Table of Contents
Post-six in the Kingdom of God series.
Humans are born with the inherent sin nature. Mankind is unable to survive without laws, due to the inherent sin nature. The laws of the Kingdom of God were already in place long before the King of Heaven created mankind.
The laws of the Kingdom ensure that it operates according to God’s intent. Similarly, the laws of the Kingdom of God were established to protect and preserve the benefits and privileges for His citizens.
Furthermore, His laws are just as applicable today as they were when Adam was created.
“God is the only Legislator. Earthly rulers and legislative bodies are alike accountable to Him from whom stems all obligation—religious, ethical and civil”1
Carl F.H. Henry
“O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!
2 Chronicles 20:6
In the Beginning
When God created mankind, His intent was for us to rule as kings under Him. Think of it as the King colonizing the earth.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
Our job was to spread the wonderful paradise of Eden throughout the entire world.
However, one of God’s mighty angelic guardians was jealous. He thought God should have given him dominion over the earthly realm.
12 “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God … 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.
Ezekiel 28:12-15
Therefore, by tempting the first couple to doubt their Sovereign King, he stole their right to rule. Thereby, making him the usurper of the earthly kingdom. He was “the pretender to the throne”.
… the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:8-9
The Restoration Process Begins
God immediately set in motion the plan to restore the kingdom back into the hands of Humankind. That restoration is available by choosing whom we will pledge our allegiance too. Will we pledge our allegiance to the usurper, the once-mighty angelic guardian we call Satan or the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ?
But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
Natural Laws of the Kingdom of God
The laws of the King of Heaven are built into the very structure of creation and determine precisely how all of the Kings’ creation functions. These built-in principles are called “natural laws.”
Natural laws exist because our Creator God, who is logical, has imposed order on His creation. (FYI, Spock never had to use the word “illogical” regarding his King).
Everything in the universe, every plant, animal, every rock, every particle of matter or light wave, is bound by laws which it has no choice but to obey.
The Bible confirms that there are laws of nature. These laws describe the way God normally accomplishes His will in the universe.
“Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return and will have mercy on them.’ ”
Jeremiah 33:25-26
William Blackstone, one of the most influential figures in the history of law, describes the Christian view of natural law this way:
“Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his creator, for he is an entirely dependent being ….And consequently as man depends absolutely upon his maker for everything, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his maker’s will. This will of his maker is called the law of nature.”2
William Blackstone
Our “Think Again” Detector
The King of Heaven has inscribed His basic laws on the consciences of those He has made in His image. I call it the “think again” detector. Likewise, He has established a fixed, transcendent basis for human ethics. Ethics being the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires … Romans 2:14
Even the hardest of human hearts have awareness of laws of the Kingdom of God. Consequently, sinners cannot say on judgment day that they were not aware of what God wanted from them.
That Which We Know In Our Heart
In addition to natural law, we must take into account God’s revelation of His moral order and divine law, contained in the Bible, the Royal Contract of the Kingdom. Natural law gives us a general concept of right and wrong, but the Bible clarifies that which we know in our hearts, telling us what God considers moral and lawful.
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 40:8
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
Psalm 37:30-31
The Laws of the Kingdom of God
- The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.
- The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
- The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.
- The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Psa 19:7-8
- Your laws are always right; Psa 119:144
- All your commands are trustworthy. Psa 119:86
- “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good. Neh 9:13
God’s Laws are Unchangeable
The constitutional covenant of the Kingdom of Heaven is backed up by the laws of God, which are the expressions of His unshakeable and unchanging Word.
- God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. Heb 6:13-17
- And He who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will He change His mind, for He is not human that He should change His mind!” 1Sa 15:29
- But once He has made his decision, who can change His mind? Whatever He wants to do, He does. Job 23:13
- Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever. Psa 93:5
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17) express these unchanging moral requirements. Likewise, the Mosaic Law includes 613 ceremonial and civil regulations designed for ancient Israel as well as moral commandments that apply in every time and place.
Warnings From the King of Creation
- Observe the requirements of the LORD your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. 1 Ki 2:3
- If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws, decrees, and regulations given through Moses—I will not send them into exile from this land that I set aside for your ancestors.” 2 Ki 21:8
- If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the LORD. Lev 18:5
IF (this happens) THEN (this happens)
The laws of the Kingdom of God specifies blessings and benefits for obedience as well as consequences and penalties for disobedience. As long as we observe the conditions of the covenant, all the blessings. and the benefits of the covenant are operative in our lives.
In my early days of learning computer programming, I was taught about conditional statements. The “If/Then” logic of programming. I think of it as the natural law of programming.
For instance, IF you put garbage programming in, THEN your output results will be garbage. Or, your program may say IF this condition exists, THEN do this.
Therefore, IF we follow the Kings’ covenant laws, THEN the law of blessings is triggered. Likewise, IF we violate the Kings’ covenant laws, THEN the law of consequences is triggered.
