Keeping His commandments

 The Law of Moses actually contains 613 commandments from God to the Jewish people. But among those there are the ten main ones which Moses was given by God on Mount Sinai. 

The Ten Commandments which God gave to Israel:

1)  7“You shall have no other gods before me.
2)  8“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
3)  11“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
4)  12“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

5) 16“Honour your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
6) 17“You shall not murder.
7) 18“You shall not commit adultery.
8) 19“You shall not steal.
9) 20“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

10) 21“You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything  that belongs to your neighbour.”   

 Moreover, the language in verse 2 is a deliberate echo of God’s call to Abraham. Look at the similarities:

“I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans.” (Gen. 15:7)

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 20:2)

At these great epochal moments in redemptive history—first with Abraham, and now with Moses and the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai—God says, in effect, “I am the Lord who brought you out of this strange land to be your God and to give you this special word.”

We see something similar in Romans 13. When the apostle Paul wants to give a summary of what it means to be a Christian living in obedience to God, he looks to the Ten Commandments:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Rom. 13:8–9)

Paul says, much like Jesus did, that the Ten Commandments are the way for God’s people to love one another. When we love, we fulfill the commandments, and when we obey the commandments, we are fulfilling the law of love.

God gave the Law to reveal His standard of absolute righteousness to convict us all of our true guilt before Him, so that we would see our need for the gospel.

We all need to understand and apply this text personally, so that we abandon any attempt to justify ourselves. We need to trust in Christ alone. Also, we need to understand these verses so that we can use them to dislodge the propensity of others toward self-righteousness, so that they will see why they need to believe in the gospel. This is by far the most common problem that you will encounter when you talk to others about their need for the Savior. They’re blind towards their own sin. They wrongly think, “God will let me into heaven because I’m a good person.” They can’t imagine how a loving God could damn them eternally for their “few” faults. These verses show God’s standard of absolute righteousness and how that standard will convict everyone who trusts in his own righteousness. To be acquitted, we need the perfect righteousness of the Savior credited to our account (3:21-28).

1. God gave the Law to reveal His standard of absolute righteousness.

When you tell people that they have sinned against the holy God, you will often hear, “God knows that I’ve done the best that I could. I believe in the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. I try to live by the Sermon on the Mount.” They seem to think that if you try to do your best, even if you fail thousands of times, God will let you off on judgment day. He will reward your effort, not penalize your failures. Besides, if He demanded perfection, no one could be saved! Precisely!

But James 2:10 points out, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” We don’t like to admit this, but if you think about it, you have to admit it. If a man stole your credit card and used it to buy thousands of dollars of purchases, he is guilty of stealing. What would you think if, when he came to trial, he argued, “But judge, I didn’t commit adultery with his wife”? “I didn’t steal his car or burn down his house. I didn’t lie to him. I didn’t molest his children. And, besides, I try to live by the Golden Rule. I do the best that I can.” All of that is irrelevant to the main issue: “Did you steal his credit card and use it to buy thousands of dollars of goods?” If so, he is guilty in spite of all the other bad things he didn’t do and in spite of all the good things that he may be doing. He’s a law-breaker.

Let’s look for a moment at the absolute righteousness of God’s Law (Paul means the whole Old Testament), which gives us “the knowledge of sin” (3:20).

A. The two great commandments sum up God’s absolute standard.

Jesus said (Matt. 22:37-40) that the entire Law rests on the two great commandments: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Who can possibly claim even to have come close to keeping the first great commandment? Have you, from your earliest memory, always loved God completely, with all your heart, soul, and mind, every day all day long? This would mean that you have always obeyed Him, because if you don’t obey Him, you don’t love Him. It would mean that He always has been the center of your waking thoughts. His will has been at the center of every decision that you have made. His glory has been your supreme desire and aim in whatever you think, say or do. You begin every day by worshiping Him. You love His Word more than food and meditate on it day and night. Who in his right mind can say, “You’ve just described me”?

We don’t fare any better on the second great commandment, to love our neighbor just as much as we in fact love ourselves. Did you always gladly share your toys as a toddler? In school, did you always put others ahead of yourself? Have you given generously and sacrificially to help the needy? Have you always put your mate’s needs ahead of your own? Have you always treated your children with love and kindness, even when they were disobedient? At work, did you rejoice when your co-worker got the promotion that you thought you deserved? Again, who in his right mind can say, “You’ve just described me”? What about the Ten Commandments?

B. The Ten Commandments elaborate on the two great commandments.

Surveys have shown that even though many people say that they try to live by the Ten Commandments, few can name them all. So it’s hard to imagine how anyone can keep commandments that he doesn’t even know! The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-17 (also, Deut. 5:6-21). The first four commandments elaborate on our love for God. (1) “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol….” (3) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain….” (4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy….”

There is a debate about whether Christians under the New Covenant are under the Ten Commandments and especially about how the sabbath command applies to believers in Christ. But all of the Ten Commandments, except for the sabbath command, can be found in the New Testament. So even if we say that you are free to watch a football game on Sunday afternoon, have you perfectly kept the first three commandments? “Yes, I’ve never had any other gods before the Lord, or made or worshiped any idols.” Really? You’ve never usurped God’s rightful lordship over your life? You’ve never put your money or possessions or some pastime ahead of the place that belongs to God alone? And, you didn’t mention the third command. Have you never carelessly said, “Oh, my God”? Or, “Oh, Jeez”? Most of us have said far worse in a moment of anger!

Skipping how you have violated the Lord’s Day, let’s move on to the other six, which focus on your love for others: (5) “Honor your father and mother.” (6) “You shall not murder.” (7) “You shall not commit adultery.” (8) “You shall not steal.” (9) You shall not bear false witness….” (10) “You shall not covet….”

None of us have made it through childhood by always honoring our parents. As for murder and adultery, let’s wait until we come to the Sermon on the Mount. But, what about stealing? Have you never taken what does not belong to you? Have you always claimed all of your income on your tax forms and never fudged on a deduction? What about lying? Have you always told the truth, even if it made you look bad? And have you never coveted something that belongs to someone else?

“But I’m a Christian. I try to follow Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.” Really? You just jumped from the frying pan into the fire!

C. The Sermon on the Mount reveals that God judges us on the heart level, not just on external obedience.

As I just alluded to, Jesus brought up the command about murder. While the self-righteous Pharisees were congratulating themselves that they had never killed anyone, Jesus nailed them (and us!) by saying that if you’ve ever been angry with your brother, you’re guilty of murder in God’s sight and deserving of “the fiery hell” (Matt. 5:21-22). He did the same thing regarding the seventh commandment against adultery. He said that if you’ve ever lusted in your heart after a woman, you’re guilty of adultery (Matt. 5:27-30). He sums up the requirement (Matt. 5:48): “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” How can anyone claim, “I keep the Sermon on the Mount”?

The so-called Golden Rule is a part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:12), “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Again, it’s a noble goal, but who can claim that they’ve done it perfectly? If you say that you have, you just broke the commandment about lying!

So Paul’s point is that God’s Law reveals His standard of absolute righteousness. As a result,

2. God’s Law convicts us all of our true moral guilt before Him.

This is Paul’s point when he says (3:19b-20), “so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

These verses re-emphasize the universality of sin, which verses 10-12 established so forcefully. Paul makes three points:

A. The Law closes every mouth.

The picture is of an accused person standing before the judge to present his case. But in this case, the judge is the Sovereign, holy God, creator of heaven and earth! Here comes the proud atheist, who wrote books arguing that God is not great or that He is a delusion. What will he say when he stands before the blinding glory of the holy God? Nothing! His mouth will be stopped. He has no more arguments.

Or, here is the person who often complained about how unfair God is. If He were a God of love and power, He would not allow all of the suffering that we see in this world. If He would just run the universe differently (as I would!), it would be a much happier place. Now he stands before the Almighty. What does he say? Nothing! He has no defense.

Even godly men have had their down times, when they questioned God. God allowed Satan to attack the righteous Job by taking his possessions, killing his ten children, and then covering his body with painful boils. Job wanted to argue his case before God that he was being dealt with unfairly. But when God appeared and gave Job a glimpse of His power and wisdom, Job’s response was to slap his hand over his mouth, to be silent, and to repent in dust and ashes (Job 40:4-5; 42:6). Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-5), Habakkuk (Hab. 3:16), and the apostle John (Rev. 1:17) were also silenced when they got a glimpse of the glory of the Lord. The point is, when you stand for judgment before God on His throne, you won’t have anything to say. Every mouth will be closed.

Even after thousands of years since Moses was given these laws directly from God, they still influence and guide the moral principles of mankind today.

The Ten Commandments in the Bible

1. Thou shalt not have any other gods before God. Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

2. Thou shalt not make yourself an idol. Exodus 20:4-6: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

3. Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain. Exodus 20:7: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

4. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy. Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

5. Honor your Father and Mother. Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

6. Thou shalt not murder. Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder.”

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14: “You shall not commit adultery.”

8. Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15: “You shall not steal.”

9. Thou shalt not testify or bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:15: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

10. Thou shalt not covet. Exodus 20:15: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Importance of the Ten Commandments in Christianity

The law given to Moses provided the foundation for a new Israelite society, they provided the foundation of personal and property rights found in our modern legal system. Jewish tradition holds that all 613 laws found in the Torah are summed up in the Ten Commandments.

Christians view the Ten Commandments as the foundation of God’s moral law. Jesus called people to an even higher standard by obeying the commandments not only in their actions but also in their hearts. For instance, Jesus quoted the command not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

Why Only Ten Commandments?

Scholars agree that the Ten Commandments, or more literally, “10 Words,” are found in Exodus 20:1-26and Deuteronomy 5:1-22. Still, they debate the division of the commands because there are more than ten commands!

In Hebrew scrolls, the text is typically written in a format justified in columns. The Ten Commandments stand out because they are not right and left side justified, but there are large white spaces in the middle of the text. This “parashah setumah” spacing in the text highlights the importance of these words.

In English translations, a new paragraph is started after each commandment. The unusual Hebrew spacing has led to differences in counting the 10 Commandments in Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic traditions. (See the chart on page 31 of The Ten Commandments Reconsidered.)

The Commandments about Our Relation to God

The first several commandments kept the Lord God as the focus. God created the world and everything in it. He knew what was required for a successful, holy life.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:2-7).

The initial commandments start with the relationship with the “Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). God told His people He was their Lord, Master, and Creator God. They should have no other gods, and they should not make idols. They should not misuse his name. These commands were a dramatic change from the Egyptian view of a deity. During captivity in Egypt, they worshipped Pharaoh and other Egyptian deities like Ra, Anubis, and Osiris.

