Stories of the Bible, Podcast 9, “The Fall Pt 8.”

Stories of the Bible, Podcast 9, “The Fall Pt 8.”

At the core of all that God does is law. God gave us temporal laws, which deal with a fallen world, and he gave us spiritual laws which deal with the eternal world. We have both an immortal spirit and a mortal body; therefore, we are subject to both sets of laws.

When we think of temporal law, perhaps the first laws that come to mind are the laws of thermodynamics or the law of gravity. When we think of spiritual law, perhaps the first laws that should come to mind are the law of justice and the law of mercy. 

The law of justice is absolute and unconditional. The law of justice is why there is a God. Without justice there would be no God. There would be no order, only chaos. It is the law of justice that brings order out of chaos. The law of mercy is only necessary in a fallen world. The entire purpose of the law of mercy is to satisfy the demands of the law of justice and bring us back into the presence of God. It is the law of mercy that overcomes temporal death and spiritual death. So, what law did Adam break when he brought about the fall? 

He violated the law of justice. The difference between the transgression of the law of justice and transgression of the law of mercy is this: The transgression of the law of justice only happens once. When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he transgressed the law of justice and the entire earth and everything in it fell. By transgressing one law, he transgressed the whole law. It was the transgression of the law of justice that brought sin and death into the world. That is why the law of mercy was required. The law of justice is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional.

Sin is transgression of the law of mercy. Sin happens over and over and over again. Christ’s atonement satisfied the law of justice. The law of mercy is comprised of all the conditions imposed by the law of justice on the atonement of Christ. That is why we have Commandments of God. The commandments of God are the conditions placed on the law of mercy by the law of justice. Christ’s atonement covers only those conditions. That is why the only way we can inherit the kingdom of God is by keeping the commandments of Christ. 

1 John 3:3-4

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

What law is Christ talking about? He is talking about his own laws which include the Ten Commandments, which include the Sermon on the Mount, which include all laws of Christ. That introduces an enormous issue. For example, what is the difference between the law of mercy and the law of justice.  When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they did not violate the law of mercy. They violated the law of justice. That is why the entire world fell with Adam and Eve. That is why death was brought into the world. The law of justice is the ultimate law. It is unconditional. Once broken, it is all broken. Spiritual death and temporal death were the consequences. It only took one act. Adam and Eve did not commit sin because sin had not been introduced into the world yet. Sin is entirely a product of the fall and, therefore, cannot be the cause of the fall. They violated the law of justice, the supreme law of the universe, the law that stays the hand of death and brings order out of chaos. By violating the law of justice, they introduced death and entropy into the immortal world of the garden of Eden. 

We cannot live the law of justice because we are born into a sinful world. Christ, being God, was the only being on this planet who could live the law of justice in a sinful world. That is why he remained perfect. He never disobeyed the Father in anything.