Introduction to Spiritual Laws

[Reading time: 2 minutes] We recognize the existence of physical laws, such as gravity, because they govern life on earth as we know it. We may not understand them, but we acknowledge their existence and even use them because they’re part of our daily lives. Most of us don’t realize, however, there are similar laws that govern the spiritual realm and our temporal, earthly existence. Some of them are so reasonable, we hardly think of them as spiritual laws.

We refer to the governing forces in the physical and spiritual realms as “laws” because they have three important characteristics. First, they are immutable; they never change. Our understanding and explanation of these laws may change with time, but the laws themselves do not change. Second, laws are inviolable; they cannot be violated. One law may supersede another under certain conditions — the law of aerodynamic lift overcomes the law of gravity under certain conditions, allowing an airplane to fly, for example — but if we try to violate a law, we may experience serious harmful results. Third, because laws are inviolable, they’re also universal; that is, they apply equally to everyone in every situation.

In Jeremiah 33:25 (NIV), the Lord said he “established the laws of heaven and earth.” The laws we’ll examine in this series reflect his nature and are his declaration of how his kingdom works. They bring consistency and peace, not disorder (1 Cor. 14:33). Every one of these laws is an expression of his love for his creation.

The purpose of this series of articles is to describe some of the spiritual laws that govern our lives. We’ll turn to the Bible, which we accept as the ultimate reference on the spiritual realm, to identify the laws and learn how they govern our lives.

It’s important to keep a proper perspective during this study to avoid focusing on the laws themselves instead of our relationship with God. So our goal is to discover some laws he created to govern life in his kingdom, that we might honor him and become more effective in our service by using the laws properly.

Spiritual laws work to varying degrees for everyone. As Christians, however, we can expect the greatest and most consistent results when we use them in ways compatible with God’s kingdom. Usually this means serving others with humility and self-sacrificing love.

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