A Warning Against Worshipping Idols

You may have noticed a warning regarding the importance of obeying the commandments; disobedience would result in “punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-5)

God wanted his people to know that their choice to obey or disobey his commands would influence their lives and even their grandkids' lives.

This warning may seem vindictive, but it wasn’t meant to be harsh; any more than warning a kid walking along the edge of a sheer cliff face, “If you get too close to the edge of the cliff, you could fall and break your neck and die.” The warning is not harsh. It is realistic, serious injury is likely in such a dangerous situation. And rejecting God’s commands would have serious consequences.

The Sabbath: Connecting God and His People

The Sabbath bridges our relationship with God, and the following commandments address our relationships with other people.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8-11).

God commanded his people to take the Sabbath for their benefit. God “blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  This phrase in the Ten Commandments is a quote from the creation account in Genesis 2:3, “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested.” 

God wants us to delight in His Word, enjoy his creation, celebrate beauty and love, and rejoice in the harvest. God intended for his people to enjoy their relationship with Him and each other by valuing the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is set apart to connect with God and with other people. No one was excluded from the command to rest – even foreigners, servants, and livestock were called to take a break from work on the Sabbath. It was to be a blessing for all of creation.

The Commandments about Our Relation to Other People

Leaving captivity in Egypt meant establishing a new society. The law established healthy boundaries based on respect for God and other people rather than brute strength. 

Read these laws and imagine how they would help develop a healthy community.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:2-17).

Honor Your Father and Mother. Our relationship with our parents is the foundation for our future relationships and choices.  Here’s how Paul explained to new believers in Ephesians that the choice to honor your parents has consequences like enjoying a long life.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— ‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Ephesians 6:1-3).   

Parents are their kids’ first teachers. Kids learn to honor their parents by seeing their parents honor God and His commandments.

Do Not Lie. After establishing healthy relationships with God and family, the next commandments dealt with relationships with other people.

Living in a healthy community meant respecting others’ boundaries. Lying devalues and disrespects another person by not telling the truth.

Do Not Steal. God’s people were also commanded to not steal. In a time when “might makes right,” they were to respect each other’s property rights.

Do Not Murder. Then God commanded his people to not murder. Because people are made in the image of God, life has value.  Murder is an intentional act that says that a person’s life has no value compared to another’s priorities.

Interestingly, God did not say, “Do not kill.” Hebrew has nuances that consider the difference between murder and accidental death or an act of war.  

You Shall Not Commit Adultery. God commanded his people to be faithful in marriage and to respect other people’s vows as a model of faithfulness in their relationship with God. Adultery devalues the commitment made between a husband and wife and to God. Interestingly, God’s command not to commit adultery was an equal standard for men and women.

In the New Testament, Jesus called his followers to faithfulness in marriage (Matthew 5:27-28, Mark 10:11-12). Paul explained to the Corinthians how to avoid sexual immorality by being faithful to one’s spouse.

“But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2).

You Shall Not Covet. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).

Why would God include coveting in the same list as murder, stealing, and adultery?

God knew coveting a neighbor’s servant, ox, or wife was a stepping stone to ungratefulness and discontentment – even lying, stealing, murder, and adultery. Focusing on what others have diminishes our ability to appreciate the good things in our lives. 

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his commandments to do them.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”  ~ Hebrews 10:16

Under the Mosaic Law, love was commanded in order to receive the blessings of long life, many children and for life to go well for you.  Failure to obey this command of love would obviously result in not attaining those things.  Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”  This is impossible to fulfill in ourselves!  No one can love God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We try… we give it our best shot… but that is an impossibility in and of ourselves.  But of course that was the purpose of the Old Covenant laws… they were meant to point us to Christ.  To awaken in us the revelation that we in our selves… in our flesh… we cannot walk out or obey these laws… we need a Savior. 

Under the new covenant of grace, Love is given to you.  Out of Christ’s measureless love, we are now able to love others.  It’s out of the overflow of His Love in us.  It’s not something we have to work up in ourselves towards others or even towards God.  Romans 5:5 tells us God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. God abundantly poured His love into our hearts by giving us the Holy Spirit, …the Spirit of Grace.  Jesus said, “As I have loved you” – it’s out of His love that is in us that we are able to love.   Do you see the difference between the old and new?  Under the old, you loved others because you feared punishment…. you feared not receiving His blessings, His promises.   But under the new, you love because the Lover lives in you and His nature is Love.  He can’t be anything else.  It’s not just an adjective that describes Him, it is who He is (1 Jn 4:8)

The law of the Spirit of life

The Old Covenant was a written code no one could keep (except Jesus) and the New Covenant is Christ Himself living in you.  Paul told us in Romans 7:24 that trying to keep the Old Law makes you frustrated and miserable… “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”  Notice he didn’t say what will rescue me but rather Who… Whowill rescue me?  And the answer was….Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 7:24-25a).  The old law is a what but the new law is a Who.  The old law ministers condemnation and death (2 Cor 3:7-9), but the new law of the Spirit gives life (Rom 8:2).  The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6)  So Who gives life… Who rescued from the frustration of trying to keep the Law?  The Spirit of Christ within you. 

The perfect law of liberty

James wrote that “the perfect law gives freedom” (James 1:25).  In contrast, Romans 7:6 tells us that the law of Moses binds.  What is the perfect law that gives freedom? 

It’s Jesus, the living Word who set us free.  The perfect law of liberty describes what Jesus has done (perfectly fulfilled or completed the law) and the fruit He will bear in our lives (liberty) if we trust him.

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:25)

Look into the mirror of Moses’ law and you will be miserable, for it exposes all your faults… your weaknesses in serving God in the flesh.  It is like putting a veil over your eyes and you are unable to see that Jesus fulfilled it all not just for you… but as you!  Looking into the perfect law, which is Jesus, blesses you because it reveals his righteousness.

But it also says “Don’t just listen but do what it (the perfect law of liberty) says” (James 1:22). In other words, allow the Spirit of Christ to convince you that in Him you are righteous and holy. Don’t walk away from the perfect law and forget who you are in Christ. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Look intently with an unveiled face and be transformed into his likeness.

Law of faith

Romans 3:27 says Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.  God is a faith God.  Without faith, it’s impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), so our relationship with the Lord is dependent on it. Faith is what brings the things God has provided for us from the spiritual realm into the physical realm (Heb. 11:1). Our faith is the victory that enables us to overcome the world (1 John 5:4). Everything the Lord does for us is accessed through faith.

And He has given to us His faith….Galatians 2:20 says “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  We live our lives by His faith.  Paul did not say that he lived by faith IN the Son of God but by the faith OF the Son of God. The measure of faith that Paul had was the same measure that Jesus had. It was Jesus’ faith. If there is only one measure of faith (Rom. 12:3), then we also have the faith of Jesus.

If it is truly by faith, we are placed with our forefather faithful Abraham. He fathered the Israelites (literally and spiritually) which means we are his sons and daughters by faith. 

Under the old law covenant, love was demanded from you. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” But under the new covenant of grace, love is given to you – “As I have loved you” – and out of the overflow of Christ’s measureless love we are able to love others.

Sounds good, but how does it happen?

God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

God abundantly pours his love into our hearts by giving us the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Spirit of Christ. Do you see the difference between the old and new?

• Under the old, the law was a rule for weak men to obey. Under the new, the Law is the Spirit of Christ given to us, loving us, and loving others through us.
• Under the old, you loved others because you feared punishment. But under the new, you love because a Lover lives in you and it is his nature to love.
• Under the old, you had to make an effort to obey. But under the new you have to make an effort to disobey. It’s a whole new way of life.

2. The law of the Spirit of life

It’s important that you understand the difference between the old law (a written code you can’t keep) and the new Law (Christ himself, living in you). Try and live by the old laws, as Paul did, and it make you miserable:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? (Romans 7:24)

Paul couldn’t keep the old law no matter how hard he tried. He needed a new law and that new law is a Who:

Who will rescue me…? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:24-25a)

Do you see? The old law is a what; the new law is a Who. The old law ministers condemnation and death (2 Cor 3:7-9), but the new “law of the Spirit gives life” (Rom 8:2).

For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)

Who gives life? Not a set of rules, but the Spirit of Christ within you. One more time for emphasis: the new law is a Who.

3. The perfect law of liberty

James wrote of “the perfect law that gives freedom” (Jas 1:25), which can be contrasted with the law of Moses that binds (Rom 7:6). What is the perfect law that gives freedom? Well, what is the implanted word that can save you (Jas 1:21)? It’s not the Ten Commandments or the Bible. It’s Jesus, the living Word who sets us free.

The perfect law of liberty describes what Jesus has done (perfectly fulfilled or completed the law) and the fruit he will bear in our lives (liberty) if we trust him.

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do. (Jas 1:25)

Look into the mirror of Moses’ law and you will be miserable, for it exposes all your faults. But look into the perfect law which is Jesus and you will be blessed, for it reveals his righteousness.

“Don’t just listen but do what it (the perfect law of liberty) says” (Jas 1:22). In other words, allow the Spirit of Christ to convince you that in him you are righteous and holy. Don’t walk away from the perfect law and forget who you are in Christ. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Look intently with an unveiled face and be transformed into his likeness.

The Law in our hearts is Jesus

Jeremiah said those who had the new law written on their hearts would know the Lord and would no longer need others to teach them. He was describing your union with Christ. 

One with the Lord you have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). His Spirit dwells in you and teaches you all things (John 14:26).

What is the law written in our hearts? It is your Father’s spiritual DNA. It is the seed of God birthed in you by the Holy Spirit. 

It is Jesus himself.

How do you know he’s there? Because you are a new creation with new hopes and desires. You no longer want to sin. Your desire is to love God and others and that desire has nothing to do with old rules written in stone.

Christian, you are who you are because Christ lives in you.

He is the new law written, by God, in your heart and mind.

1. God never changes. If He never changes, why would His laws change? Laws are set because of some moral system that a leader wants his people to follow. If God is our leader, and He never changes, then His morals and law will never change.
2. The law that God gave Moses consists of many of the same laws that we have today. These laws can be from the government, our families, or even our own hearts and moral standards. 

