Since the dawn of time mankind has marveled at how the Universe and everything that has been revealed to us works in perfect harmony according to specific immutable laws set in place by God.
Great minds have pondered creation and how it’s governed by invisible (but evident) laws since time began, and some have weighed in and their work has been recognized right through today; in fact many laws are even named after certain of these intellectuals. Examples that come to my mind are the laws that govern inertia and motion. Aristotle, Galileo, and Sir Isaac Newton all did some heavy thinking in this regard.
Aristotle had the view that all objects have a natural place in the universe: that heavy objects (such as rocks) wanted to be at rest on the Earth and that light objects like smoke wanted to be at rest in the sky, and the stars wanted to remain in the heavens. He thought that a body was in its natural state when it was at rest, and for the body to move in a straight line at a constant speed an external agent was needed to continually propel it, otherwise it would stop moving.
This insight was refined by Galileo and then Newton and eventually became known as “Newton’s Laws”. It states that everything persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except when it is compelled to change its state by force. He called it the law of inertia.
Egad! I know it is way too early in the morning to listen to this stuff, but my point is that certain laws govern everything within the Universe. Mankind may not understand the laws, or have names for them, or heck we may not even comprehend that a law exists, but nonetheless God’s laws govern all of creation in perfect harmony.
When I think of the Universe and its immensity I’m overwhelmed. This is particularly true when I look up at night I can see stars, billions and trillions of ’em, and it is just mind boggling to think of them moving along in perfect unison (according to the laws of inertia) as set forth by almighty God.
I cannot envision an intellect capable of designing such an elaborate, complex, and elegant Universe. God created everything and then setup universal laws that govern their actions according to precise guidelines.
I marvel at it.
It is almost laughable to hear the talking heads in New York City, Washington D.C., Silicon valley, and of course Hollywood pontificate with authority on various matters as though their tiny pseudo intellects somehow matter. They don’t! Even if these self-proclaimed geniuses are exceedingly smart according to human standards and greatly admired thinkers such as Aristotle, Galileo, Newton or Einstein, in a lifetime of deep thought they only obtain a tiny little peek at God’s genius and unravel a microdot of His ingenuity.
I don’t even try to understand why God’s laws are setup the way they are because I know I’m incapable of doing so. It is more than I can accomplish just to learn what laws apply to me, and obey them. The Holy Bible contains God’s laws as they pertain to us. We are governed by them and breaking any of those laws result in spiritual consequences and they can be societal as well.
For every sin there is a consequence. It is cause and effect; many philosophers refer to this phenomenon as “causality”.
For example if I throw a rock at a window, I realize that it will break and shatter the glass– Cause and effect. Now I can reason about inertia and other scientific principles, or I can just understand that if I throw a rock at a window it is going to break the window and nothing will stop it. I can regret throwing that rock with all my heart and soul, but once it is set in motion, it will still shatter the glass.
Sin is the same way and once it is set in motion it can shatter lives. I was talking to a man on death row not long ago and he somberly looked at me and said it is amazing what a difference a day can make. He got up one morning and proceeded to get drunk, smoked some crack cocaine, and then went out and murdered a 74 year old woman and stole her car and money. He doesn’t even remember it, but nonetheless he is awaiting execution for her brutal murder. He was not a cold blooded serial killer who killed little old ladies for fun. He made a stupid mistake one day by getting drunk and drugged up out of his mind and now deeply regrets his foolish actions, but alas, now is too late. His sins, (cause), resulted in dire consequences, (effect).
He may regret those sins, confess them, ask for forgiveness, and repent, but regardless of the intensity of his remorse and pledge never to replicate it, there will be a price to be paid and society will not be deterred in putting that needle in his arm.
After he dies comes the spiritual consequence for his sins that transcend this life will be exacted. All of us will face our Maker and account for all our sins. According to the Bible the consequence for breaking the least of God’s laws, (one sin of any type) is death (or better), eternal separation from God.
Bottom line: After judgment a consequence must and will be exacted according to God’s law.
The good news is that for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ the spiritual consequence or punishment for our sins will have already been suffered and fulfilled by Christ’s death on the cross. He bore all of the punishment for all of the sins of the world for those who call upon His name.
It was a heavy price to pay, but He loved us enough to suffer for us.
God’s law states that we must either pay the price for our sins by eternal separation from God and then suffer in anguish forever, or be pardoned by the blood of Christ who suffered for us and be welcomed into paradise forever. Those are the only choices. It is an immutable law! Choose wisely my dear friends . . .
Isaiah 55:8
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”