Why does god have rules

The law within functions still, but unreliably at best, not because the law is faulty but because we are. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. But now the law came to fallen man, and included sin offerings to address the new condition of humanity.

It came to one distinct nation in one specific land. And it came until the coming of the Redeemer promised in Genesis Therefore, it was given largely in negative terms, with added applications relevant for one specific nation in a single land, until the day when the types and sacrifices of the law would be fulfilled in Christ. It is the simplest and safest way to protect them. An old covenant believer could work that out by going to the temple two days in a row: the priest was still standing at the altar, sacrificing all over again Heb.

The final adequate sacrifice was still to come. And then the Decalogue was given civil application for the people in the land. The preservation and advance of His kingdom would then no longer be dependent on them. An old covenant believer could understand this, albeit with less clarity.

After all, only the Decalogue was placed in the ark, as an expression of the very character and heart of God. Yes, the law was one because the God who gave it is one. But the law of Moses was not monolithic—it was multidimensional, having a foundation and also spheres of application. The former was permanent; the latter were interim arrangements until the coming day dawned. Old covenant believers really did love the law.

They delighted in it. Their covenant God cared so much that He had rephrased His original instructions for them so that they could guide the people as sinners. Old covenant believers who knew and meditated on the Decalogue and the whole Torah the law would grow in their ability to apply it to every providence of God in their lives Ps. At the end of my freshman year, I taught in a school for young criminals.

Their lives were heavily circumscribed. But surprisingly to me, there was an extraordinary esprit de corps, a pride in and common loyalty to the school.

At first this puzzled me. And then I realized that these boys knew where they were. They were safe and safeguarded from themselves and their waywardness. The teachers disciplined them with affection. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they were getting regular meals. Yes, the rules sometimes irked them—they were sinners, after all.

But they were safe. Some of them even transgressed again just to get back to the environs of the school. I understood why even if I could not condone it. There they had care and security. Paul uses a not-too-dissimilar illustration in Galatians 3—4. Old covenant believers were underage heirs, living in the restricted environment of the Mosaic law. But now in Christ, redemptive history has come of age.

There is a new dimension of freedom. Now that Christ has come, we have been let out of reform school. Yet, the undergirding law—why would it change? Why would we be any less obedient to the same Father? We are already discovering that we cannot fully understand the law of Moses without thinking about Jesus. God intends to get His portrait back. Jesus came to re-create a new and true humanity marked by a restored internal love for the Lord and a desire to be like Him. The law itself cannot accomplish that in us.

God made rules to protect us, just like your parents do. God made us and He loves us and He gives us rules to help us stay safe. Write our print out the Ten Commandments. Cut them in half or thirds and hide the pieces of paper around the room. Kids race to find the pieces of paper and arrange the commandments.

The second part of the challenge is to put the commandments in order. Kids can use Bibles for reference. Lord, we thank You for giving us Your rules to help us be safe and happy. New Sunday School Curriculum: Church budgets are tight, that's why our curriculum is half the price of printed materials. Download a free sample or visit the Sunday School Store to purchase more. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Needed: common items, Bibles, Whiteboard and markers or something else to write on, pieces of paper with phrases from the Ten Commandments written on them Game: Breaking the Rules Play any simple game your kids know. So, how are we to take the commandments seriously? The first thing in answering the objection is to make sure we understand exactly what the commandment says. Just as in English, the Hebrew language has two different words; and the word murder is what is described in the commandment, not killing.

It should be fairly evident to people that God is not proscribing all killing because part of the very Mosaic law that God gave capital punishment as an appropriate punishment for quite a number of crimes.

That would be an obvious contradiction, and that is obviously not what God has in mind. No, the prohibition is against murder, which is an inappropriate kind of killing. And then God talks about certain circumstances when killing is legitimate and other circumstances when it is not legitimate.

Taking a human life without proper justification is murder and is wrong. But if the circumstance changes and there is appropriate justification, then arguably this is a morally relevant factor that changes the moral nature of the act of taking a life. Therefore, you would be justified in taking his life in self-defense. When the circumstance changes in a morally relevant way, the application of the moral rule changes. The question is, does the circumstance change in a morally relevant way when God is the subject in view?

To kind of clarify that, I could ask a question: What is your most prized possession? Okay, if you owned your mountain bike is it okay if you disassemble it and spread it around? I can do what I want with my own things. But what if someone else did that to your bike?

Yet, you being the owner of that thing do have the liberty to do whatever you want with what is yours. I think that is the same principle that informs this question about God.

God tells us that we should not kill other human beings. You see a clear picture of the rationale against murder in Genesis 9 right after the flood. There is the metaphor for murder. There is a factor that is morally relevant to the circumstance: the factor of ownership. This factor is a morally relevant distinction that makes a different moral rule applies there. Why is murder wrong? The answer seems to be yes. You see, God is the King of the universe.