The main law that God gave His people was the Ten Commandments. These laws were the basis of everything for the Jews. Deuteronomy 5:7-21 lists the Ten Commandments, and they are as follows:

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me." - America was built on the notion of being able to pursue religion freely. The Pledge of Allegiance uses the phrase 'one nation under God.' At one point, we understood who god was and what we were. Even now, as our nation slowly drifts away from that, we all feel that we are missing and losing something we used to have: our connection with God.
2. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." - His name is holy, but used in this way it slanders God.
3. "Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work" - I hear stories of the days when my parents grew up of when Sunday was always a no work day. People went to church, came home, at a meal together and enjoyed each other's company. Businesses weren't open, factories closed, and everyone did that because the Sabbath day is holy. God worked six days of the week and rested the seventh. If he needed the rest, a perfect, all-powerful God, how much more so do we need the rest as weak, imperfect humans?
4. "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God as commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you." - One commandment that has stuck around has been this one. We've all seen the consequences of children who don't obey their parents. We have to deal with their misbehavior, attitudes, and disrespect as teachers, students, classmates, etc. Honor our parents is so ingrained in our nature, that when we start to disobey, disrespect, and dishonor them, we are turned into a self-loathing creature that has no respect for anyone.
5. "You shall not murder." - Murder is a law straight from the government. Everyone knows life is precious and not one person can be replaced. We know this because God made us to know it. There are exceptions we have such as the death penalty, but God also had death penalties as punishments for murder. Nothing from Moses' time to now has changed about our understanding of murder.
6. "You shall not commit adultery." - Nowadays, adultery occurs so often it is hardly punished by the law. But everyone knows it's wrong based on the way adulterers and cheaters go about the act. It's not out in the open because it is against the law. It creates turmoil and anger, and causes destruction of the relationship. God made a law against it because he wants us to build each other up, not tear each other down by destroying their trust in others.
7. "You shall not steal." - We all know stealing is wrong, it's even made illegal. God put the law in our hearts because He provides everything we need. There is no need to steal from others. We steal because of our desires, which provokes jealousy of what they have and the belief that what we have isn't good enough to sustain us. 
8. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." - Humans value the truth, but this part of us also comes from God. He tell us not to bear false witness against one another. This goes beyond being in a courtroom. It includes talking ill of others, misrepresenting someone or their intentions, and destroying any part of their reputation. Once again, we're meant to build others up not tear them down, and committing this act does just the opposite of what we all want. We don't want others to spread rumors, especially when their wrong. We all want to be treated well. His law is not an accident.
9. /10."You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."- both of these are combined in verse 21 with coveting. Even if we don't steal, when we covet, we nurture our jealousy. If the feeling isn't not stopped, it grows into horrible thoughts, words, and deeds. Anything we let into our hearts controls us whether we want it to or not.

The Ten Commandments, God gave to Moses and the Israelites, He also engraved it into every person's heart. As Paul says in Romans 2, "for when Gentiles (non-Jews) do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts (14-15,). We all know what issan, what the law says, right, even when we don't know the law. And, we all prove it by doing what's in God's law without even knowing it.

Because God’s laws are for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13) we need to write them on our heart. A Bible on our bookshelf is not enough, or even in the memory of our phone. To guide us spiritually, God’s word must be in our heart.

What does it mean to have God’s word in your heart?

God’s word dwells within you and is the guiding force of your life: you know it, understand it, respect it, love it and practice it willingly.

Old Covenant people were to have God’s word in their heart.

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). To do this we must know God’s word.

“You shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul” (Deuteronomy 11:18). We store valuable data carefully. Do we store God’s word in our heart and soul?

“For this commandment which I command you today, it is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). If God’s word is in our heart, it will also be in our mouth. What does a football fan talk about? Football! Someone with God’s word in his heart, speaks about God’s word.

“The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart” (Psalm 37:30, 31).

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). When God’s word is in our heart, we know what pleases and displeases Him, and we want to please Him.

“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 7:1-3).

God’s people were told repeatedly to write His word on their heart, but most did not do so.

Few under the Old Covenant had God’s law in their heart.

Although God sent prophets to call them to repentance, although the faithful encouraged their unfaithful brethren to know the Lord, few of the physical descendants of Jacob had God’s law in their hearts.

Thus God proclaimed: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the LORD. ‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ says the LORD. ‘For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

New Covenant people have God’s law in their heart. 

This prophesy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ who came to bring God’s New Covenant for the whole world, founded on personal faith rather than physical descent, and to be the true sacrifice for sin: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more’” (Hebrews 10:14-17). [See also Hebrews 8:10-12.]

Christ had God’s law in His heart: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; In the scroll of the Book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart’” (Psalm 40:7, 8).

Because Jesus was sinless, He was qualified to bear the punishment for our sins, and to replace the Old Covenant with the New: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Under the New Covenant, by definition, God’s people consist of those who have God’s law in their heart: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘“Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach)” (Romans 10:4-8).

How can we have God’s law in our heart?

We must prepare our hearts to receive the word. In the parable of the sower, God’s word bears fruit only in good and noble hearts (Luke 8:15).

Of King Rehoboam it is said: “And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD” (2 Chronicles 12:14).

Ezra, on the other hand, “had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it” (Ezra 7:10). 

Our hearts must be receptive. God told Ezekiel: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears” (Ezekiel 3:10).

The word of God must be received: “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). 

It is not enough to attend religious services each Sunday. The law of God must be written on our hearts. Paul told the believers at Corinth that they were a letter of Christ, “written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:2, 3). 

When God’s law is written on our hearts, it permeates our whole being: it influences our thoughts, words and actions.

Bad things may not be written on our heart.

THE MORAL LAW ON OUR CONSCIENCE

ROMANS 2:14-15 (NKJV):
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness.

Moral laws have been put in the minds and hearts of man to direct all mankind. We all have a conscience to guide us in judging right from wrong. According to the Scripture account, when Cain slew Abel he didn’t have the law which said, “You shall not murder.” Cain, after having killed his brother Abel, tried to conceal the deed from YHWH (the Lord), because his conscience bore witness against himself knowing what he did was wrong (Genesis 4:8-9).

Although given a moral conscience, a person can willfully ignore and sear it in order to live lawlessly and guilt free (1 Timothy 4:2). This is the case with the sexually immoral, swindlers, idolaters, and abortion providers. When a person is of God and does something wrong, the Holy Spirit is grieved within that person (Ephesians 4:30). Wicked people who have seared their consciences, and do evil continually, have closed the door to the Holy Spirit.

FOLLOW WHATEVER LAWS THE HOLY SPIRIT TELLS YOU TO FOLLOW?

Many Christian theologians have explained that the law being put on our minds and written on our hearts is related to the Holy Spirit leading believers to follow whatever selective laws that the Spirit leads them to follow, and not the whole law. This is based on an out of context reading of Galatians 5:18, which states, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”It is clear that when Galatians 5:18 is read in the whole context of verses 16 and 17, it means, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the [unlawful desires of the] law [of the flesh].”

Many believers think that the Spirit will lead them to follow whatever laws God puts on their minds and writes on their hearts. Some then cease studying God’s laws through the Scriptures, and then merely follow their own consciences, their own hearts and minds (Deuteronomy 12:8; Judges 17:6, 21:25; Proverbs 12:15; Jeremiah 17:9). Many believe that God’s laws are abolished and if they are not, then the Holy Spirit will convict them otherwise.

This is a faulty, simplistic way of thinking, which leads many to lawlessness.

The Holy Spirit will not guide anyone to truth without a believer seeking answers through a study of the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:14-17). God wants us, as believers, to seek out all of His commandments (1 Chronicles 28:8) by trusting in His written, unchangeable word and then His Spirit will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

GOD’S LAWS ARE WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS THROUGH YESHUA (JESUS)

JEREMIAH 31:31-33 (NKJV):
“Behold, the days are coming, says YHWH (the Lord), when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says YHWH (the Lord). But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says YHWH (the Lord): I will put my l will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts.

YESHUA (JESUS) RENEWED THE COVENANT THROUGH HIMSELF

The Hebrews were given God’s covenant when YHWH (the Lord) led them out of Egypt. The covenant was the Torah (law) given to them through Moses. The Hebrews broke the covenant, the commandments issued to them, which they failed to keep when they served other gods and otherwise sinned.

Yeshua (Jesus), throughout His Messianic mission, obeyed all the laws of the covenant that He had made with Israel. He knew no sin and died to atone for the sins of mankind, paying the death penalty for us, in our place.

For believers who wish to follow Yeshua (Jesus) in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), the Torah (law) is not merely written on stone tablets and in the Book of the Law of Moses any longer. The law has now been put on our minds and hearts, because Yeshua (Jesus) obeyed the law, showing us the way to do it, and because Yeshua (Jesus) suffered and died for us. What was once the law to be obeyed through obedience alone, has become the law to be followed by the example of our Lord and Master following it. Furthermore, knowing the terrible sacrifice Yeshua (Jesus) suffered on the cross to atone for our sins, because we didn’t obey His laws, compels our minds and moves our hearts to obey all of His commandments, just as He obeyed them (1 John 2:3-6) so as to not grieve the Holy Spirit within us (Ephesians 4:30).

There is no truth in the person who says, “It is impossible to obey all His commandments,” (Deuteronomy 30:11-20) or “If you keep His commandments, you are refusing grace and are trying to earn salvation” (John 14:15; Hebrews 10:26-29; 1 John 5:3-4).

Yeshua (Jesus) came down to earth from heaven, obeyed all the commandments, suffered horrible torture, and died on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind. The lazy lawless Christian says, “Jesus followed the law, so I do not have to” and “The law is too difficult to follow.” Really? Yeshua (Jesus) did all that for you and it is too difficult to honor His holy feasts (Leviticus 23), His 7^th day Sabbath day (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 31:16), and it is too hard to refrain from eating unclean creatures (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14), or getting a tattoo (Leviticus 19:28)?

HEBREWS 8:8-11 (NKJV):
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.”

HEBREWS 10:16-17 (NKJV):
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 

GOD’S LAWS ARE YET TO BE FURTHER INGRAINED ON OUR HEARTS AND MINDS

In the aforementioned Hebrews 8:8-10 and 10:16-17 passages, it is clear that Yeshua (Jesus) is not only referring to the law being written on our hearts and minds during this age, but also to a much greater extent in the age to come, during His Millennium Kingdom reign, where no one will be asking his neighbor, “Do you know the Lord,” for all who dwell in His kingdom will know Him. The righteous saints of the first resurrection (Revelation 20:6) who are counted worthy (Luke 21:36) to enter His kingdom as first fruits will be cleansed of all sin (Isaiah 1:18), being truly born again (John 3:3) in the regeneration (Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54), and will be made immortal and incorruptible.

In our renewed state of immortality and incorruptibility, as we become God’s sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18), God’s laws will truly be firmly established  on our minds and written on our hearts, for all time, and as incorruptible beings we will never again sin throughout all eternity, as we dwell with God forever (Revelation 21:1-4).

