God’s Only Law

God is creating His kingdom. The kingdom we first caught a glimpse of in the garden, the kingdom Jesus came to tell us about, the eternal kingdom of His love. His kingdom is being formed by volunteers who are choosing to be born again. When we are born, God breathes the breath of life into our bodies, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7). This first birth is of the flesh and was God’s choice because He loves us and wants us to willingly choose to be part of His family.

So, He asks us to choose to be born again, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:3). This is our choice. However, only when we learn to love Him, as He loves us, will we be humble enough to accept His salvation and be born again of the Spirit; thus, following Him into eternity, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Jn. 3:6). Jesus is trying to help Nicodemus, a ruler of the Pharisees, understand that entering the kingdom of God requires a rebirth of the Spirit, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God … Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (Jn. 3:5, 10). Jesus consistently taught the religious leaders they needed to reexamine their understanding of scripture. This rebirth takes us on the journey from living in the flesh to living by the Spirit, a process God calls sanctification, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” (2 Thess. 2:13). God tells us that He created the sanctification process when He began creating. This process prepares us for life in His kingdom. God is watching us, and He smiles every time one of us chooses to go through the sanctification process.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” (1 Jn. 4:7). When we love God, we can decide to be reborn into His family by accepting Jesus as our Savior, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom. 10:9). His law of love leads us to Christ’s sacrifice, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8), and to seek His righteousness and His kingdom, “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Lk. 12:31-32). He then calls us to be salt, to flavor this world, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matt. 5:13), and light, pushing back the darkness enough to lead others to Him, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16).

God created us, and He knows we are lost without Him, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy … For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Ps. 103:8, 14). He knows He had to come to us, to draw us to Him, for we would not seek Him on our own, as the Israelites proved, over and over again, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Ex. 20:1-3). We would instead create gods who would tell us what we want to hear, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” (2 Tim. 4:3), gods who would allow us to do as we please. We are just too selfish to have created the real God because we would not create a God who would ask us to be unselfish, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:39). Instead, we would create one we could use to control others, a harsh god who would punish people for their disobedience, the god the Pharisees brought us.

God hates to see us following false gods to our own death. So, He sent Jesus to show us how to deal with this world’s sins and selfishness in the form of a man. While on the cross, Jesus completed the life the Father assigned Him, fully demonstrating He is willing to bear the pain and suffering of this life to save us, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (Jn. 19:30). God’s plan provides a way for us to escape to eternity...