1 John 4:8
God is LOVE
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
John 14:6
Jesus Says He is Truth
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Genesis 2:15-17
The First Rule of Eden
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:1-24
The Fall of Adam and Eve
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 4:1-16
Cain and Abel
1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Deuteronomy 5:1-33
The Ten Commandments
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. 24 And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer.26 For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? 27 Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
30 “Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
John 5:30
Jesus and God are Just
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Matthew 12:15-21
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”
John 8:31-47
Jesus Sets Us Free
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Matthew 26:41
The Flesh is Weak
41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Hebrews 4:15
Jesus Did Not Sin
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.
Luke 23:34
Jesus Asks His Father to Forgive Those Who about to Crucify Him
34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
I have always thought it was interesting that the gods of the Greeks, Romans, and other nations have left the discussion of religion...They were mythical gods and they did not survive the test of time...But when it comes to the God of the Hebrew people, or the God of Israel -He has always remained...And one of the first things I think about is that He is a moral God...A God of rights and wrongs...And to know right from wrong (and even goodness from evil) one needs rules...It seems that Adam and Eve only had one rule in Eden, and that was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil...Adam and Eve's son Cain commits the world's first killing...Cain who was a worker of the soil, after killing his brother, God no longer allowed him to produce crops from the soil, and was justly punished for what he did...And one of the first things He gives to Moses is the Ten Commandments...I have always pondered about this -a Moral God...
Where did or does morality come from?...Did man just one day, say the world needs to be moral?...Did man after hearing about what Cain did, think when some man harmed or hurt -some morality adjustment needs to be done?...Did morality always exist in men?...Or does morality come from God or His Son and in the beginning?...Did we learn morality later from the Laws of Moses and other laws that were written?...For me, when I think about morality and being moral, I always think about justice...
I believe justice (and morality) comes from God...Jesus is God's Son and His Chosen Servant that He sent to earth...Jesus has this unique and special relationship with God...He would be sent from heaven not to do His will, or find pleasures for Himself while He was on earth, but He would do the will of His Father, and to please the One who sent Him...Jesus would proclaim justice to all nations...A bruised reed He would not bread, or a smoldering wick He would not snuff out until He has brought justice through to its rightful victory...In Jesus' name all nations will put their hopes...And in these hopes they include that justice be done and done for all...Jesus knows the mind of God and would show and teach us about justice...
When Jesus went to the cross, He went there to complete an injustice...It started with the fall of man and eating the forbidden fruit...We never got out of our sinful nature, once we started to sin...It may just be too easy for us to sin...Mankind sins and each of us have this sin debt...God knew our sin debt had to be paid for justice to be done...So He has His Son die on the cross for each of our sins...When I think of the cross and Jesus hanging from and in His torturing position with arms outstretched and dying, I think -these are what my sins did to Him...Yet, He did not cry out or quarrel with those who nailed His hands and feet to His cross...He was proclaiming justice for all...
To me, Jesus hanging from the cross with His arms outstretched, I think of different things...He died in my place for it was my sins, not His that needed to bring brought to justice...He did not sin...I think of His LOVE...I think of Him forgiving the entire human race, while we are hanging Him (which is this great, powerful and Almighty sign of His LOVE)...And I see the Truth and Morality that He actually represents...
If we can follow His teachings, then we are His disciples too, and His Truths shall set us free from sin...Just because we are a descendant of Abraham, or a famous person's daughter, or a senator's son -does not set us free from sins..Our descendants are not what and who sets us free...Jesus is the One, who sets us free from sin...By our very nature we have a sinful nature...The flesh is weak...It likes to satisfy its pleasures and desires...Anyone who sins or has sinned needs help, and needs a Savior...Sin enslaves us...Believing in Jesus, helps one to be be released from this bondage and this enslavement of sin -so we are no longer a sin to the slavery of sin...Jesus came from God and was sent by His Father to save us and not condemn us of our sins...If we believe this, then we will love Jesus...But in the world there is evil, and evil can come in form of a wrong belief or not believing in Truth...There were many during His time and today who do not believe in Him, and that He is Absolutely Just, and Absolutely Moral...
And when we step back and think about what justice is and what it means to each of us...Justice, to me, means being treated fairly, equally to all others, and to be treated righteously...God in sending His Son to earth -is God's form of justice...And when we believe and have faith in Jesus and love Him, then we can feel and love the nature of the debt He paid for us and what He did for us...What do we owe Him for paying our debt?...He wants us only to believe in Him and the One who sent Him..Justice is found through and in the Father and His Son...So when I think about justice as being treated fairly, and equally, and righteously -I see His Son has done it with Truth and in forgiveness, and in LOVE...And He has added to His grace -justice, morality, mercy and humility...He even forgives those who are about to hang Him on the cross -for the things their sins as well as mine and others...What a humble Man...What a sign of great mercy...He is the Perfect Judge...So if God sets us free, we are free indeed...This is Justice Divine...Believers can see that there is this Great Element of LOVE in His justice...