Obedience

[BillG]

“You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" Luke 18:20 RSV

Bear in mind who Jesus is talking to here.

Luke 18:18-23
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”


So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

He was talking to a man who claimed to have kept all the commandments.

To me there is no way he could have done because he put his money before God. Therefore money was his idol.

Here is what Jesus said about the commandments

Matthew 22:34-40
The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?
But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”


Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

We need to remember that commandments were given to Israel under the Old Covenant.

That being said it does not negate us under the New Covenant from loving God with all we have and loving our neighbours.

 

[BillG]

Adultery isn't just the activity. One doesn't have to engage physically in adultery in order to be an adulterer.

Matthew 5:27
Adultery in the Heart
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

Sorry I reposted as I missed out verse 28

 

[BillG]

What is intersting is that when people talk about the commandments they focus on the 10 commandments.

When I lead a midweek group I did a study. The study wasn't on the commandments as we default to.

Jesus actually gave us commandments as believers. This was the 1st one I sent out. Sorry it's a bit long. I won't be offended if you don't read it.
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If I were asked the question "How many commandments did Jesus give" I would have said 1 and that is


John 13:34-35 (New Living Translation (NLT)


34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.


35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”"


Jesus also said


Mark 12:30-31


30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’


31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”"


And in Galatians we read


Galatians 5:14


For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”"


There is a common thread here and that is love, loving each other as God and Jesus loves us.
When we do that the world will see we are his and the law is fulfilled in us because Jesus fulfilled the law and he is in us.




If you google "commandments of Jesus" you would find that there are in fact 38-50 commandments that Jesus gave (depending on which website you go on)


I thought it would be good to look at them over the coming weeks in my e-mails.


Before we do though I just want to look at a verse that I think is commonly read the wrong way and has been used in a legalistic way. The way that I have read it for most of my Christian life.


John 14:15-16 (ESV)
"Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.


16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,"


Some versions of the bible leave out "you will" so now we have "if you love me keep my commandments"


If you have read that version then it sounds like a threat. If you don't keep my commandments then you don't love me. If that is the case then why did Jesus say what he did in v16?


Why on earth would Jesus promise our helper the Holy Spirit? I think it's because we do love Jesus and as a result we will want to keep his commandments but he knows that we will need the Holy Spirit in order for us to do so. We can't do it in our own strength and he knows that.


Do we know that we can't keep His commandments in our own strength? If not, then we place ourselves under the law and try to add to what Jesus has already done. We cannot add anything more to what Jesus has done and to try to do so is to say his sacrifice was not enough. That was the problem of some of the early churches.


My friends, if this week we get it wrong does that mean we don't love Jesus? I don't think so, it means we are human but we want to keep his commandments because we love him and that is why he gave us the Holy Spirit. Remember this week that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.


During the week let's pray for each other that we would continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have wisdom to rely on Him in all circumstances so we can love Jesus and bless others for God's
glory.

 

[Bladerunner]

Obedience is a way of life for people who have strong faith. Struggling to obey is a sign of weakening faith and spiritual dryness but we should never give up for power is perfected in weakness.

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.

 

[resurrection33]

Adultery isn't just the activity. One doesn't have to engage physically in adultery in order to be an adulterer.

Matthew 5:27
Adultery in the Heart
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

Yes, Jesus said this:

But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matt 5:28 RSV

 

[resurrection33]

I'm a Christian and Christians are not under the Law.

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

 

[resurrection33]

I do. But I am not alone in that, as BillG just showed.

Please share .

 

[BillG]

Yes I did repost as I missed out v28 by accident.

 

[FreeNChrist]

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

Abolished or not, it has been fulfilled and Christians are not under it.

 

[FreeNChrist]

Please share .

BillG already did.

 

[JesusRules1]

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.

 

[FreeNChrist]

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.

You're making this up as you go along, arentcha?

 

[resurrection33]

Abolished or not, it has been fulfilled and Christians are not under it.

When we sin, trouble enters our lives. Why sin?

 

[resurrection33]

BillG already did.

He quoted a Bible verse. I already have a Bible.

 

[FreeNChrist]

When we sin, trouble enters our lives. Why sin?

Good question, why do you sin?

 

[FreeNChrist]

He quoted a Bible verse. I already have a Bible.

He corrected you with a Bible verse.

 

[BillG]

When we sin, trouble enters our lives. Why sin?

Harder to answer than ask.

As you say "Why sin"

I am assuming that by sin you mean things that manifest in the flesh, like adultery as you mentioned.

I think most of us as believers would say the same thing when we sin "Why on earth did I do that, or not do that?

Putting aside the saying that everything that is not of faith is a sin.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:38
Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Matthew 26:40


Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Jesus acknowledged that their spirit was willing, they wanted to stay awake and pray/watch him but the flesh overpowered the spirit.

The story of the disciples in Gethsemane rings true for all of us. We can so easily be distracted from prayer, worship, or a kind act by hunger, exhaustion, sexual desire, feeling too cold or too hot, thirst, pain, and even a persistent itch. The flesh shouts loudly when it wants something, and the ruckus it makes can easily drown out the desires of the spirit. Even when the spirit is willing to do whatever God asks, the flesh remains weak.

Thats why we sin.

So what is the answer?

Prayer

John 14:13
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.


1 Corinthians 10:12-13


Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Watch out. Be vigilant and pray and have faith that God will give you what you need to overcome it.

 

[resurrection33]

Good question, why do you sin?

When I sin, it's because I yield to temptation. But you make it sound like there's no reason to even resist temptation.

 

[resurrection33]

He corrected you with a Bible verse.

I wasn't aware of that. I had asked you if you had any insight into adultery beyond what Jesus taught us in the Bible. He quoted this Bible verse:

You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' Matt 5:27 RSV

I didn’t see how it added any insight. I was already aware that we aren’t supposed to commit adultery.

 

[FreeNChrist]

When I sin, it's because I yield to temptation. But you make it sound like there's no reason to even resist temptation.

Thats just how it sounds to you. Which speaks to you, not me.