Obedience

[VCO]

I think just about everybody here would say that Jesus is "the answer." Does that mean we need to do what he told us to do? Why WOULDN'T we want to do what he told us to do? Is it all that difficult? If we find ourselves struggling to obey those commandments, should we give up?

Here is my understanding of where OBEDIENCE correlates with a genuine Christian's Walk in Christ.

First of all it has nothing to do with earning Salvation, because Salvation happens to a genuine Believer the very moment he or she Believes in his or her heart. That means before we can take our first step in Obedience to our LORD, Salvation was a done deal:

Romans 5:8-11 (NASB)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
[SUP]9 [/SUP] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
[SUP]11 [/SUP] And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.


The most important thing that happens to the genuine Believer as genuine FAITH arrives, is the Holy Spirit enters one's heart, birthing one's human spirit into eternal life, and what most Bible Teachers overlook; HE, the Holy Spirit, pours GOD's LOVE directly into our hearts.


Romans 5:5 (HCSB)
5 This hope will not disappoint ⌊us⌋, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.


There is what drives our genuine desire to OBEY HIM, it is GOD's LOVE being in our hearts that produces that Desire to Obey out of pure LOVE FOR HIM. We want to submit and surrender to Jesus Christ as LORD, meaning MASTER; because of GOD's love being in our heart. We do not get to pat ourselves on the back for any of it, because it is all because of what the Holy Spirit did in our hearts. It is not a question of will we obey, if GOD's Love truly dwells in our hearts, it is a given that we WILL obey because we LOVE HIM. An obedient modern day Pharisee obeys only because he thinks he HAS TOO. While an obedient Born Again Christian WILL OBEY because he LOVES the LORD, which spawns out of GOD's LOVE genuinely being in our hearts.


John 14:15 (HCSB)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.


John 14:21 (HCSB)
[SUP]21 [/SUP] The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

 

[Tinkerbell725]

We don't always understand the purpose for the the Lord's commandments. We still need to obey them.

Perfect law, perfect love.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Whoa, here little Lady.... If a person is not having to struggle to obey/live up to His standards than they should consider themselves perfect, not a good thing.

As for me, like Paul, I struggle everyday to follow His teachings. Because of this struggle, am I weak in faith or have spirititual dryness? NO! just the opposite. Many years in the past, I turned away from this struggle to the point of not even opening the Bible. While I believed in Jesus Christ, I did not follow to the letter His teachings but rather followed my fleshly yearnings and lifestyle.

Yet, the Holy Spirit remained with me, quietly waiting until the right time to take my name down from the shelf and call upon (urge) me to again pick up the Bible and follow His teachings. In another post somewhere on this forum, I explained the events that lead me back from what I call 'Spiritiual Limbo'. Hence I am writing this post and others as needed.

Did I lose my Faith,,,,NO, not at any time. Can one have a weak faith where you maybe today believe or NOT believe. Maybe you only believe parts of God's WORDs. I am not sure, but I think you either have Faith that Jesus Christ Died on the Cross for your sins or you do not.

Having said that, Obedience is a horse of a different color. Failure to follow His teachings for any human is very easy. In other words, to follow His teachings one must struggle daily or risk falling away spiritually.

Struggle but obey anyway and by God's grace, you will learn to obey without struggling anymore. I'm not perfect but I believe that obedience is the fruit of faith and love for God. The meaning of holiness is being happy in God that any form of sin is no longer attractive, appealing or enticing.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. Matt 5:17 RSV

Remember that GOD gave dominion of the earth to man and he told man that the day he was disobedient to HIS WORD,sin would enter the world followed by death and man eventually DID be disobedient and sin DID enter the world and death follows.

GOD Is righteous and would not have a relationship with man In that condition,all It took was one sin and man was lost,the only way for man to be right with GOD was to keep GOD's perfect standard of righteousness(the law)perfectly and man could not do this because of the weakness of the flesh.

That's why he sent HIS WORD to earth to become a man In the flesh.Fully GOD according to the SPIRIT and fully man according to the flesh.

So then JESUS as a man according to the flesh fulfilled the law perfectly and the Spirit was willing and the flesh was not weak and JESUS took back the power on earth that GOD righteously gave to man and gave us grace the righteous way,making a way for man again by grace and we have access to this grace through faith.
amen.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

We don't always understand the purpose for the the Lord's commandments. We still need to obey them.

