Comments: The Bible teaches that the main duty of man is to
have a proper relationship with his Creator-God Almighty. Thus a primary concern
or message of the Bible is to tell us of the existence, the nature, the ways,
the plans and requirements or laws of our Creator. This being necessary that a
proper relationship with God may exist.
The proper relationship that man is to have with God his
Creator exists in several different realms or spheres of relationship:
• Spiritual relationship - This entails our
belief, trust and faith in God as an invisible Supreme Deity, and our prayers
and pleadings to Him.
• Mental relationship - We must have an
understanding and acknowledgment of God in heart and mind. This relates to what
we think about God, whether we praise or blaspheme his name and existence.
• Physical relationship - This includes the physical or
tangible things we do here on earth for the sake of God and His Kingdom on
earth. It entails doing the will of God, serving Him, and obeying Him in our
works and deeds.
• Legal relationship - This entails our legal
obligation to our Creator to keep his laws, and not to abide by the ways or laws
of other gods which would violate or obstruct our obligation to God Almighty.
This realm also includes a covenant relationship, Father-son relationship,
Husband-wife relationship, etc., with God as the Father or Husband as the case
may be.
We can see that our relationship with God is multifaceted and
how each specific realm of relationship overlaps with others. If we have little
belief then we will not be doing the works God desires us to do, which means we
violate our obligation to God as sons. Thus our spiritual relationship and
physical relationship with God has inevitable connections with our legal
relationship with God. The manner in which we fulfill one realm affects the
others.
God's first and foremost commandment He gave as being
absolutely essential for any manner or type of relationship to exist with Him is
that:
"I am your God, and you shall have no other gods besides Me" (Exod.
20:2-3).
Without acknowledging the existence of God as your creator, it
is not possible for any of the different realms of relationship to come into
being. Speaking on this first commandment Martin Luther says:
"The first commandment teaches the tight attitude of man's innermost heart
toward God. Man's thoughts concerning God, his relations to him, and the
reverence he should feel for him, are here set forth"' (1 Luther's Cat.
Writings 192).
The first commandment is the focal point of every other aspect
of relationship that comes into play between man and God. If one does not
recognize the God of the Bible, or acknowledges some other god, then he will not
love God, fear Him, praise Him, have faith in Him, obey Him, etc.
Man has had a host of other gods throughout history, always
being something that man esteems and reveres above every thing else, all which
hinders his relationship to God. It matters not if it is a golden calf, or
money, or personal pleasure or some man worshipped as an infallible hero.
Our relationship to God is brought into perspective when we
contemplate the nature of our existence compared to God, and realize our own
insignificance in God's presence:
'And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He [God] does
according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him at have You done?' (Dan.
4:35).
It is evident that without God our life is vain, for God's will
and works are what our lives depend upon. This is a perspective we must
acknowledge and respect. While God could abandon and ignore us or even destroy
us, He rather only asks that we love, fear, and serve Him and keep His Laws and
Commandments in exchange for His blessings.