The New Covenant is actually in the Old Testament! The New Covenant, of letting God write His law on our hearts is the only covenant God ever endorsed. God made clear to His people, that He was the One who rescued them from the bondage in Egypt. They did not rescue themselves. God also made it clear the He would rescue them from the bondage of sin if they would trust His promise to write the law not just on stone but on their hearts.

Let’s not trust old useless man-made promises and covenants. Let’s trust in Jesus’ new and everlasting promise and covenant, and let Him write His commandments on our heart. This way they will be with us wherever we go, including courthouses and public buildings.

The old covenant of law was written upon "tablets of stone." The new covenant of grace is written upon "tablets…of the heart." This is another vital contrast between the old and new covenants. This difference again decides whether we draw upon man's sufficiency or upon God's.

The old covenant message of God's law was written on stones. It called man to holiness, as measured by the character of God. "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy"(Leviticus 19:2). The message is magnificent. However, its impact would be limited (by design), since it was written on "tablets of stone." It was inscribed upon an inanimate object that was external to human lives. Consequently, it could not bring life or any provision for transforming lives. The law would function as a perfect standard, revealing our unholiness and convicting us of our need for what Jesus Christ alone could offer. We needed to have the perfect message of the law (holiness) implanted in our innermost being. This is what the new covenant of grace accomplishes.

The new covenant message of God's grace is written on human hearts: "on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."Grace not only forgives our failure before the law, but it works to develop personal holiness at the very core of our being. This was the promise God gave through His prophets of old, that He would put His holy law into peoples' hearts. The book of Hebrews applies this promise to all believers in Jesus Christ."This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts" (Hebrews 10:16).

What hope we have through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! Now, God transfers His holiness from an outside standard to an internal resource. Now, the Lord is making His holy requirements an internal part of our being, as we humbly trust in Him. God is stirring holy desires in us, as we earnestly seek after Him. God is developing holy priorities within us and providing spiritual strength within us to walk in more and more godliness. "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure"(Philippians 2:13).

O Holy Father, I would be hopeless, if Your perfect standard remained outside of me, demanding holiness by my performance. Thank You for bringing Your holy will inside of my life, providing internal resource for living and growing in godliness. Lord, I look to You to transform me from the inside out, in Jesus' name, Amen.

To write God’s laws in our hearts means that we internalize the importance of those laws. We understand them, we believe them, we use them as the guiding principles of our lives, and we do so joyfully, not out of a sense of obligation or requirement. This is what the Lord always wanted the Law of Moses to produce, a people who had his law written upon the fleshy tablets of their hearts. The original stone tablets were only to act as a taskmaster to teach them of his ways. The prophets tried for many generations to teach the people to move past the outward requirements of the law and to get the people to internalize the principles the Lord wanted them to understand.

The Universal Failure

The work of every prophet to Israel was to convert them to the Lord. Almost without exception they failed to produce the desired effect with the people. There were always a few who caught the vision, but as a whole, Israel was a hardened lot. At the time of Jeremiah the northern kingdom had already been carried away by the Assyrians and scattered. Jeremiah was the prophet during the few short decades before the Babylonian captivity in 586 BCE. Through the reign of five kings he prophesied of Israel’s fall and punishment because of their wholesale rejection of the their covenants with God.

Future Success

Much of Jeremiah’s prophesying was to tell Israel that they were to be carried off, that they would serve for seventy years in Babylon, and that at the end of that time, another kingdom would free them and let them come home again. Along with these prophecies he told them about the return of Israel in the last days when the Lord would send fishers and hunters into the world to find his people and bring them back in power to again inhabit their rightful place as God’s people.

This gathering of Israel, Jeremiah said, would be such a great work that it would rival the Lord’s miracles of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 the Lord says that he will make a new covenant with his people. This time, instead of writing the law on tables of stone, he will inscribe his law directly into the hearts of the people.

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

33 But this shall bethe covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

To have God’s law written in our hearts means that we have the Spirit of revelation with us. We have internalized the purpose of the commandments. We follow them willingly. We work directly with the Spirit of God to learn the will of the Lord for ourselves. All the blessings of obedience to God’s laws are available to such a people, because they stay close to God through obedience to the commandments they have been given. They have their own personal witness of the truthfulness of God’s ways.

Character Traits of the New Covenant

In Jeremiah 29:12-14 the Lord promises great things to Israel, but also describes what it will take for us to receive his blessings.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me,when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Look at the operative words used by the Lord in these three verses – call, pray, seek, and search. When we are willing to put in the effort to call upon his name in faith, pray in faith, seek in faith, and search him out, the promise is that we will find him. Once we have found him he will “turn away your captivity,” gather us back into the family of Israel, and restore all the privileges to his people that have been promised from the beginning. 

This is part of the marvelous work and a wonder promised to take place in the latter days. God has restored his ancient covenants with his people and we are in the process of sending missionaries (members) throughout the world to hunt and fish for those who can hear the call of the Master and are willing to take upon themselves his covenants by listening to the Spirit and receiving the revelations of truth offered only to those who seek, pray, search, and call upon God in faith. These are they to whom God gives a testimony, His truth, written upon the fleshy tablets of our hearts.

Conclusion

The blessings available to the world today have always been available. There is nothing we have now that ancient Israel could not have shared in if they had been faithful. Look at Jeremiah 17:6-8. 

7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The Lord promises us that if we come to him and obey his commandments, we will be like a juniper tree planted by a river in a desert. No matter how hot or desperate things get around us, we will prosper, because we will be able to spread our roots out in the waters of life and drink deep. Even in the midst of affliction we will not fear, and the Lord will make us fruitful.

I HAVE HIDDEN YOUR WORD IN MY HEART SO I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU.  PSALM 119:11

It is part of the longest chapter in the entire Bible! And it has a powerful message for us! Let’s look at it.

God, through the psalmist, is telling us to hide His word in our hearts so what when sin comes along we will know how to handle it and be strengthened not to sin against Him. 

Let’s break this verse down and look at it in the original Hebrew (the language it was written in). The word HIDDEN means to hide away as a great treasure. One of the ways ancients would protect possession of precious value was to hide them away. Many times burying them where no one could find them. They had no security systems or safety deposit boxes to stow their treasures away. They hid them.

God is telling us to hide His word away in our hearts. His precious, of limitless value words, should be considered great treasures and hidden away… in our hearts!

Our hearts are the center of our being. The part that cannot be seen. Our mind, intellect, emotion, will. God is saying to keep these hidden but not forgotten.

Why should we hide them? Because He knows that we are sinners and it is our nature to sin against Him.

The Hebrew text says something in verse 11 that is not evident in the translation. It goes like this. I have hidden your word in my heart to the end that I might not sin against you.

There is a reason the psalmist is hiding God’s word in his heart. And it is easily seen in the Hebrew text. He knows that he is a sinner and having the treasure of God’s word hidden in a safe yet accessible place will help him fight against sin. We are all in a battle against sin.

God tells us again when talking about then Armor Of God we must put on daily for this epic battle that will be waged against us from the second of our birth till our last breath…

TAKE UP THE HELMET OF SALVATION AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. Ep 6:17

When we know and protect God’s word within us we can draw it out like a double-edged sword from its sheath and use it to fight evil in our lives.

And according to the Bible, the word of God is the only offensive weapon we have against evil.

Emma Kate is hiding the song Jesus Loves Me in her heart! This made me think how important it is to teach God’s word and to even the very youngest! And that we are never too early to commit to hiding God’s word in OUR hearts!

This brought to mind two other verses…

TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE WILL GO AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT  Prov 22:6

And this command from God…

AND THESE WORDS I COMMAND YOU TODAY SALL BE ON YOUR HEART (talking about the Law that was given to Moses). YOU SHALL TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY TO YOUR CHILDREN AND SHALL TALK OF THEM WHEN YOU SIT IN YOUR HOUSE, AND WHEN YOU WALK BY THE WAY, AND WHEN YOU LIE DOWN AND WHEN YOU RISE UP.  Deut 6:6-7

What do we fill our minds with? What do we fill our hearts with? And what do we fill our children with? Will it save us and them from the misery of sin? God knows we are all like sheep and how easily we go astray. We need God’s word hidden in the center of our being!

God’s will is that I become free from my human nature, my own will, and to follow the commandments He writes in my heart. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…” Ephesians 4:32.  It isn’t my natural tendency, but God has commanded me to live like this—God’s will for me is a life where sin has no power over me!

It is impossible to do God’s will in my own strength, but when my whole heart’s desire is to obey His voice instead of my own, He is there, and He gives me power to carry out His will!

Love, according to the Bible, may not always be present today, but it should always be the goal. Our goal should always be to promote love in everything, and we can do that by keeping God’s commandments.

This leads us to the question, can we love Jesus without keeping His commandments? Or is loving Christ tantamount to also keeping what he was commanded? The answer is already obvious but let us try to discuss why keeping Jesus’ commands is also loving Him.

1. To Demonstrate Our Love for God

Keeping Jesus’ commandments is demonstrating our love for God. If we read the New Testament well, we already know that there was no specific mention by Jesus of the 10 Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai in Deuteronomy.

When the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, they were attempting to get Jesus to admit his teachings were false. So, they asked Jesus which commandment, given to them by Moses, was the most important.

He responded, "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength." There is no greater commandment: "love your neighbor as yourself." All 10 Commandments are based on loving God and loving others.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." ~ Matthew 22:36-40

Many of Jesus' commands about love are found in the New Testament. Jesus tells his disciples in John 13:34 to love one another. Later, in John 14:15, he says, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

His last words to His friends focused on love while He shared a meal with them. Jesus did not take these commands lightly. It is necessary to keep God's commandments in order to demonstrate the disciples' love for God.

Jesus talked about God's calling for each of their lives, as well as ours. This was His preparation for His absence. It meant He wouldn't be physically there, but He told them to continue to love others to reflect God's love.

2. To Demonstrate Our Love for Jesus’ Teachings

Keeping Jesus’ commands is showing our love for His teachings. As a teacher, Jesus demonstrated God's love by loving others. We should do the same.

"Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." ~ 1 John 2:4-6

We can read in the Bible a specific example where Jesus demonstrates this. During his first journey, Jesus takes His disciples to a town of outcasts, hated by everyone else. As if it were a disease, Jews avoided Samaria.

The reason they hated each other was their religion. Jewish people avoided interaction with Samaria due to opposing beliefs, so they took the longer route around it. It was not permitted for Samaritans to attend the festivals at the synagogue in Jerusalem.

Toward the outskirts of the town, Jesus sits down to draw water from the well of Jacob. It was built by Jacob, one of the Patriarchs of Judaism, and therefore is its namesake.