Perfect law, perfect love.

Yes,GOD loves righteousness.

 

[Crustyone]

Because, its heresy. The very definition of heresy. The denial of the Christian understanding of the nature of God as The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God in three Persons has always been considered heresy. That's just the way it is.

No, it hasn't always been that way. For 300 years after Christs crucifixion, no one mentioned a Trinity, other than in idol gods.

 

[Crustyone]

I find that Romans chapter seven gives a good account of why we sin and the war within ourselves.

 

[FreeNChrist]

No, it hasn't always been that way. For 300 years after Christs crucifixion, no one mentioned a Trinity, other than in idol gods.

The knowledge that God is triune in nature was known right from the very beginning of Christianity. As evidenced by Paul's doxology referring to God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It was the belief of Christians long before the doctrine that explains it was hammered out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Bladerunner]

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

A person is not under the law if they are led by the Spirit,but every time a person is engaged in sin,they are back under the law.Hold unto sin you are under the law.

A Spirit led life will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh,which a person would be tempted,but they would not carry it out,which a Spirit led life can abstain from sin,and will show the characteristics of the Spirit,and not the flesh,therefore they are not under the law,which means the law cannot touch them for prosecution.

Hey JesusRules1...... these passages are talking to the Galatian church members who had (at a prior time and prior teachings of Paul) accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior or "Walked in the Spirit". Faith is by all definitions NOT a tangible item that one can pickup and carry away. Faith is Spiritual in nature.

Having said that: These members over time as seen in Galatians 1-6, become apostic to the point of placing 'Works instead of' OR 'Works in Addition of'.....ones Faith in the Grace of Jesus Christ.

What Galatians tells them and us is that if you are going to throw away your salvation by following the "other Gospel" then you will be considered under the laws of Moses and not the Grace of Jesus Christ even if you were already saved prior to this reversal (Galations 5:1-6).

Definition of by the Laws means that one has to Pass or Not Break any one law within a set of around 366 laws. Breaking just one will condemn you to hell. In contrast, The grace of Jesus Christ where He died for your sins as in: "I have sinned, I am Sinning and I will sin".

to speak outwardly, there are LGBTXXXYXYXYXYXs that will tell you they were saved once and still are. NOT SO? They are following the "other Gospel" and thus are subject to the Laws of Moses, all of them. One of the laws specifically prohibits this behavior.

To be frank here, if they were saved at one time, they have "Fallen out of Grace".

I hope this helps you into trying to make the apparent decisions you are trying to make. God's speed my friend.

 

[BillG]

Obey the Lord and you'll do fine.

No bible verses that Adam & Eve repented

 

[lizzie1]

Obedience to God proves our love for Him (1 John 5:2-3), demonstrates our faithfulness to Him (1 John 2:3-6), glorifies Him in the world (1 Peter 2:12), and opens avenues of blessing for us (John 13:17).

Faith is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and if our faith is genuine and true, we will live a lifestyle characterized by righteousness, modeling the example set for us by Jesus Christ. We obey His commands, not because we have to, but because we want to, because we love Him. We are enabled to obey because, once we believe in Christ and are saved, we are remade. We are not the same people we once were. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

When we obey the Lord, we can live a life of joy, without shame, rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Our obedience is actually part of our assurance that we truly know God (1 John 2:3).

When God’s children obey their Heavenly Father, He is glorified. Jesus told us that the plan is for others to “see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Of course, performing “good deeds” requires obedience to the One who calls us to good deeds. A Christian’s testimony of holiness is a strong witness that God is at work in the world.

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him” (Psalm 128:1). The Bible often tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. James 1:22-25 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. . . . 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.” See also Psalm 119:1-2.

God is gracious. If we haven’t been living for Him, if we haven’t been following His commandments, if we’ve been living in and for the world, we can be transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can ask God for forgiveness, and He will give it. And He will choose to forget the sin, just as if we had never committed it in the first place. God is glorified when He extends forgiveness, because it is written, “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. . . . Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17).

 

[Desertsrose]

No bible verses that Adam & Eve repented

I'm sure they did. Genesis 4:25,26

Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.

