THE HOLINESS AND JUSTICE OF GOD

God specifically instructed Adam not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when he ate it, he would surely die (Genesis 2:16-17). Since God is holy, He is perfect in righteousness. His ways are the standard of what is considered right. His laws, commandments, and instructions are based on His holiness, so it requires to be obeyed. Obeying His laws reflects a right relationship with God and promotes human life and blessings. In addition, God's holiness reflects His perfect justice, which demands consequences in response to His laws, such as His moral laws. Following His law results in life and peace, while disobeying it brings penalties to maintain His moral standards. When Adam disobeyed God's command, he faced the consequence of his actions: death, which includes both physical and spiritual death— a separation from God. Genesis 3:17-19 describes the consequences of Adam's disobedience or sin, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."

I hope we now understand that our obedience and disobedience to God's commands have consequences because of the holiness and justice of God. The consequences of our obedience produce life and blessings, but our disobedience causes penalties, such as death and sufferings. Adam chose to listen to his wife, Eve, instead of God. Consequently, he faced the consequences of suffering and death. Adam would suffer working on the ground for food. It would not be the same as before he disobeyed God. Before he disobeyed God, everything was easy for him. He enjoyed taking care of the Garden of Eden. He had life and peace. But after he sinned against God, he experienced pain and hardship that ultimately led to his physical death. There was a story that a man grew up in a godly home. He grew up listening to Bible stories, and his parents encouraged and taught him to follow God's ways. He was homeschooled until middle school, so when he entered high school, he wanted to fit in; as a result, he began to hangout with the bad friends. To make a long story short, he listened to his bad friends over his parents' teaching. Not long after, he began to drink and take drugs with his friends. He eventually dropped out of high school and got into all kinds of trouble with the law. By God's grace, he ended up believing in the Lord Jesus as an adult through difference circumstances. Looking back, he wished that he had listened to his parents and saved himself from all his troubles. 

God gave us His laws to protect us from destroying our lives. His moral standards bring life and peace to our lives. They are not about restricting our lives, but leading us to life. When we do things on our own, ignoring God's moral standards, we lead ourselves to a destructive life.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important for me to follow God's standard of living? What are the possible results of ignoring God's standard of living? Am I living in obedience or disobedience to God today? If not, what should I do about it? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for your moral laws. Please forgive me if I have not been following your ways. Please continue to change my heart and renew my mind with your truth. I want to follow your ways because it leads me to life, joy, and peace. Thank you for teaching me today that your moral laws are good for me. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.