God’s Law comes from His very nature. The law is in place for our benefit and the benefit of the planet. Our families, cities, nations and even the entire planet benefit the more we keep God’s Laws. There are penalties for breaking God’s Law (Ps. 55:19 RSV). We obey God’s Law because we want to. We are taking on the very nature of God (2Pet. 1:4). If God and His Law are synonymous, it logically follows as we keep God’s Law so we become more and more like God (1Jn. 3:2). The law is Eloah’s (Ezra 7:14). Just as God is everlasting and does not change, so too His Law is forever and ever, and also does not change.

Just as the One True God is love (1Jn. 4:8) so too is God’s Law love (Rom. 13:10). Another interesting point is just as God is righteous, so too is His Law righteous (Ps.119:172). The law is holy, good (Rom. 7:12) and truth (119:142). That would seem to mean God and His Law have always existed.

The law is perfect (Ps. 19:7) and it is the perfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25, 2:12). God’s perfect law of liberty is designed to establish us in a perfect relationship with Him and with each other. However, the Holy Spirit is necessary to be able to follow the perfect law of liberty properly. This will become clearer as we mature in the faith and keep the Law of God.

The Commandments

The law is made up of two Great Commandments. These form the basis of the entire law and the Testimony of the prophets, including that of Jesus Christ, as it is written in the Bible. The First Great Commandment is written as: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength” and the Second Great Commandment is like unto it: “You shall love your neighbour as your self.”

In fact the whole message from the Bible through all of history has been concerned at getting men to love and obey God and to love their neighbour. The two Great Commandments are then broken down to make the Ten Commandments. They are the basic foundation of the law, but the law is not restricted to just the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments deal with the love of God. It is to be with all the heart and mind and soul. The last six commandments deal with the love of our fellow man. We are to love our neighbour as our self, for if we do not love our neighbour whom we have seen, how can we love God whom we have not seen (1Jn. 4:20-21).

Our duty is to become a fit and proper receptacle for the Living God. He is the God of the living and not the dead (Mat. 22:32).

Christ was the elohim or spiritual being who taught Adam and Eve the Law of God. Sin entered the world from Adam (Rom. 5:12-14). Therefore, the Law of God was also in effect in the Garden of Eden. It was also Christ, as the Angel at Sinai, that gave the law again to Moses (Ex. 20:1,22; Deut. 4:12,13; 5:22). It was written by Yahovah (Ex. 31:18; 32:16) on stones (Ex. 24:12; 31:18) and handed to Moses (Ex.31:18). Moses put the tablets in the Ark (Deut. 10:5).

The law deals with moral precepts. These are the principals of right and wrong. We should keep the whole law (Jas. 2:10). We are judged by the law (Jas. 2:12). Keeping the law keeps us from fear, feeling guilty or bad. The law is not too difficult for us to keep (Deut. 30:10-11).

Breaking the Law is sin

From the law comes the knowledge of what sin is (Rom. 3:7, 20). Sin is the transgression or breaking of the law (1Jn. 3:4). We must not break any part of the law (Mat. 5:19). “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all the law” (Jas. 2:10). For example, if we do everything else right yet not keep the Sabbath day holy then we break the whole law.

For more information on sin see the paper What is Sin? (No. CB26).

The carnal or physical mind is enmity or hostile towards God. It does not want to obey the Law of God (Rom. 8:7). God knew this would be the case therefore He set up the perfect plan to bring His creation back to Himself.

The rejection of God’s Law is why there is so much misery and suffering in the world today. Man wants to do it his own way. There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death (Prov. 16:25). Obedience will be given to the Laws of God in Messiah, or the nations will die by starvation. Disobedience to the Laws of God is punishable both individually and collectively. God deals in nations as He deals in families.

Concepts related to grace

It is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, that the works of the devil are destroyed (1Jn. 3:8). It is Christ that cleanses us from all sin (1Jn. 1:7). Though the wages or punishment of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23). Because God redeemed, or bought back man and the fallen host from death, grace is demonstrated (Rom. 5:12-21). Grace is a free gift from God. We are to walk according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4-6). The law is to be kept on a spiritual level now. The law is not eliminated by grace if we keep the law through the Holy Spirit.

We are not saved by keeping the law but we are saved by grace. Without the Holy Spirit we could not keep the law. We keep the law because we want to love and obey God. It was always God’s intention that we keep the law, but the priests of this world have taught the opposite and changed the Laws of God and His Calendar so that they cannot be kept correctly. Making a calendar that is different from God’s calendar and following another system of worship is blasphemy, and a breach of the law. It is worship of a false god.

The Law is spiritual

The law is spiritual (Rom. 7:14). Christ magnified or put the law on a higher spiritual level (Isa. 42:21).

Christ actually elevated, or raised the standard and we are now to keep the law in a spiritual sense in addition to the physical way. Moses and the prophets were until Messiah, and then the law was written in the hearts of the elect. Those who are baptised are judged by the spirit of the law (Jas. 2:12; Rom. 2:27; 2Cor. 3:6).

The Ceremonial or Sacrificial Law

The ceremonial law was spoken by Yahovah (or Christ), written by Moses (Ex. 24:3,4, Deut. 31:9) and given in addition to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 24:12). It was written in a book and given by Moses to the Levites who were told to put it in the side of the Ark (Deut. 31:25-26). It deals with ceremonial and ritual matters. It prescribes offerings for sin (see Lev. chapters 1-2). Christ’s sacrifice abolished, or put an end to the sacrificial system (Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:14). This law made nothing perfect (Heb. 7:19).

