Did you ever try to untie your shoe and succeed in making a knot? You pull on the wrong string, or something and the bow doesn't come out. I have, many times. How frustrating! That is how I feel about Evangelical theology. It is founded on the atoning blood and triumphant resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But it has erected a superstructure of error, as I see it, or am trying to see it. It is a knot of fables and the more you pull on it the tighter it gets.

How do I dare suggest such a thing? I don't dare. I believe the good Lord has impressed strongly on me that He wants His people to keep His commandments. I am declaring that the Lord told me this, and yet I tell the people of Mount Zion, our church, never say the Lord told me this or that unless you are pretty sure such is the case. Better to say I think this is what is true, or I feel the Lord may be saying, or something like that. You don't want to use the Lord's name in vain.

We encourage the saints not to give "words" to people unless they are in the presence of the elders so that the advice may be judged.

So you judge what I am saying to you. I am stating flat out that the Lord repeatedly has urged me to warn His people that He wants His commandments kept and not reasoned away. Pray and ask Jesus if what I am saying is coming from the Lord.

Now, what seems to be the problem? The problem is there have been a number of reasons advanced why we do not have to keep the commandments listed in the New Testament. Every true Christian agrees, I think, that we are supposed to keep God's commandments. But then our theology suggests we do not absolutely have to keep them.

I will refer to this number of reasons as areas of disagreement because there is a point of view other than that of Evangelical theology which maintains we indeed do have to keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

The areas of disagreement may be four in number.

The first area of disagreement concerns the consequences of not keeping the commandments.

The second area of disagreement concerns our approach to the commandments given by Christ and His Apostles.

The third area of disagreement concerns the role of the integrity of our own personality, of the person we ourselves are, in keeping God's commandments.

The fourth area of disagreement concerns what the results are of keeping the commandments.

* The consequences of not keeping the commandments.

* The approach we take to the commandments.

* The role of our own personality in keeping the commandments.

* What the results are of keeping the commandments.

Now, think carefully about these four. Get them fixed in your mind because we will keep referring to them.

What happens to us when we don't keep the commandments?

What approach should we take to the commandments given by Christ and His Apostles? In what way should we regard them?

What is the role of our own personality in keeping the commandments?

What are the results of keeping the commandments?

Every true Christian believes that the commandments given by Christ and His Apostles came from God. I believe that. You probably do also.

The problem is, there are different points of view concerning the four areas we have just set forth. I am not going to attempt to cover all the bases. I will present just two sides, two points of view, concerning each of the four. The first side is the one I think is the true, scriptural point of view. The second side may have its roots in Lutheran theology (God bless all true Lutherans!) and today may be viewed as held (perhaps with several variations) by major Evangelical bodies.

To be continued.