An ostracized Samaritan woman, also shunned by her village, waits for the God Jacob worshiped to make her a promise. From six different men, she'd gotten the wrong kind of love. By talking to her and treating her nicely, Jesus intended to show her the love of God.

Her life didn't get any better with the water she brought from the well. She needed Jesus' cleansing water from the inside out. He showed the woman at the well the love God had for her.

She shared the same love with everyone in town. If we obey God's command to love others, we show our love for God by having an overflowing love for everyone. Anyone can feel God's love no matter what their background is.

This example tells us that keeping His commandments means showing that we have faith in what is written. The woman was faithful that something good will come to her because she has kept her faith.

3. To Serve God Despite Sin

Keeping the commandments is serving God despite our sins. We can learn from Jesus and how He served the disciples despite their sins. He demonstrated His love for them in a way no one would ever do. Jesus did this by cleansing their feet.

During that time, servants weren't even allowed to wash their feet. Jesus did this as a metaphor to show his love and willingness to gently care for them.  In spite of their filth, Jesus washed their feet anyway. Because He loves us, Jesus cares for our filthiest parts without hesitation.

We must realize that Jesus sees our dirty sin in the same way He saw Samaritan woman's sins and chose to love her regardless of it. As a result, we should be willing to humbly demonstrate that same love to each other, no matter how different we are or how far apart we are.

4. To Express Love Through His Commandments

There is no doubt that Christ's command to love others is clear. "If you love me, you'll keep my commandments." In other words, if you don't love me, you don't love God.

John 14:16 says, Jesus will ask the Father and he will give us another Counselor to be with us forever when we obey God by loving others. He is the Spirit of truth.

In Jesus’ absence, as we reflect the love of God to those around us, we will receive the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we continue to fulfill the calling God has given each of us, loving others with the abundance of love God has given us.

It is possible to love those who disagree with our political views with the help of the Holy Spirit. The most difficult people to treat with kindness can receive God's love from us. In this way, we are reflecting God's love to those who feel the least loved, fulfilling God's purpose in our lives.

Not a Chore but a Desire

As Christians, we have a duty to obey God's commands. It's not always easy to love everyone. And we're one of those people who are hard to love sometimes. God's Word says we should love people for their sake.

The ultimate act of love was when His Son gave His life as a punishment for the sins of the world.

In being a sacrifice for all of us, he loved especially those who would be difficult to love, those who committed crimes, those who opposed our political convictions, and those who were contrary to our morals and values.

In spite of our differences and opposition, Jesus's death enables us to live in peace.

Why love is important?

Let us begin by looking at why love is so important and the core through which obedience flows out.

a. The reason to love

Christian theology stresses the importance of love because God has revealed that he is love. 1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love, v16 says “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” Love is both what God is and what he has done; God always acts in love.
Love in the Bible is described as both personal (between persons) and also selfless (desiring the best for others). God has displayed His love for us His children by sending His Son to die on the cross.

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were yest sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

As stated earlier in John 14 this message of love and keeping the commandments of God has been re-iterated multiple times in this chapter and this brings out the force of the words spoken. This in itself demands serious attention from the reader. These words are spoken to those who hold his word closely in their hearts and live by them and them alone. The promise given is for all who are His and there is no room for the half-hearted here. This is the real test of whether we love him. Do we fully do what he says?

We may sing and dance and shout praise to God, and all this is good, but means little by itself. The real test of love is by obedience and a desire to do what God wants. Love only has meaning when there is obedience associated to it. 1 John 2:3-4 says “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”

So loving God and being His true disciple is not only an outward profession but it is also the inner possession of a living and true faith as it says in Luke 11:28 “But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!””.

The reason we love Jesus Christ is because we have found something that is precious and valuable in him. The following poem by Spurgeon explains it beautifully:

Whay do we love Jesus? By Spurgeon

Why do we love Jesus?
Because he “gave himself for us.”
We have life through his death;
We have peace through his blood.
Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.
Why do we love Jesus?
Because of the excellency of his person.
We are filled with a sense of his beauty!
An admiration of his charms!
a consciousness of his infinite perfection!
His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent Ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so ravished that it exclaims,
“Yes, he is altogether lovely.”
Blessed love this – a love which binds the hearts with chains more soft than silk, yet more firm than adamant!

b. What are the properties by which love is distinguished. 

• Love must be SINCERE. Romans 12:9 says “let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” We must possess a love that is genuine as it mentions in this verse. It is easy to have a hypocritical love, a love that wears a mask and one of empty professions.  Let our love be sincere by loving God through obedience and loving our neighbors by acts of kindness and this is how we show that our love is sincere.
• Let love be SUPREME. Often our love to any object rises according to its worth. Our love to God must be supreme – with all the heart. We are not to love God as we love our friends, or relatives, or children, but must love Him above all things. He will allow no rival to share with Him the throne of your heart’s affection. Not even any lawful affection must set above that which we give to God, much less the love of sin or to worldly things. Deuteronomy 6:5 says “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
• Love must be CONSTANT. It must always be a strong and fervent love. A love with all your “might”. A love deeply rooted in the heart. A love so involved with your thoughts and feelings as to overcome the power of sin and  Satan that you always walk with your mind set on Christ.

c. The test by which love is ascertained

John 14:21 tells us, it is whoever that has the commandments of God and keeps them, is the one that loves God truly. So what exactly is the keeping of the commandments of Christ?

• It means SEEKING them. How can we know them unless we find out. The only way to find out is by seeking them. 1 Chronicles 28:8 says “Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.”
• It means seeking ALL of the commandments. This is a life long occupation. 1 Chronicles 28:8 says “…observe and seek out allthe commandments…”
• It means OBEYING them. Not only to seek and find out all the commandments, but also doing them. James 1: 22 says “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
• It means obeying them PROMPTLY. In Psalm 119:60 it says “I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.”
• Finally it means, DELIGHTING in obeying God. Psalm 112:1 says “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!”

We need to have a heart to seek the commandments of God, to relish them and to obey them. Deuteronomy 5:29 says “Oh they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!”

d. The reward to which this love is connected

When we keep the commandments of God, there is a certain blessing that is poured out onto us. The favor of the greatest Father, His affection, the presence of a best friend. From this love, we begin to learn the insufficiency of external privileges and all that the world has to offer and Christ becomes our all in all. The Bible also tells us that we can expect:

• GLADNESS: The most joyful people in the world are those people in the world who are constantly seeking to keep God’s commandments and please Him. 1 Chronicles 16:27 says “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.”
• GREAT PEACE: Having great peace is a priceless reward. How wonderful it is to enjoy such a peace even as we live in this word of trouble, a world of fear, a world of war, and a world  of uncertainty. Yet for those who love they Lord and obey his commandments, they live with the peace of God. Psalm 119:165 says “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”
• ASSURANCE OF SALVATION: Many Christians lack the assurance of salvation. The reason for this is not knowing what the word says about those who are in Christ and what God has already done for us. In Colossians 3:3 says “For you have died with Christ and your life  is hidden with Christ in God”. Now if we read 1 John 3:24 it says “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit he has given us. Keep his commandments and you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have received salvation.
• ANSWERS TO PRAYER: This is a wonderful promise. The Bible tells us that if we seek to obey God, then he promises to answer our prayers. What a great reward. 1 John 3:22 says “and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”
• CONSCIOUS PRESENCE OF CHRIST: Firstly we need to understand that the Lord is always with us when we have received him as our personal savior and Lord. But take note of what it says in John 14:21, where there is an emphasis on the word “manifest”. The word manifest means “clear or obvious to the eye or mind”. This means that when we obey Jesus Christ we not only know that he is with us but we are made really conscious of His presence.  What a great reward.

2 Why is obedience important?

a. Obedience is a sign and test and proof of love

John 14:21 tells us that obedience is a sign and test of love. Whoever obeys the commandment of God is the one who loves God. This is the same message given in John 14:15 saying “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”, except that it is in reverse to what is said in John 14:21.

John 14:15 begins with the root and traces it upwards to its fruits. Love blossoming into obedience. Whereas our reading in John 14:21 does the reverse.

Here our Lord declares the possession of His commandments to be a sign of love to Him. The verse begins by saying “Whoever has my…”. Notice that there are 2 ways that you can “have”.

The first way you can have is to simply have the commandments in the Bible available for you. The words are there before your very eyes and you can see it as a law that you ought to obey.

The second way to have is to have His commandments, is in your heart. This is when His commandments are within your will, it becomes a power that shapes your will and your thoughts and your actions. Everything you do comes out of that which is in your very being. This is the kind of “having” that Christ regards as real and valid. Love possesses the knowledge of the loved ones will.

There are always two motives of keeping commandments. One simply because they are commanded and out of fear, works-based etc. and the other because of our love of  Him that commands it. Notice, that one is “slavery” and the other is “liberty”. There is a sea of difference between the two.

1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

Love implies attraction, and fear repulsion and that is why fear cannot exist in love. This is the principle of love in general. It must not be limited to Gods love for us , or our love to God, or our love to one another. Love and fear only coexist when love is not yet perfect. Perfect love will absolutely exclude fear as surely as perfect union excludes all separation. A love that is self-interested is the love that fears; pure and unselfish love has no fear.

Many people affirm their love for Jesus Christ, but is this a genuine and sincere love? What is the proof of this professed love? John 14:21 says “..,he it is who loves me.” Notice here that Jesus is singling out that one person as the only true lover of God.

Let us not be misled of our love for Jesus. The following are just some ways in which we think we show our love for Christ, but is it really true love or are was misleading ourselves?

When we have strong, frequent feeling of sorrow or compassion for Christ as someone who was innocent and suffered a horrible death on the cross. This is an emotion and an element of love, but it is not love.

When we have an intellectual and moral admiration of Christ, this is also not love. Many unbelievers also may have the same opinion of Jesus.

Maybe we strive to keep the commands and laws of God, for an outwardly appearance so that we may get praise from a worldly perspective, but this again is more of a self-love than a real love of Christ.

The Bible tells us the proof of love is when we are obedient to the following:

1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

We can see the point stressed in this verse, that we may look religious outside, and we may talk religiously and speak the words, but all of this amounts to nothing if it does not produce practical deeds of love, not just empty talk. John actually calls this a lie.

Are you someone who sings to the Lord saying “I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you…”, and at the same time you have bitterness in your heart towards others and forgiveness. Then what you are really singing is a lie. It is just mere words and nothing else. It is just a outwardly show not an inwardly transformation.

The proof is in, how you treat those whom you see and interact with. Your brothers and sisters in this world. The love that you show to them is the proof of whether you really delight in your invisible Father and cherish his promises.

