“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?”

Fourth, our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord requires that we serve Him, and that with all our soul and strength. “Heart” here comprehends in itself the three components of the soul: mind (thoughts), heart (affections), and conscience (values and priorities). “Soul” can also be translated, “life,” and probably here is intended to stand for the various aspects of everyday living – all our strength.

God has a plan – a divine economy – for His creation. Through Jesus Christ He has reconciled all things back to Himself, and He is in the process of restoring all things so that the knowledge of the glory of God can cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14). It pleases Him for us to share in this great work as His servants. He has put all things under our feet so that we might rule over them in His Name and bring them to such a condition and use that they glorify Him. Now we do not see this happening as God intends; but, keeping our eye on Jesus, and walking in all His ways, we may certainly expect to make progress in seeing His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven (Heb. 2.8, 9).

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.