1. What does the Bible say about the quality of God’s work?

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

Deuteronomy 32:4

At the end of creation week, God looked at His perfect work of Creation and declared it to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Romans 1:20 states, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” Just like the physical universe operates according to finely tuned laws of physics and chemistry, our spiritual life operates best when lived in accord with God’s perfectly designed spiritual laws. 

Personal Response

In what ways can we still see evidence of God’s “very good” creation, even after sin’s damaging effects?

Review

What does the Bible say about the quality of God’s work? (Fill in the blank.)

2. Upon what did Adam and Eve’s continued happiness and existence in Eden depend?

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 2:16,17

Adam and Eve were promised eternal life in Eden as long as they obeyed God’s commands. Jesus once said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Our spiritual (and physical) well-being depends on our willingness to follow the Word of God, including the Ten Commandments. As King David wrote, “In keeping of them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11).

Personal Response

Were God’s conditions of eternal life in Eden fair? Why or why not?

Review

Upon what did Adam and Eve’s continued happiness and existence in Eden depend? (Select the best answer.)

3. What is God’s law designed to provide us?

“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged bythe law of liberty.”

James 2:12

God’s law provides liberty for those that live by its principles. As the Bible points out, we can choose to live either under the “law of sin and death,” or the “law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2). Because of sin, we cannot keep God’s law on our own power. However, God promises to provide the wisdom and strength necessary to live in a way that pleases Him. The Bible says, “For it is God which worth in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Personal Response

How important is liberty to you? What civil laws can you think of that are designed to provide liberty for those that follow them?

Review

What is God’s law designed to provide us? (Fill in the blank.)

4. Where does God want to write His divine law?

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 10:15-17

God wants to write His law on human minds and hearts. When we allow Him to do this, obedience to God’s commands becomes something that we want to do. As Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Writing on something represents ownership of that thing. God is not involved in graffiti! When He says He wants to write His law on our minds and hearts, it means that He wants to show us, and the world, that we belong to Him.

Personal Response

In what ways might our day-to-day lives look different if God’s law were truly written on our minds and hearts? How would life improve for us and others?

Review

Where does God want to write His divine law? (Fill in the blanks.)

5. What did Jesus say about the continuing validity of God’s law?

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said that God’s law is eternal and will never be changed or taken away. Just like physical life in our universe requires the existence of unchanging natural laws, spiritual life in God’s kingdom also requires the existence of unchanging laws. Psalm 119:89 says, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” Like Abraham of old, Christians today should be seeking to live in heaven, a “better country” (Hebrews 11:16) where God’s law is perfectly kept by all its citizens.

Personal Response

Many people today believe that Christians are under no obligation to keep the Ten Commandments. In what sense, and for what reasons, might Christians actually be under a greater responsibility to live according to God’s law?

Review

What did Jesus say about the continuing validity of God’s law? (Select the best answer.)

6. What does prophecy reveal about the attitude that Christians today should have about God’s law? 

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Revelation 12:17

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Revelation 14:12

Genuine Christians in all ages have valued and treasured God’s “law of liberty,” especially when their earthly freedoms have been attacked. The true freedom offered by obedience to God’s law remains a treasured possession for all who desire to serve God.

The Bible says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). We can again have access to the Tree of Life if we accept God’s forgiveness of our sins and claim His power in our lives!

Personal Response

How important is it to you that God never forces us to serve Him? What does this say about God’s character?

Review

What does prophecy reveal about the attitude that Christians today should have about God’s law? (Fill in the blanks.)

7. What promises are given to those who choose to “plant” themselves in the firm ground of God’s law? 

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:1-6

Those who choose to keep God’s law with the Holy Spirit’s help will experience delight, protection, and many other blessings. Their faith in, and submission to, God’s Word will yield a rich harvest in this life, and in the life to come. 

Personal Response

What blessings have you personally experienced in your life from reading, believing, and following God’s Word?

Review

What promises are given to those who choose to “plant” themselves in the firm ground of God’s law? (Select all that apply.)