After Adam and Eve sinned they were made aware of God’s sacrificial system. So, the sacrificial system was in place from Adam and Eve until 30 CE, which was the year that Messiah was killed and became that perfect acceptable sacrifice. God gave Judah 40 years to repent and change but they did not. The Temple in Jerusalem was still practising the sacrifices, but in 70 CE that Temple was destroyed. In 71 CE Vespasian closed the last remaining temple at Leontopolis, which is in Egypt.

Christ filled all aspects of the sacrifices; therefore the sacrificial system is not in use today. The sacrifice will be re-established at Jerusalem, but it will be only the morning sacrifice (Ezek. 46:13). The afternoon sacrifices that we are told of in Numbers 28:3-4 are altered in Ezekiel 46. The quantity of the animals, grain and oil also is changed (Ezek. 46:1-15). Some parts of the sacrificial system we may not completely understand until Jesus Christ returns to the earth and establishes things in the Millennium.

What was nailed to the cross (stake)?

Modern mainstream Christianity wrongly teaches that the Law of God was nailed to the cross (stake) with the death of Christ. They have wrongly explained Colossians 2:14-15. This Scripture is talking about the “bill of our indebtedness” under the law. This is what was nailed to the stake, and not the Law of God itself. Once Christ was sacrificed he put our sins as far as east is from west, because he paid the death penalty for us. Even though Christ paid the price of all mankind’s sins we still need to keep the law. The “bill of indebtedness” is called the cheirographon.

Traditions of men

We are told to keep the Law of God and not the traditions of men. We have all seen these traditions or beliefs of men. We can also read the words of Jesus Christ regarding this (Mat. 15:2-6; Mk. 7:3-13). We are told if they speak against the law and the testimony of Christ there is no light in them (Isa. 8:20). The oral law of the Pharaisees became a burden to Judah. This mystery of lawlessness was operating in the Church in Paul's time, and in John's time (2Thes. 2:7-10; 1Jn. 2:3-5).

We are also commanded to teach the difference between the holy and profane (Lev. 10:10; Ezek. 44:23)

Revelation 22:18-19 tells us we cannot change God’s Law or change Scripture. If we attempt to change God’s Book (the Bible) God will take away our part in the tree of life (Rev. 22:14). Some will attempt to change or distort what Scripture says, in an attempt to do away with the Law of God; but this is wrong. We are not to listen to any man or woman who tells us Christ’s law is done away.

Christ said not one jot or tittle (that is, the smallest part of the law) would be done away with until heaven and earth pass away (Lk. 16:17). We all know heaven and earth are still here. Therefore, we know all of God’s Law still stands.

God has set up Sabbaths and New Moons and annual Sabbaths and Feasts. The counterfeit system of Sunday and the keeping of Christmas and Easter are the system of the Triune God and are Pagan. This is not permissible or acceptable to God. Modern Christianity that says the Law of God has been done away does not understand the difference between the law and the prophets and the message of Christ and the Apostles.

We are commanded to read the law in the Seventh year of the cycle beginning on the Day of Trumpets and finishing on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The law is also read in the Jubilee years. This is so the people will not forget or lose sight of the law. Christian Churches of God read the law in 1998 and 2005 and 2012, the next “Reading of the Law” is 2019, then 2026 and then again in the Sabbath years of the next Jubilee. The last Jubilee was in 1977 and the next Jubilee is in the sacred year 2027/28.

Reconciliation with the Father

God knows everything (Isa. 46:10; Ps. 147:5; Mat. 24:36). He knew how the spiritual beings would act and how man would act but this does not mean God controls our every move. It only shows how amazingly wise and all-knowing God is. Since God knew Satan and the fallen Host would sin, and that later man would sin, He set a plan in place before He ever started creating.

This plan required a blood sacrifice to restore the sinner to God the Father. Christ came as the perfect acceptable sacrifice (Heb.7:27-28; 9:12; 10:10-19; 1Pet. 3:18). He was accepted by God the Father as the Wave-Sheaf Offering (Lev. 23:9-14; Jn. 20:17; see note in The Companion Bible) on the first day of the week in 30 CE, the year Christ was crucified.

Christ is now our High Priest (Mat. 20:11-18: Ps. 110:4). He paid the price for those who sinned because he sacrificed himself and lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:15: 1Jn. 2:2). He was obedient unto death (Phil. 2:8). Christ is the one who brought salvation to mankind by being obedient to his Father. See the paper Who is Jesus? (No. CB2).

Now we can all have access to God the Father. As an adult we can be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit. See the paper What is the Holy Spirit? (CB3). Before baptism it is up to each one of us to repent of our sins. Once we repent and change our ways God completely forgets about our sins. Even if we are not baptised we still ask God to forgive our sins. We may also tell those we hurt that we are sorry; but we need to try not to repeat the same mistake again.

Blessings for keeping God’s Laws

When Christ was a physical man he kept all the law (Mat. 5:18-19). The Body of Christ, the Church, keeps God’s Laws (Rom. 2:13, Ps. 119:1-3). A Christian who keeps the law is blessed (Jas. 1:25). The converted person wants to keep the law (Ps. 119:1ff.).

For us to be in the First Resurrection we must keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17; 14:12). Revelation 22:14 states, “blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter by the gates unto the city.” The note to verse 14 in the Companion Bible states that washing their robes is doing the commandments of God. For more information on the Commandments of God see the paper The Ten Commandments (No. CB17).

If we keep the commandments God abides or stays with us (Jn. 14:15, 15:10). If we wish to enter eternal life, we are to keep the commandments of God (Mat. 19:17). By keeping God’s Laws we too become like God, taking on His nature (2Pet.1:4).

God never changes or passes away (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). Let us all try to keep His Laws more completely each and every day to become more and more like Him (Eph. 4:23-25). Let us all delight in keeping the law of Eloah (Ps. 119:1ff.) and be an example to the rest of mankind regarding how God’s system of law works.

PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA

Email: secretary@ccg.org