Also scholars believe that when God made animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve, that's when God began the sacrifice for sin.

 

[VCO]

No, it hasn't always been that way. For 300 years after Christs crucifixion, no one mentioned a Trinity, other than in idol gods.

There is a lot of Christians who would disagree with that statement.

. . . The following quotes show that the doctrine of the Trinity was indeed alive-and-well before the Council of Nicea:

Polycarp (70-155/160). Bishop of Smyrna. Disciple of John the Apostle.
"O Lord God almighty . . . I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the Holy Spirit, both now and forever" (n. 14, ed. Funk; PG 5.1040).
Justin Martyr (100?-165?). He was a Christian apologist and martyr.
"For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water" (First Apol., LXI).
Ignatius of Antioch (died 98/117). Bishop of Antioch. He wrote much in defense of Christianity.
"In Christ Jesus our Lord, by whom and with whom be glory and power to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever" (n. 7; PG 5.988).
"We have also as a Physician the Lord our God Jesus the Christ the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For ‘the Word was made flesh.' Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible, He was in a passable body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption, and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with ungodliness and wicked lusts." (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 1, p. 52, Ephesians 7.)
Irenaeus (115-190). As a boy he listened to Polycarp, the disciple of John. He became Bishop of Lyons.
"The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: . . . one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father ‘to gather all things in one,' and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, ‘every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess; to him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all . . . '" (Against Heresies X.l)
Tertullian (160-215). African apologist and theologian. He wrote much in defense of Christianity.
"We define that there are two, the Father and the Son, and three with the Holy Spirit, and this number is made by the pattern of salvation . . . [which] brings about unity in trinity, interrelating the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are three, not in dignity, but in degree, not in substance but in form, not in power but in kind. They are of one substance and power, because there is one God from whom these degrees, forms and kinds devolve in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Adv. Prax. 23; PL 2.156-7).
Origen (185-254). Alexandrian theologian. Defended Christianity and wrote much about Christianity.
"If anyone would say that the Word of God or the Wisdom of God had a beginning, let him beware lest he direct his impiety rather against the unbegotten Father, since he denies that he was always Father, and that he has always begotten the Word, and that he always had wisdom in all previous times or ages or whatever can be imagined in priority . . . There can be no more ancient title of almighty God than that of Father, and it is through the Son that he is Father" (De Princ. 1.2.; PG 11.132).
"For if [the Holy Spirit were not eternally as He is, and had received knowledge at some time and then became the Holy Spirit] this were the case, the Holy Spirit would never be reckoned in the unity of the Trinity, i.e., along with the unchangeable Father and His Son, unless He had always been the Holy Spirit." (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 4, p. 253, de Principiis, 1.111.4)
"Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all things which are worthy of sanctification . . . " (Roberts and Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4, p. 255, de Principii., I. iii. 7).
Conclusion

If, as the anti-Trinitarians maintain, the Trinity is not a biblical doctrine and was never taught until the council of Nicea in 325, then why do these quotes exist? The answer is simple: the Trinity is a biblical doctrine, and it was taught before the council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
Part of the reason that the Trinity doctrine was not "officially" taught until the time of the Council of Nicea is that Christianity was illegal until shortly before the council. It wasn't really possible for official Christian groups to meet and discuss doctrine. For the most part, they were fearful of making public pronouncements concerning their faith.
. . .
https://carm.org/early-trinitarian-quotes

Is this also not a TRINITARIAN QUOTE?:

Colossians 1:16-22 (NCV)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him.
[SUP]18 [/SUP] He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place.
[SUP]19 [/SUP] God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ.
[SUP]20 [/SUP] And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.
[SUP]21 [/SUP] At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God.
[SUP]22 [/SUP] But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.

AND THIS?:

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV)
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

AND THIS?:

John 8:58-59 (ESV)
[SUP]58 [/SUP] Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
[SUP]59 [/SUP] So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

AND THIS?:

John 10:30-31 (NKJV)
[SUP]30 [/SUP] "I and My Father are one."
[SUP]31 [/SUP] Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

AND THIS?:

Philippians 2:5-7 (NKJV)
[SUP]5 [/SUP] Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
[SUP]6 [/SUP] who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
[SUP]7 [/SUP] but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

AND THIS?:

John 1:1 & 14 (NKJV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
&
[SUP]14 [/SUP] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

[VCO]

You might only refrain from it because you were commanded not to do it. And I might not do it because I wouldn't want to hurt my Father.

