When I began to seek 'something' I came across this verse and i loved it and it remains my favourite.
God doesn't demand much, the commandments ought to be a natural thing to want to do. Anything else, like the world we are in now, just causes misery and Satan loves it! SO THERES A REASON GOD EXPECTS THINGS FROM US!
Commandments; if they were a NATURAL thing to do wouldn't need the Spirit of God to accomplish; merely our own efforts.
The meaning behind the commandments that Christ illustrates; such as that of lust and murder clearly point out the intentions of our heart as being part of what is within that produces BAD fruit in unregenerate men.
Cutting right to the chase; as Zechariah 3:3 and other verses state we have filthy garments when sin has contaminated us; and it seems clear even as believers this can happen. Our righteous deeds are as filthy rags ( Isaiah 64:6) and we need to understand that all of our love and affections also are self centered without Christ. Once we recognize our helpless state; then we can as Isaiah state "woe to me; I am undone." ( Isaiah 6:5). At that point then we can BEGIN to do the works of righteousness He has prepared for us from the foundation of the earth ( Eph. 2:10).
Then; of course we have to heed to sins not just of commission but OMISSION. And also avoiding things that are grey areas that may offend a brother or if we know to do good and don't do it is sin ( James 4:17). We can therefore; never do the law perfectly; and it must be done with the Holy Spirit within us.
Without the Spirit; even those things which are specifically warned against will; as man becomes increasingly blind be succumbed to; as wickedness increases; consciousness becomes seared even Israel was seduced to follow foreign gods warned against and they sacrificed their children to Molech; and worshipped idols. The teachers of the law became hypocrites; "sons of hell" as Jesus referred them to. And we can't follow the 1st Commandment on our own strength; or love the law as Psalm 119 the longest psalm in scripture indicates in the whole passage. Yes; as Christians if we love Him we obey His commandments.
We also TRUST God that these are what is best for us; even if as with human fathers it is not enjoyable in the short term.
Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
As I thought upon your post, I got thinking about 2 verses. The first is Romans 8:7 -
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
This is our condition before being born again. We are 'at war' with God; our sinful nature rebels against God, and the apostle tells us we, in that state, CANNOT obey God's law, and in honesty - we do not want to obey God's law! We want our own wills to be done!
This is why Jesus said we must be born again, we must be 'born from above', at which time we receive a new heart, a heart of flesh.
The next verse I thought of is:
Hebrews 8:10 -
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Once those laws are written within, we suddenly LOVE God's law and delight in both knowing it and doing it! .And we delight in it because we are no longer at enmity with God, but because we love Him!
You are so right, Michele, in observing that in obeying God's Word and making that the rule of our lives, we not only please God - we keep ourselves from being entangled in this fallen world!
God doesn't demand much, the commandments ought to be a natural thing to want to do. Anything else, like the world we are in now, just causes misery and Satan loves it! SO THERES A REASON GOD EXPECTS THINGS FROM US!
IM UP FOR IT! HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS?
The meaning behind the commandments that Christ illustrates; such as that of lust and murder clearly point out the intentions of our heart as being part of what is within that produces BAD fruit in unregenerate men.
Cutting right to the chase; as Zechariah 3:3 and other verses state we have filthy garments when sin has contaminated us; and it seems clear even as believers this can happen. Our righteous deeds are as filthy rags ( Isaiah 64:6) and we need to understand that all of our love and affections also are self centered without Christ. Once we recognize our helpless state; then we can as Isaiah state "woe to me; I am undone." ( Isaiah 6:5). At that point then we can BEGIN to do the works of righteousness He has prepared for us from the foundation of the earth ( Eph. 2:10).
Then; of course we have to heed to sins not just of commission but OMISSION. And also avoiding things that are grey areas that may offend a brother or if we know to do good and don't do it is sin ( James 4:17). We can therefore; never do the law perfectly; and it must be done with the Holy Spirit within us.
Without the Spirit; even those things which are specifically warned against will; as man becomes increasingly blind be succumbed to; as wickedness increases; consciousness becomes seared even Israel was seduced to follow foreign gods warned against and they sacrificed their children to Molech; and worshipped idols. The teachers of the law became hypocrites; "sons of hell" as Jesus referred them to. And we can't follow the 1st Commandment on our own strength; or love the law as Psalm 119 the longest psalm in scripture indicates in the whole passage. Yes; as Christians if we love Him we obey His commandments.
We also TRUST God that these are what is best for us; even if as with human fathers it is not enjoyable in the short term.
Agape.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
As I thought upon your post, I got thinking about 2 verses. The first is Romans 8:7 -
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
This is our condition before being born again. We are 'at war' with God; our sinful nature rebels against God, and the apostle tells us we, in that state, CANNOT obey God's law, and in honesty - we do not want to obey God's law! We want our own wills to be done!
This is why Jesus said we must be born again, we must be 'born from above', at which time we receive a new heart, a heart of flesh.
The next verse I thought of is:
Hebrews 8:10 -
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Once those laws are written within, we suddenly LOVE God's law and delight in both knowing it and doing it! .And we delight in it because we are no longer at enmity with God, but because we love Him!
You are so right, Michele, in observing that in obeying God's Word and making that the rule of our lives, we not only please God - we keep ourselves from being entangled in this fallen world!
Blessings!
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