Ultimately what is being said here is that if you really love God, with your words and in your heart then you will rest and delight in all that God is for you, in all his amazing promises, and you WILL love your brother. You will be so full of hope and joy and freedom that you will love to spread the good things of God to as many people as possible.

Since you cannot see God, there is no way to really know if you love God since he is not around to see. The only way to know whether your claim to love God is true, is in the way you relate to people you can see. If you don’t love your brother or sister you can see, then there is open evidence that you cannot be telling the truth when you talk about the invisible workings of your heart toward an invisible God.

3. Christ is known only to the loving.

John 14:21 tells us that if when we obey His commandments, it shows our love for God and to those who do this, Christ will manifest himself to them.

Notice here that He is not talking about a mystical vision or appearance where we see Him physically, rather He reveals Himself to us by giving us deeper insight into knowing God through His word. Jesus is saying here that when we obey Him, then He will share more of Himself with us. Again this isn’t a mystical, extra-biblical knowledge, rather the knowledge of Him through His Word.

Jesus as we read in the beginning of John 14, Jesus spoke these words to comfort the disciples in their time of trouble, likewise a deeper revelation of Christ through the Scriptures will comfort us in our trials.

In John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) asks Jesus a question, “”Lord , how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”” The Jews thought that the Messiah would reveal Himself openly and rule a political kingdom. When Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, the disciples would have thought that He would soon establish the Kingdom and be seated on the throne. They did not understand that in the first coming of Jesus, His kingdom was not of this world. John 18:36 says “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Jesus responds to Judas’ question, but He completely ignores the question asked by Judas. In John 14:23, Jesus responds by saying, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Here Jesus is saying the He will not reveal Himself to a rebellious world, but only to those who obey Him. Again Jesus gives a final warning in John 14:24 saying “…and the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” This shows the enormity of the world in rejecting Christ. They are not only rejecting Him, but also God Himself. How can the living God make His home with such rebels? Obedient believers enjoy a relationship with God that the world cannot know.

Through Jesus’ answer you could also see that  God will reveal Himself to the world through those who obey Him. As people see Christ in us, many will be drawn to our Savior. Matthew 5:16 says “…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The matter of the fact is that our lives may be the only Bible that many people read. If we joyfully obey Christ and enjoy His abiding presence, we will be His channel for revealing Himself to this disobedient world.

4. Character and privilege of true Christians. 

The character of a true Christian is that, they simply love Jesus Christ. We love Him as a divine person who is glorious in moral perfection and loveliness. We love Him as the image of God, God who humbled Himself and took on the nature of a servant, loving Him will all our heart and might and soul and strength. We love Him as our mediator and whose very nature is love.

The character of a true Christian is one who has His commandments, His words, His sayings. They hunger and thirst for more of Him and His word.

The character of a true Christian is one who keeps His commandments. It is by having the words of Christ that people come to love Him, so also it is by keeping His words that they manifest and prove their love to Him.

When we come into such a love relationship with Christ our Lord and Savior, then there is the privilege of being loved by the Father and the Son. This love is discovered in the Son manifesting Himself to us and the Father and the Son coming to us and making their home in us.

5. Conclusion.

In conclusion we see here that not only did Jesus teach and command these beautiful truths to us, but in fact he was an example to us showing us what real obedience is. Closing in John 14:31, Christ said “but i do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

How beautiful are the words and character of Christ. He was the perfect example. He was obedient to the Father so as to the point of death that he was glorified above every other name.

Philippians 2:5-11 says

“⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

May we truly love Jesus, the He may manifest Himself to us.

His Commandments Are Not Burdensome

If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Suppose you knew that a Christian friend of yours was doing something wrong—at least wrong as far as you could judge by the Scriptures. How would you answer if he said, "I know that it is not what the Bible specifically commands, but I think it is the most loving thing. And since love is the highest ethical norm of Scripture, therefore I think what I am doing is right"?

A False Kind of Ethical Reasoning 

This kind of reasoning is very widespread among Christians today—a reasoning, namely, that finds a catch-word in Scripture like "justice" or "mercy" or "love" or "peace" or "kingdom of God," and then makes that catch-word the criterion of right and wrong without letting the specific commands of Scripture determine the content of the criterion.

In other words a principle that has biblical sanction is lifted out of Scripture and the more detailed contours of that principle which are given in the specific commands of Scripture are ignored while the principle is shaped by someone's personal agenda.

It is an easy mistake to make because the Bible doesn't answer every moral question directly. We do have to use principles like justice and love and peace to weigh various alternatives where the situation may be different than anything the Bible addresses.

But it seems to me that what is happening today in all kinds of moral issues is that in the name of certain biblical principles the actual commands and teachings of Scripture are being rejected. In other words principles are being taken over from the Bible but the actual content of those principles is being fleshed out by personal desires and social pressures, not by the specific commands and examples of Scripture.

I will give some examples of what I have in mind later. But we need to see first that our text today speaks directly to this problem. Let's walk through this text together and let this issue emerge as we see the flow of John's thought.

The Test of Whether Your Love for God Is Real

The first unit is 4:20–5:1 and the main point of this unit is a familiar one, namely, that the test of whether your love for God is real is whether you love your fellow believer. Verse 20 puts the point negatively and verses 21 and 5:1 put it positively.

You Can't Love God If You Don't Love Your Brother

In 4:20 John says, "If any one says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."

In other words, religious piety that does not produce practical deeds of love is just empty talk—or worse than empty. John would say it is a lie. A person who sings, "I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you, O my soul rejoice," and holds bitterness in his heart and shows no love to visitors is a liar. His song is a lie.

The way you treat your visible brother or sister is the proof of whether you really delight in your invisible Father and cherish his promises.

I don't think John is saying in verse 20 that it is easier to love a brother that you can see than it is to love God whom you cannot see. You might get that impression from the verse ("He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen"). And that's why a lot of people stumble over it.

Isn't he simply saying this: If you really love God—if you really rest and delight in all that God is for you, in all his amazing promises, then you WILL love your brother. You will be so full of hope and joy and freedom that you will love to spread the good things of God to as many people as possible. But, he adds, there is no way to know whether you really love God since he is not around to see. You can't hug him or bow down in his visible presence or take an order directly from his lips.

There is only one way to know whether your claim to love God is a self-deception or not, namely, in the way you relate to the people you can see (cf. 4:12). If you don't love your brother whom you can see, then there is open evidence that you can't be telling the truth when you talk about the invisible workings of your heart toward an invisible God.

So verse 20 says negatively, "If you don't love your visible brother, then you can't be loving the invisible God."

The One Loving God Loves the One Believing in Jesus

In 4:21–5:1 John says the same thing positively. "And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child."

The literal rendering of 5:1 is, "Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God." In other words the verse teaches that faith is the result and evidence of being born again, not that being born again is the result of faith. There is a change in tense that the English versions obscure: "Every one who is believing (present tense) . . . has been born of God (perfect tense)." New birth precedes and enables faith. Not vice versa.

Then the second half of the verse says that every one who loves the begetter loves the begotten. Every one who loves God loves those begotten of God. Every one who loves the divine Father also loves the human child.

When you put the two halves of the verse together, the point becomes: Every one who loves God loves those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, since believing in Christ is the mark of having been born of God, and every one who loves the Father loves those to whom he gives new birth.

That is the first unit in this text, 4:20–5:1. And the main point is the familiar one that loving your fellow believers is the test of whether you really love God or not.

The Test of Whether Your Love for People Is Real 

The second unit is a brand new thought. It's found in 5:2–3. It's the point I referred to at the beginning of the message. "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."

Up until now in this book of 1 John the question has been: How can we know for sure that we love God or believe God or are born of God. And the answer has always come back that you can know how it is with you and God by whether you love your brothers and sisters on earth. Love to man has been the test of love to God.

But here in 5:2 is a brand new question. It's so different we are prone to think we must have read it wrong. It seems backward from everything we've seen so far. "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God." Surely he meant to say the reverse, didn't he: "By this we know that we love God, when we love the children of God"? But that is not what he says. He says that the test of whether we really love people is whether we love God.

But praise God, Jesus knows that our old "Adamic" flesh nature (still present in all believers) continues to tempt us, on one hand, to run from God's commands (thus leading to licentiousness) or, on the other hand, to attempt to carry them out in our own fleshly strength (which leads to legalism and frustration). But "thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57) for He has given us the Helper, "the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Php 1:19b+, Jn 14:16, 26) Who indwells every believer (Romans 8:9+) and Who provides us with both the DESIRE and the POWER (cf Php 2:13NLT += "giving you the DESIRE to obey Him and the POWER") to walk in His Spirit and to not carry out the desire of the flesh (Gal 5:16). Our part, our responsibility under grace not law (Ro 6:14+), is to daily work out our "salvation with fear and trembling," making choices that are pleasing to God (Php 2:12+). Notice that even the DESIRE for such "holy" choices must be "energized" or enabled by the Spirit. Or to say it another way, every commandment of God includes the enablement by His Spirit. As Spurgeon said "Love is a practical thing; love without obedience is a mere pretense. True love shows itself by seeking to please the one who is loved. May God the Holy Spirit work in us perfect obedience to the commands of God, that we may prove that we really do love Him! The obedience which God’s children yield to Him must be loving obedience. Do not go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster’s toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is your Father’s way. Yield your bodies as instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is your Father’s will, and His will should be the will of His child." And as an aside, the best way to know God's will is to say "I will" to God.

In addition to His Spirit, the love of Christ compels (urges, impels) us (2 Cor 5:14+) to choose to obey His commands, "for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3+). And Oh what a reward Jesus promises us in John 14:21 declaring that "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose (manifest) Myself to him.” Adrian Rogers explains "disclose Himself to us" by asking "Aren't we talking about the manifest presence of God? Do you see how the Bible links the manifest presence of God with keeping the commandments of God? Because, when we disobey God, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30+); we quench the Holy Spirit (1Th 5:19+). The Holy Spirit of God is in us to make God real to us...Can you say: "And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own,  And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known?" Do you know why Jesus is not real to many of us? We're just not obeying His word. Do you want Him to manifest Himself to you? Would you like for Jesus to be real? There's no way apart from obedience!"