I hope by now you realize that it is our behavior regarding the King’s laws that determine blessings for obedience or curses for disobedience. We should not blame God for the outcomes of our behavior. Especially when He makes it very clear in the Bible, His Royal Contract with mankind.
Blessings or Curses
Below is a table listing a few of the blessings God gave to the Israelites for obedience.
God’s Kingdom Promises for Obedience
| If You | Then | Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Make the Lord your refuge, | No evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. | Psalm 91:9-10 |
| Obey me and keep my covenant | You will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth. | Ex 19:5 |
| Obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today | All will be well with you and your children. | Deut 4:40 |
| And your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, | You will enjoy a long life. | Deut 6:2 |
| Listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, | The Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors. | Deut 7:12 |
| Ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, | You will certainly be destroyed. | Deut 8:19 |
| Obey | You will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey! | Deut 11:9 |
| Carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, | Then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat. | Deut 11:13-15 |
| Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. | Then the Lord will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land. Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. | Deut 11:23-24 |
| Obey the commands of the Lord your God | You will be blessed | Deut 11:27 |
| Listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him. | The Lord your God will be merciful. | Deut 13:18 |
| Are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God | There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession | Deut 15:4-5 |
| Listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, | The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. | Deut 28:13 |
| Obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. | The Lord your God will delight in you. | Deut 30:10 |
| Love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. | You will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. | Deut 30:16 |
| Will only obey me, | You will have plenty to eat. | Isa 1:19-20 |
| Turn away and refuse to listen, | You will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. | Isa 1:19-20 |
- Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. Psa 119:2
- Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. Psa 119:111
The following table lists various curses for disobedience.
God’s Kingdom Promises for Disbedience
| If You | Then | Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Break my covenant, | you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. | Deut 4:26 |
| Ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, | you will certainly be destroyed. | Deut 8:19 |
| Refuse to obey the Lord your God, | Just as the Lord has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed | Deut 8:20 |
| Refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, | all these curses will come and overwhelm you: | Deut 28:15 |
| Refuse to listen to the Lord your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, | all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. | Deut 28:45 |
| Do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, | You will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you. | Deut 28:47-48 |
| If your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and 17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, | I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. | Deut 30:17 |
| Fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, | You may be sure that your sin will find you out. | Num 32:23 |
| Turn away and refuse to listen, | You will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. | Isa 1:19-20 |
The nation of Israel was ready to enter the land of Canaan. Before they entered Moses recapped the 17 blessings for obeying the King and the 35 curses for disobedience of their King. Click the links to view the list.
God’s Anger for Breaking His Laws (Sin)
- But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For, ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Rom 1:18-20
- They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his instructions. They forgot what he had done—the great wonders he had shown them. Psa 78:10-11
- All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against the LORD. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.” Jer 44:23
- My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me … Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. Hos 4:6
A Simple Concept to Understand
Obey the law and it protects you. Disobey the law and you risk the penalties set forth by King of Heaven. It’s actually a simple concept to understand. Consequently, any society that ignores the laws of the Kingdom of God risks grievous consequences.
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8
I do not see how anyone can claim that following the laws of the Kingdom of God are religious dictates. They are laws established by the King of creation to determine how all the natural realm should function and how human beings should relate to God and to each other. There is no separation of “church and state” in God’s eyes. We can not remove The King of Heaven out of our lives without horrendous consequences that affect all creation.
The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:5
Perspective Change
Likewise, I believe a perspective change is needed when thinking of the Bible as a religious book. When we attach the word religious to God’s laws or the Bible, it appears as just another of the 4,200 religions in the world.
I see this as just another excuse, which mankind mistakenly thinks, gives him a choice to follow in obedience or not. Yes, God has given mankind the “free will” to make his own decisions. Therefore, He has also made sure we know what the “pros and cons” of our choices will entail. The King’s word is law. Great reward follows obedience. Disobedience brings severe penalties.
In my next post, I will look at the offerings of Satan’s worldly kingdom to mankind. Just why are many deceived into believing his kingdom is better than the Kingdom of God?
- Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. Hos 8:12
- For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. Rom 8:7
- 1 Carl F.H. Henry, Twilight of a Great Civilization (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1988), 147.
- 2William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, in Blackstone’s Commentaries with Notes of Reference to the Constitution and Laws of the Federal Government of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 5 vols., ed., St. George Tucker (Philadelphia, PA: William Young Birch and Abraham Small, 1803; reprint, South Hackensack, NJ: Rothman Reprints, 1969), 1:38–9.
For more on this subject, I recommend the following Resources:
- Gods Law in Nature
- God & Natural Law
- Christianity and Natural and Biblical Law
- Christianity and Law
- Kingdom Principles by Myles Munroe
- Insurgence by Frank Viola
