God with us

What was the point of the Ten Commandments?
So that we could live in loving relationships – first to God and also with one another.

Luke 10:26 And he answered and said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10 + Mark 12 + Matthew 22). (1John 4:20)
This response to God is commanded in the Old Testament as many times as in the New Testament.
This response is of the greatest importance to God.

It was the desire of God’s love to create mankind and to seek fellowship with us (Ephesians 1:4-11) so he made a covenant in which he promised to man in spite of his sin, to be His God, and vowed to bind us to himself as his children and as partners in his life and love. (Hebrews 8).

Then God joined himself to humanity by sending Jesus to die and be raised again for us. ‘God being humanity’ is the only possible solution – God with us. So God with us is a done deal – but what about ‘us with God’?
That concerns our obedient response of faith to God and it deals with Mercy and Grace.

GRACE – The empowering presence of Holy Spirit within us in our choosing to love and obey God.
MERCY – The loving heart of the Father who forgives sin and has mercy on our unrighteousness through Jesus
Both of these are accessed though FAITH. (Romans 5:1-2 Ephesians 2:4-8)
His dying on the cross was our forgiveness and mercy. His life within us is our grace - 1Peter 1:9 saving of soul

Jesus told the parable about laborers working in his vineyard and all getting the same wages despite their working different hours – totally against Trade Union rules - and the trouble (based on covetousness) started from there.
Matthew 20:13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘ Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for your wage? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

God took a risk in throwing us all together and letting us sort out our attitudes and try to get to where he ultimately wants us with his gospel of GRACE
BUT humanity (flesh) resists grace and chooses law, which is evidenced by our preoccupation with our self-righteous performance as compared to other people and what we deserve compared to other people, and our judgement against God for his unfairness and our judgement upon others for their unjustified behavior.
Ultimately he wants us to be free to love HIM and one another and to be ONE together in him forever.