When we obey we partake of Jesus' promise that "If you keep My commandments, you will abide (dwell, live experientially) in My love." (Jn 15:10) "We must keep our Lord’s command if we would bask in His love. If we live in sin, we cannot live in the love of Christ. Without the holiness which pleases God, we cannot please Jesus. He who cares nothing for holiness knows nothing of the love of Jesus. Conscious enjoyment of our Lord’s love is a delicate thing. It is far more sensitive to sin and holiness than mercury is to cold and heat. When we are tender of heart and careful in thought, lip, and life to honor our Lord Jesus, then we receive tokens of His love without number. If we desire to perpetuate such bliss, we must perpetuate holiness. The Lord Jesus will not hide His face from us unless we hide our face from Him. Sin makes the cloud which darkens our Sun: if we will be watchfully obedient and completely consecrated, we may walk in the light, as God is in the light, and have as sure an abiding in the love of Jesus as Jesus has in the love of the Father. Here is a sweet promise with a solemn “if.” Lord, let me have this “if” in my hand; for as a key it opens this casket." (Spurgeon) Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey!

The highest motive for obeying Christ is to obey because we love Him. As Spurgeon said "Obedience must have love for its mother, nurse, and food. The essence of obedience lies in the hearty love which prompts the deed rather than in the deed itself." A working mother returned home one wintry day to discover the driveway cleared of snow, the rugs vacuumed, and the dishes washed and put away. This was far more effort than the list of chores had required. "What got into you?" the amazed mother asked her children. "We just wanted to show you we love you, Mom," was their answer. Obeying out of love takes the burden out of doing what God requires. And so we see that love and obedience are intimately intertwined -- Obedient love and loving obedience! As our obedience expresses our love for God, it enables us to experience His love for us.

I. Obedience proves our salvation

John begins by saying that "we know that we have come to know him" (1 John 2:3 NIV). John is saying that not only can we know God, but that we can know that we know God. In other words, we often know in our head, accepting facts about God and recognizing that we acted on such facts. But sometimes our heart doubts. John is saying that we can know in our hearts, too. And, one of those evidences or signs of knowing that we know God is that we obey his commandments.

Let me be very clear, John is not answering the question, "How does one become a Christian?" He is not saying that if you want to be saved or receive God's grace or know God, then you have to obey. He is saying, "Here's how you know that you know God: it's manifested in the way your live. It's manifested in your obedience." In other words, we know that we know God because we keep his commandments.

John is not teaching that salvation is conditional on obedience. John is teaching that salvation is evidenced by obedience. And, in turn, that obedience contributes to our assurance of salvation. Obedience is a sign that we know God, recognizing that God expects his people to live a certain way - His way.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Hosea complained that the people of Israel did not know God. "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1 NIV). How did he know this? He immediately confirmed this by saying, "There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery" (Hosea 4:2 NIV). What had the people done? Each of those actions was a violation of the Ten Commandments. Proof of our knowledge of God involves knowing his character and requirements and living in obedience to those requirements.

How do we know that we know God? The test is whether we keep his commandments. Do you obey God's Word? Is the Bible your final rule for faith and practice? Be careful how you answer for many people place a greater emphasis on traditions than on the teachings of the Bible. In addition, in our Christian culture today we have assigned the obligations of Christianity (like make disciples, go into all the world, give ten percent of our money) to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity (like experiencing God's comfort, receiving God's forgiveness, knowing God's guidance) for us all. Still others think that keeping a few commandments is enough. Remember, partial obedience is another name for disobedience.

The Nobel Prize-nominated Christian, Henry Shafer, who is a famous chemist who teaches at the University of Georgia, tells the story of how he came to reject Christianity. He had been raised in a nominally Christian home, attending a mainline Presbyterian church, and one day in the midst of a discussion in the kitchen, he made a point to his father about an ethical question by saying, "Look, Dad, the Bible says such and such." And his dad responded by saying, "I know what the Bible says. It's wrong."  Henry Shafer said, at that moment he decided that Christianity must be bunk, because his dad claimed to be a Christian and yet rejected the teachings of the Bible. In God's mercy, God did a work of grace in Henry Shafer's heart and brought him to saving faith in Christ later on. And then, he realized that it wasn't that Christianity was bunk. It was that his father's profession of faith was bunk. You see, if you believe the Living God, you will believe his word; you will trust his word; you will acknowledge it as your final rule of faith and practice. You'll not just do it in the abstract; you'll do it where it hurts; you'll do it even when it's hard to obey.  

II. Obedience transforms our lives

By way of contrast, in verse four, John restated verse three with a warning: "The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4 NIV). His point is: If you claim to know God but your life is not changed by knowing him, then that is a certain sign that you don't know God. He is not saying that the truth is in one's head and has not made it to their hearts, like we try to do, letting people off the hook. He is saying that the person who does not keep God's commands does not have the truth at all. Why? Because the truth of God turns our lives upside down. It changes us. It transforms us. Once you have the truth it fills you with a fire in your belly and a love for the living God; it changes everything. God's truth always leads to love; it always leads to obedience; it always leads to a transformed life. So, when that transformed life is not present, you can be certain that the person has never had the truth; he or she has never known God.

This reality is all throughout Scripture, just said in a variety of ways. In Romans 5 Paul says, "Grace always reigns in righteousness." In Ephesians 2 Paul says, "Salvation always leads to obedience." In Romans 8 Paul says, "Justification is always accompanied by sanctification." In James 2 James says, "Faith always shows itself in works." Here in 1 John 2 John is saying the same thing: Truth always expresses itself in transformation.

III. Obedience springs from our love

John continued, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him" (1 John 2:5 NIV). In this verse John broadens the scope from "obey his commands" to "obeys his word." But it is second half of the verse that arrests my attention, "God's love is truly made complete in him." John seems to be saying that our love for God is a reflection of God's love for us and a response to it, so that our keeping of God's word could be a sign that God's love had done its full work in us. Made complete means that the believer's love is entire and mature.

Here John addresses motive. In essence, he is communicating that we know that we know God when we love to do what he commands.

Three motives for obedience exist: We can obey because we have to; we can obey because we need to; or we can obey because we want to. A slave obeys because he has to. If he doesn't obey he will be punished. An employee obeys because he needs to. He may not enjoy his work, but he enjoys getting his paycheck. He needs to obey because he has a family to feed and to clothe. But a believer obeys God's word because he wants to - for the relationship between him and God is one of love. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15 NIV).

I read of a housekeeper that went to work for a bachelor. Each day when the man would leave for work, he would leave a list of projects for the housekeeper to complete. In time, the two fell in love and became married. Upon arriving at work, following their wedding, his buddies asked if he left her the list. He said, "No." "Well," they said, "she will watch television all day and do nothing." The newlywed replied, "No. She will do all those tasks and more, not because she has to but because she wants. She will do it for love."

True love for God is expressed in moral obedience. We keep the commandments because of our love for God. When we comprehend what Jesus did for us by sacrificing himself on the cross, our response is to love him and to obey him. Love delights to do God's will because it understands the cost and sacrifice of that love. Jesus loved to do God's will, did he not? And, if we are like Jesus, then we will love to do God's will as well. If we love God, we will keep his commands and that obedience will in turn evidence our true love to God.

IV. Obedience characterizes our walk

In 1 John 2:1, John called, "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One". Then, John wrote, "This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:5-6 NIV). John employs another expression of being a Christian: in him. The phrase is synonymous with "live [literally, abide] in him." It implies a living relationship of the deepest and closest sorts with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship issues forth, not in passivity and indifference and inattention to duty, but in activity and commitment and love for God's will, imitating Christ's way of living.

In other words, if someone said to the apostle John, "I know Christ." John would reply, "Good. But, if you're in him, abiding in Christ, then you are walking like Christ, living like Christ." And, how did Christ live? He lived in obedience to the Father.  

Here's the question for you: Would people know that you are a believer by the way you live? Do you walk as Jesus walked?

You have heard the quip: "Actions speak louder than words." That's exactly what John is saying. Do our actions show that we are living in Christ? When I was a teenager a question circulated: If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Great saints of old evidenced their faith by their lives. Robert Chapman, a Brethren, set before himself this great aim. He said: "Seeing so many preach Christ, and so few live Christ, I will aim to live Christ." John Nelson Darby said of Robert Chapman: "He lives what I teach." William Arnott was a great preacher of the past. A friend of his said: "His preaching was good, his writing was better, but his life was best of all." One who only spent a night in the presence of the great Murray M'Cheyne said: "Oh, that is the most Jesus-like man I ever saw!"

What will people say of you when you're dead and gone? What will they say of me?

R.W. DeHann wrote of a missionary who, shortly after arriving on the field, was speaking for the first time to a group of villagers. He was trying to present the gospel to them. He began by describing Jesus, referring to him as a man who was compassionate and kind, loving, caring, one who went about doing good works towards all men. When he was speaking, he noticed that his lesson brought smiles of familiarity to the faces of his audience, and some of them nodded their heads to one another in agreement. He was somewhat puzzled, and he interrupted his message to ask: "Do you know who I'm talking about?" One of the villagers quickly responded: "Yes, we do. You're talking about a man who used to come here." Eagerly they told about a missionary doctor who came to their remote village to minister to their physical needs, and his life was so like Christ in caring for those people that they saw Jesus in him. He walked like Jesus walked.

Are you living in Christ? If you're resting in Jesus Christ, if you've found him to be the source of every spiritual blessing, you're trusting in him for salvation; you're fellowshipping with him in grace; then your whole life will have been changed.  You see, everyone who is united with Christ expresses that union with Christ by living like Christ, by walking as he walked.  

For example, Proverbs 8:32, 35 states, “blessed are they that keep my ways... for whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.” In this case, being blessed is connected to obtaining favor of the Lord.5 Proverbs 29:18similarly states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” In this verse, the word “vision” could also be translated as “revelation” implying that revelation constitutes a portion of the promised blessings for keeping the commandments.6

Doctrinal Mastery Mosiah 2:41 Infographic by Book of Mormon Central

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King Benjamin stated that those who keep the commandments will be “blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual” (Mosiah 2:41). Yet, immediately after this glowing pronouncement, he clarified that only those who “hold out faithful to the end,” will be able to dwell with God in a “state of never-ending happiness” (v. 41). If being blessed in all things meant never having problems, there would be no question about whether a person could “hold out faithful to the end.”7This suggests that being blessed in all temporal and spiritual things does not mean that life will be perfect, but rather that God can bless us with happiness and other blessings, even when things are not going well.

