God dealt with Israel both as a Bridegroom and as a Father. As a Father, God exhorted the Israelites to be obedient to Him, just as any Father would His children.

God asked of the Jews that they not carry loads through the gates on the Sabbath, that they deal generously with the poor and not charge interest, that they refrain from eating pork. The teaching of grace has become so perverted in our day you would think that God always was asking some impossible thing that no one could ever do. This is not true.

This whole modern concept that God gives us commandments He does not expect us to obey so we may be saved by His forgiveness and not by any effort on our own part is straight from Satan. It is weird, perverse, unfruitful—destructive of any possibility of our coming to know God.

When God commanded Abraham to walk before God and be perfect He expected Abraham to do just that.

"Oh, Brother Thompson, nobody is perfect. We have to be saved by grace."

Nonsense! God's commandments are straightforward and He expects them to be obeyed. When we need help He always provides it. But He requires that we obey Him as our Father.

How we ever got into this weird, stylized, caricature of grace that prevails in our day is beyond me. But it has nothing to do with God or the Bible.

Of course we cannot save ourselves. Of course we cannot earn salvation. Nobody is talking about saving ourselves or earning salvation.

We have to come to Christ through the blood of the cross. God forgives us and gives us His Spirit. If we will then live as a Christian, doing all good Christian works such as praying and reading our Bible, we will grow in our ability to keep all of God's commandments.

Most of what you hear today is weird! I hate to keep using the same adjective but the most descriptive term is weird! The idea that grace is some kind of magic so we don't have to obey our Father in Heaven is a terrible viewpoint. Away with it! Away with the whole concept of "Jesus did it all," "we have no law but love," "if I try to keep God's commandments I'm a legalist," and all of the other crazy, warped, messed-up, fantasies that pass for the Christian salvation in our time.

If you don't begin to keep God's commandments in the New Testament you will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

"Oh, but Christ is the overcomer and when I believe in Him I am an overcomer by identifying with Him."

Isn't that cute!

Sometime when you are fornicating, or gossiping, or slandering (there is enough of that around!), or dividing the church and demolishing the saints with your tongue, or swearing, or lying, or stealing, or flirting with the girls in the office, or getting even with Sister Jones, or trying to steal the sheep from your brother's church, go to Jesus and ask Him if you are overcoming by identifying with Him.

To be continued.