Gavin Howe
Breaking God's law is considered a sin, and sin is defined by God in the 66 books of the Bible. God's law is the spiritual law found in the New Testament, the covenant between God and Israel, and the law given to mankind at the beginning of human life on Earth. God's law can be summed up as loving God with all our hearts, minds, and strength, and loving one another as Christ loved us. We break God's law when we fail to love Him or harm our fellow humans.
What You'll Learn
Breaking the covenant
The covenant, or written law, given by God at Mount Sinai, included many dietary rules and other provisions, but this law was given to Israel. The Bible says that this law was a shadow of good things to come, and the fulfillment of the law is in Christ. Christ enters into humans, and they live out the righteous commandments of the written law. The Spirit of Christ within humans helps them to do naturally what the law attempted to force them to do.
However, humans break the covenant whenever they fail to love God or whenever they harm their fellow humans. Harm to another usually begins in humans' inner being, so God added to the law a prohibition against coveting—a mental sin. Jesus expanded on this concept by saying that lustful thoughts are equivalent to the act of adultery, and that anger, along with demeaning insults, is the equivalent of murder.
In conclusion, breaking the covenant is a serious matter, as it involves disobeying God's commands and rejecting His love. It is essential to understand and follow God's law to avoid sin and maintain a right relationship with God.
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Disobedience
Additionally, disobedience can involve breaking laws that are established to maintain order and prevent harm to others, such as traffic laws, pollution controls, and laws against murder, kidnapping, and theft. These laws exist to restrain people who do not act out of love for others, and breaking them is considered sinful and lawless in God's eyes.
Ultimately, disobedience to God's law is a serious matter, as it goes against the very nature of God and can lead to punishment and eternal wrath. God's law is essential to understand what constitutes sin, and by obeying God's law, individuals can live a holy life and experience the joy and peace of God's forgiveness.
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Not loving God
God's law is a spiritual law, a covenant between God and Israel, and the law given to mankind at the beginning of human life on Earth. The law can be summarised as follows: love God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and love one another as you love yourself.
The apostle Paul said, "He who loves another has fulfilled the law." Therefore, not loving God is breaking God's law. This is because not loving God is a failure to fulfil the first object of our love.
The law given at Sinai, including the Ten Commandments, provides more detail on how to love God. The first four commandments are about devotion to God:
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
To not love God is to neglect these commandments.
Additionally, the Bible states that God is love, and he is perfect love. By not loving God, we are turning away from his perfect love and disobeying his commands. This disobedience is a form of rebellion against God, as seen in the book of Deuteronomy:
> "They became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies."
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Not loving your fellow man
God defines sin in the 66 books of the Bible, his revealed Word. Sin is any thought, word, or deed that breaks God’s law by omission or commission.
Loving your fellow man is a central tenet of the Bible. As descendants of the first man, Adam, we are all one family. God wants us to love and respect one another. In Leviticus 19:18, the Bible says, "You must love your fellow man as yourself." In Matthew 5:44, it says, "Continue to love your enemies."
The Bible also describes what love is. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, it says:
> "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not look for its own interests. Love does not keep account of the injury. Love does not rejoice over unrighteousness."
To enjoy God's blessing, we must love others in these ways regardless of who they are. We can do this by helping those in need.
Suzy Kassem, in her book *Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem*, writes:
> "So long as you act and speak with love and truth in you, and are good to your fellow man — in that you treat everybody as you would want yourself to be treated, your heart will stand by God regardless of the label you have assigned to your mind."
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Committing murder
Murder is considered a sin in the Bible. According to the Bible, "whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image".
The Bible also states that "whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death". This is further emphasised in the commandment, "you shall not murder".
In addition, the Bible makes it clear that murder is a violation of God's law: "For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not commit murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law".
The Bible also provides examples of murder, such as the story of Cain and Abel, where Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy: "Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him".
Furthermore, the Bible warns against the consequences of murder, stating that murderers will face judgement and punishment: "murderers... will be put to death" and "everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him".
Therefore, according to the Bible, murder is a serious offence that breaks God's law and will result in severe consequences.
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Frequently asked questions
God's law is the spiritual law found in the New Testament, the covenant between God and Israel, and the law given to mankind at the beginning of human life on Earth.
We break God's law whenever we fail to love Him or whenever we harm our fellow humans.
Breaking God's law results in bad relations with God, with fellow humans, with oneself, and even with animals. It also leads to pain, mental and physical distress, and eventually death.
Some examples include not obeying God's commandments, such as committing adultery, murder, theft, or lying.
We can avoid breaking God's law by putting God first in our lives, listening to Him, obeying His commandments, and loving Him and our neighbours as ourselves.
