Question 7: What does the law of God require?

Answer: Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.

Kids Answer: That we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Key Scripture: Matthew 22:37-40

Additional Scripture: James 2:10; Deuteronomy 6:4-7; James 4:17

When you ask, “What does the law of God require?” the short answer is perfect obedience. Now, that sounds daunting, but we have to understand that the perfect obedience that the law demands is a response to God’s saving initiative. The context of grace motivates a response of wholehearted devotion to the God who saves. It is a response of faith that is called love. We cannot obey perfectly, but there is good news: Jesus came to do what we ourselves could not do. As our human representative, Jesus fulfilled the law of God by perfectly obeying God’s commands and by paying the penalty of death that all lawbreakers owe. The Gospel is, in part, an announcement that all who confess that they are guilty of breaking God’s law, turn away from their sins, and trust in Jesus have their sins forgiven and Jesus’ perfect obedience accounted to them. The good news is that under the new covenant, God’s people are empowered to obey God’s law. Once again we see that the commands of God don’t establish a relationship with God. Obedience is our response to God’s saving work. It is a loving response of faith. God has saved us in Jesus Christ, and we respond by trusting Him in loving obedience. —adapted from comments by Juan Sanchez

Questions to ask: (To help process the truth we learned. Ask yourself, a friend, your group, or your family questions to talk through it together)

• Why is perpetual obedience required?

• Is it possible to love God without loving your neighbor?

• Is the law of God a way of obtaining grace or a response to grace?

• Can anyone perfectly keep the law? Has anyone?