus summed all Ten
Commandments up by saying that the first is to love God, and the second is to
love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). The first four commandments
direct the human being to love and honor God, to remember what He has done and
that He alone is God. The last six commandments direct the human being to love
and respect his/her neighbor, not only outwardly, but in the mind/heart as
well. If you compare this law with the character of God, it is very similar.
The law is not a list of don’ts. It is the expression of who God is, and it is
a safeguard against destruction.
When you buy a new car or
cell phone, it comes with a user manual. This is very important because these
objects will only work well when certain conditions are met. In order for a car
to run properly and safely, it needs fuel, working brakes, headlights, and a
steering wheel. If these components of the car are broken or lacking, the car
will not run or it will become hazardous very quickly. In a similar way, cell
phones need a power source to be useful. They need a case to protect them from
damage, and if they are dropped in water, they will be ruined. It is apparent
from these examples that man-made objects function because of rules, or laws.
When those rules are broken or disregarded, the objects soon malfunction.
Does this pattern appear
in nature? Well, imagine that one morning you wake up and decide not to breathe
anymore. It wouldn’t take very long for your body to shut down because oxygen
is essential for human beings to live. What would happen if the law of gravity
no longer existed? Earth and all its inhabitants would be in trouble. Gravity
is what keeps us on this planet, and what keeps the planets orbiting around
each other. It is clear that there are laws in nature that keep the earth and
those living in it from falling apart or malfunctioning.
In case it wasn’t clear
before now, I believe that God created the world. This belief is very important
when looking at the concept of right/wrong and sin. When you think about the
character of God and that it is expressed in His law, and then attach this to
the creation of the earth and all its inhabitants, sin becomes clearer, as does
the importance of preserving the law.
When God created the earth,
He created it on the foundation of His law. In nature, every living thing
relies on another to live and function. At one point, I became frustrated with mosquitos
and wanted to know what possible function they served on this planet. As it
turns out, they are food for some creatures. Human beings exhale CO2 which
feeds the plants around them, and in return the trees produce oxygen which is
essential to human beings. Human beings also thrive on social relationships and
love. They need social interaction, not just to receive love and acceptance,
but to give it as well. Without a law of love as the foundation of all life on
this planet, how would this interdependence happen?
Okay, remember the car
and the cell phone? Remember that if you don’t follow the rules in the manuals,
they won’t function, or they won’t function well? If the earth is built on God’s
law of love, then that law is essential for life on this planet. The moment one
creature decides not to depend on another, and not to give to another, the
whole ecosystem will be disrupted. Chaos and devastation of the natural world
will ensue. This is what happened. This is what sin is. It is breaking the law
of life.
I am a created being.
Whether I like it or not, I was created with certain rules to be followed. I
cannot breathe under water, not matter how much I may try. My lungs will fill
and I will suffocate. If I fill my body with too much sugar and fat, and not
enough fiber and nutrients, eventually my organs will fail. It will prove too
much for them, and I will die. It is the same with God’s law of love. I was
created to worship. All human beings need to worship someone or something. Some
worship work, others television, others religion. When we look at God’s law, we
find someone to worship, and He is someone that is truly worthy of it. I was
also created to be social, and to love my fellow human beings. I have enough
experience being selfish that I know how it sucks the life out of you. So many
people are hurting and dying because they don’t know that they are loved. They
are too focused on their own pain to see the love that others have for them, or
to see the need that they could fill.
So why couldn’t God just
change the law? Why is the law so important that someone had to die when it was
broken? Again, I don’t know as we will ever fully comprehend God, but there is
such beauty in Him and in His law, that I don’t know why anyone would want Him
to change it (other than our selfish hearts desiring it). When Jesus came to
this earth, He didn’t come to destroy the law. He came to fulfill it (Matthew
5:17, 18). The law was considered so important and infallible by God, that He
sent His Son, His only Son, to fulfill the requirement of death for its
transgression. He also fulfilled the law by living His whole life according to
it, giving humanity an example. A while ago, I pondered what Jesus said, asking
why He didn’t come to destroy the law. Here is the answer given to me:
God is unchangeable, and
so is His law. If this were not the case, then humanity probably would no
longer exist. When Jesus came, He established the law. He showed how essential
that law was to fulfilled and joyous living. If the law could be changed, then
God would not be reliable. He would either not care about His creation, or He
would be a doormat. Something that I am learning lately is the concept of love.
I am learning that it is not what the movies portray it as, but it is something
that looks out for the good of someone, even if they don’t like what is done.
This is what God does, and this is why His law is one of love, and why it is
important that it not change. He created all of us, He knows what will make us
truly happy and fulfilled, and that is what He desires for us. We can’t see
what He sees, and so we fight against Him, thinking that He is being cruel or
indifferent. In the end, though, if we will trust Him, we will see that He and
His law never let us down.
