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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Three Steps Toward Righteousness, #3
The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4—NIV)
It is maintained in our day that no one can keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles. This is to ascribe foolishness and cruelty to our Father in Heaven who has told us (we claim) to do things we cannot possibly perform, keeping us at a distance from Himself.
It is maintained in our day that the purpose of the commandments is to make us see our need of a Savior. The idea is that we cannot do what God has commanded and so we have to accept Christ in order to go to Heaven. Once we accept Christ we are in a "state of grace," meaning we are walking in disobedience but God sees us through Christ. This may be one of the main doctrines of evangelicalism but it is totally unscriptural, totally destructive of God's intention under the new covenant.
Let us take one of the commandments of Christ.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16—NIV)
Look at the verse above. Is this just a nice thought or is it a commandment? Is it necessary we do it or not? Will we be "saved" anyway even though we do not do it? What is your answer?
"But we cannot do it in our strength!" I understand this. My question is, are we supposed to do good works in the sight of people or not? Is this a commandment we are to observe or did God issue it so we would confess our need of a Savior and trust in God to forgive us continually because we cannot possibly do good works and glorify our Father in Heaven?
Which is it? It is not both, it is one or the other.
Did Jesus say we are to keep His commandments or did He say we could not keep them and must come to Him for continual forgiveness? Which is it?
If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15—NIV)
Can you see from the above verse, and it is not the only one of its kind, that we do not love the Lord unless we obey His commandments?
Can you see that Evangelical teaching needs to be reformed just as the Catholic sale of indulgences had to be reformed a few centuries ago? We are teaching error. It is not true that we are not to keep the commandments of Christ.
What did the Apostles command (actually it was Christ in the Apostles)?
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, (I Thessalonians 4:11—NIV)
Are we supposed to do this, to lead and quiet life and mind our own business, or must God forgive us continually because it is absolutely impossible for us to work with our hands? Will we go to Heaven anyway even though we have not led a quiet life, have not minded our own business, and have not worked with our hands?
To be continued.