You missed two Willie. Many might not do the wrong, because they do not want a SPANKING, and some of us do not do what HE commanded us NOT TO DO, simply because we LOVE HIM.


Hebrews 12:6-8 (HCSB)
[SUP]6 [/SUP] for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives.
[SUP]7 [/SUP] Endure ⌊suffering⌋ as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
[SUP]8 [/SUP] But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons.


John 14:21 (HCSB)
[SUP]21[/SUP] The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”


1 John 5:3 (HCSB)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden,

 

[resurrection33]

No bible verses that Adam & Eve repented

Well, the Bible can't tell you everything that happened to every human being that ever lived. We have the choice of repenting or spending eternity in hell. Which would YOU prefer?

 

[Grace777x70]

Repenting means to rely on/trust in/believe in what Christ has already done in the gospel. We should be constantly repenting as we learn new truths of what our Lord has done for us on the cross and resurrection. The knowing of Him produces His fruit on us the branches which reflects in an exchanged life.

That is the obedience of the faith. Faith in all that Christ has accomplished for us. The just shall live by faith.

 

[samuel23]

I never use the word trinity because it is not a biblical word. The bible speaks of God the Father as an individual and Jesus the Son of God, the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of the Father and also the Spirit of Christ. Also, Jesus spoke of the Spirit who was to come as a He, one who had a mind of His own in the sense that He would not speak of Himself but would only what He heard. Actually much of God is a mystery, we are shown some things, but certainly not all things.

 

[VCO]

Yes,GOD loves righteousness.

More importantly God loved us sinners so much HE willingly born the penalty for our sin HIMSELF on the Cross and died for us.

John 3:16-18 (NKJV)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
[SUP]17 [/SUP] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
[SUP]18 [/SUP] He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (ASV)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Romans 5:8-11 (NKJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
[SUP]9 [/SUP] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
[SUP]10 [/SUP] For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
[SUP]11 [/SUP] And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.


Kinda blows that whole false theory "that we earn part of our Salvation" clean out of the water, doesn't it.

 

[VCO]

I never use the word trinity because it is not a biblical word. The bible speaks of God the Father as an individual and Jesus the Son of God, the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of the Father and also the Spirit of Christ. Also, Jesus spoke of the Spirit who was to come as a He, one who had a mind of His own in the sense that He would not speak of Himself but would only what He heard. Actually much of God is a mystery, we are shown some things, but certainly not all things.

THEN you had better get rid of your, computer, your car, your TV, your wrist watch, and everything else you cannot find in the Bible too. Adam was chosen by GOD to name everything, and mankind has been naming things NOT named in the Bible every since. SO WHAT IF THE TITLE TRINITY WAS NOT NAMED BEFORE THE BIBLE WAS FINISHED. HIS TRIUNE NATURE certainly was described in the BIBLE, so we gave it a NAME, just like Adam named the animals.

Your non-biblical theory for not using the word trinity, holds no water, just like this Bucket:

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name [SINGULAR] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


THERE IS THE DESCRIPTION of the TRIUNE SINGULAR DEITY WE CALL GOD, Trinity for short.

Oh, that reminds me YOU HAD BETTER NOT BE USING A NICKNAME EITHER,
according to your THEORY.

 

[VCO]

Repenting means to rely on/trust in/believe in what Christ has already done in the gospel. We should be constantly repenting as we learn new truths of what our Lord has done for us on the cross and resurrection. The knowing of Him produces His fruit on us the branches which reflects in an exchanged life.

That is the obedience of the faith. Faith in all that Christ has accomplished for us. The just shall live by faith.

Now that is not what repenting means. That may be a good definition for Saving Faith, but actually Repenting means to admit to God it is sin, and TURN BACK to walking HIS way. Sin is walking away from GOD, and repenting is turning back towards GOD.

REPENTANCEChange of mind; also can refer to regret or remorse accompanying a realization that wrong has been done or to any shift or reversal of thought. In its biblical sense repentance refers to a deeply seated and thorough turning from self to God. It occurs when a radical turning to God takes place, an experience in which God is recognized as the most important fact of one’s existence.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.