This is supported by what immediately follows this statement.8In Mosiah 3:1–9, Benjamin spoke about the coming of Christ, and stated that He would, “suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people” (Mosiah 3:7).9 Even though Christ would keep the commandments better than anyone else ever had, He would still face greater pain than anyone else had ever known.10 This shows that being blessed by God does not mean having a perfect life.11

Doctrine and Application

Relying on the Savior, who suffered unimaginably despite His sinlessness, is what allows us to cope with the struggles of life. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that “Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!” This is because “the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”12

As we faithfully focus on Christ, blessings and happiness immediately flow into our lives, not necessarily in absence of our mortal trials but in spite of them. Thus King Benjamin’s teaching to “hold out faithful to the end” does not simply mean to wait out the storms of life. It means to cheerfully and joyfully push through them. As expressed in Proverbs, this blessing of joy can be associated with revelation and divine favor. It flows into us through the power of the Holy Ghost, as we envision and experience the Savior’s infinite Atonement and as we place faith in both the immediate and eternal blessings that come from it.

Keeping the commandments always brings happiness and blessings from the Lord, but at times, we sometimes have to wait longer than we might like for these blessings. King Benjamin reminds us that after enduring faithfully to the end, we can receive happiness in the presence of God (Mosiah 2:41), and this time, it will be never-ending.13

Christ certainly received happiness and blessings from the Lord because He kept the commandments, but He also faced periods of crushing pain and grief. He can give us the courage to keep the commandments, regardless of the consequences we might face. His life reminds us what we can achieve. Because He was faithful to the end, He currently enjoys the glorious presence of God. The same is true for all of us.

Obeying God, knowing that He will eventually bless us, takes immense faith. However, as David A. Bednar put it,

Faith as the evidence of things not seen looks to the past and confirms our trust in God and our confidence in the truthfulness of things not seen. We stepped into the darkness with assurance and hope, and we received evidence and confirmation as the light in fact moved and provided the illumination we needed. The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6) is evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance.14

• God will love us and reveal Himself to us.
  

  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

• God will dwell with us.
  

  “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

• We will abide in God’s love and our joy will be full.
  

  “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:10–11).

• We will know that we know and love God.
  

  “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. . . . Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (I John 2:3, 5). “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

• We will show love to God’s children.
  

  “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” (I John 5:2).

• We will be friends of Christ.
  

  “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you”(John 15:14).

• Our prayers will be answered.
  

  “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John 3:22).

• We will be disciples.
  

  “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35).

 There are three elements common to each of these concise summaries. We know that we are born of God when we: 1) believe in Jesus Christ, 2) love one another, and 3) keep his commandments. We want, in this article, to consider what it means to be “keeping” the commands of God.

No One Keeps God’s Commands

The Bible teaches, from cover to cover, that no person is able to keep the commandments of God perfectly. This is, in fact, one of the chief purposes of the extensive Mosaic law that we find in the Old Testament: it reveals to us our sinfulness and guilt before a holy, wholly good God (Romans 7:7-9; Galatians 3:24). None of us meet God’s unbending standard of complete obedience.

The apostle John himself begins his first epistle with an acute awareness of the universality of sin: “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). This is the same John who, just a few verses before, insisted that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). So John himself intends for us to be confronted with our impurity before a pure God and with our imperfection before a perfect God. He will use this truth to drive home the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation: “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). This is why faith in Christ is the first criterion for assurance of our salvation, as we see in John’s summaries above.

Clearly, then, John does not contradict himself later in this same epistle, when he repeatedly lists “keeping God’s commands” as also being a mark of God’s children. What can John possibly mean?

John is informing us, in no uncertain terms, that trusting in Christ’s righteousness for salvation will necessarily lead to reflecting Christ’s righteousness in our daily lives. We cannot embrace Christ without letting go of the wholehearted pursuit of sin that once characterized our lives.

Loving God Means Loving His Commands

It is impossible to have a genuine affection for God, who is holy, and not strive to be holy like him. To desire God is to desire holiness; to love God is to love his perfect goodness. And if we truly love his goodness, then we will seek to be good ourselves: “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).

The untransformed profession of faith is a lie. These may seem like hard words from the apostle John, but they are actually useful words. The willful sinner who claims to be embracing Christ by faith, but without repentance, is deceiving himself. John is arming us against self-deception. John is forcing each of us to consider the implications of professing to be a Christian. We cannot love God, who is good, and still wholeheartedly embrace the sin that God hates. Genuine love for God means loving his commandments, which are a reflection of his character.

It is the one who is pursuing godliness—who is concerned about keeping God’s commandments—who is walking with God and has God abiding in him. To love God is to love his commandments also: “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). As John writes in his second epistle: “this is love, that we walk according to his commandments” (2 John 6). True obedience, he would have us know, is much more than an outward observation of certain rules; true obedience is embracing the “rightness” of what God has commanded and therefore loving his commands. It means loving how right God’s law is, even when we see ourselves stray from it.

Obeying God Begins With Believing on Jesus

It is striking and revealing that John refers to “love” over twenty-five times in his epistles. As we’ve already seen, when John speaks of obedience to God’s commands, even, he speaks in terms of loving the commandments of God. John wants us to know that God cares about our affections.

God is concerned about, not just what we profess with our lips, but what—or whom—we embrace with our hearts. This is why John insists throughout his first epistle that to love God is also to love Jesus as God’s way of salvation:

• “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” (1 John 3:23).
• “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23).
• “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).
• “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” (1 John 5:1).

Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and any action—even a seemingly good or righteous one—is a sin, if it is not flowing out of faith (Romans 14:23). Thus, there is no way to love or obey God while ignoring what God says about sin, about salvation, and about his Son Jesus Christ.

The apostle John says that to profess love for God, and to be walking in unrepentant sin, is to live a lie. Yet, even as we evaluate our walk and our own heart, John also teaches us to look to Christ as the ultimate expression of obeying God’s commands. How will we succeed as Christians? Not by steeling our wills, but by submitting to God in Christ. This is what real salvation, real and lasting victory, looks like:

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).

Those who love God desire to overcome sin. And the only way to overcome sin is through faith in Jesus Christ.

What the Bible says about Keeping Commandments

Genesis 3:5

The Devil asserted that by taking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, human eyes would be opened—implying wisdom and enlightenment—to allow a person to know good and evil as God does. Immediately, Satan places the emphasis on knowing, but it is contrasted with living eternally. Satan proposes that mankind should be like God in taking to himself the knowledge—the definition—of what is right and wrong, asserting that this is a good thing! In contrast, the Tree of Life represents a way of living in which the meaning of good and evil already exists, and eternal life involves submitting through the Holy Spirit to that definition and the Sovereign who is its source.

Likewise, the Gnostics are those who know—who pursue mystical knowledge that they believe holds the key to eternal life through advancing beyond the physical and into the spiritual realm. Gnostics believed the key to eternal life was contained in right interpretation—knowledge—of those esoteric sayings.

The book of Revelation expounds on the Tree of Life in two places:

· To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

· Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into [New Jerusalem]. (Revelation 22:14)

The Tree of Life, then, is associated with a way of life—one that requires overcoming (growth against a standard of righteousness) and keeping (doing) God's commandments. The only ones who are allowed to partake of the Tree of Life are those who have changed themselves (with God's help, by His Spirit) to begin living in the same manner as He does. To those who submit to His standard of righteousness, then, He grants life that is both endless and of the same quality that He enjoys.

Satan, though, in addition to casting doubt on what God plainly says, and implying that God is unfair by withholding good things, offers a shortcut. He says, "You do not need to follow God's way, for it is obviously unfair and far too stringent. You can follow your own way. You can take knowledge to yourself of what is good and what is evil. You can be just like God in determining what is right and wrong." Adam and Eve took the bait, and ever since, man has rejected God's standard of righteousness in favor of his own.

This heresy is easily seen in the antinomianism (literally, "against law") of the Gnostics, who may not have been against every law, but were certainly against any law that impinged upon their standard of conduct. Thus the ascetic Gnostics who grieved the Christians in Colossae held to manmade regulations of "do not touch, do not taste, do not handle" (Colossians 2:20-21), while rejecting the command to "rejoice" with food and drink during the God-ordained festivals. Similarly, mainstream Christianity will (rightly) use portions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy to point out God's abhorrence of abortion and homosexuality, but will claim that the same law is "done away" when it comes to the Sabbath and holy days. They have taken to themselves the knowledge of what is good and what is evil, establishing their own standard of righteousness.

A core issue of the Bible is whether we submit to God's governance or try to form a government based on our own perception of what is good or what works. God's way results in eternal life, but it comes with the obligation to submit ourselves to God. It requires keeping all of His commandments and overcoming our human weaknesses that do not rise to that standard. Satan, conversely, seeks to persuade us to do our own thing and to usurp God's prerogative in defining right living. He encourages us to be enlightened, to have our eyes opened, by doubting God and rejecting His way.

Some try to deny His plain, simple statement by interpreting the verse to mean the law was not abolished until Jesus came and fulfilled it. They then interpret "fulfill" as "bringing to an end," "superseding" or some other synonym for "abolishing." In essence they have Jesus saying, "I did not come to abolish the law, but to abolish it."

Jesus, on the other hand, said heaven and earth would disappear before the smallest part of the law would do so (Matthew 5:18). He said the law would continue until everything is accomplished. Because the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies of Christ's second coming is yet to occur (the prophecies have not yet been accomplished), we know the law has not ceased to exist.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus was speaking to people who believed in keeping all of the Ten Commandments. He reaffirmed the necessity for all who come to Him to do likewise. In Matthew chapters 5-7 Jesus explained how God intended for the Ten Commandments to be kept. By giving this explanation and exemplifying it in His life, He was fulfilling a prophecy about Himself from Isaiah 42:21: "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law and make it honorable" (King James Version).

The word fulfill in Matthew 5:17 means "fill up," "make full," "fill to the full" or "complete." Jesus came to magnify, or fill completely full, the meaning of God's law. Jesus' teaching that a man who lusts after a woman has already committed adultery in his mind represented Jesus' magnification of all of the Ten Commandments. He explained the full meaning—the spiritual intent—of the commandments. He showed that He expects more than just a legalistic, letter-of-the-law approach; He also expects a submissive, yielded mind focused on love for God and love for our fellow man.

Jesus further clarifies: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19).

Clearly, fulfill does not mean "abolish"!

Another common misunderstanding is that the New Testament Church came to believe that it is not necessary to follow Christ's example of obeying the law. But His apostles, who were personally taught by Him, certainly did not agree with this idea.

The apostle John said: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6).

Even the apostle Paul, who is most often cited by those attempting to do away with God's law, himself refuted this erroneous idea, saying, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Far from condemning the law, Paul said, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12) and, "I delight in the law of God" (Romans 7:22). Indeed, he said that "keeping the commandments of God is what matters" (1 Corinthians 7:19).

We must avoid reading our own ideas into the Bible. Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, our Savior warned against trusting our own ideas instead of the laws of God: "'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men ... All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:6-9).

We, too, must be sure we follow Christ's example instead of our own ideas!