Obedience.

[MoreCoffee]

There appears to be a link between love as Christ loved and as Christians are encouraged to love and obedience. The Lord Jesus Christ put it this way: "if you love me then you will keep my commandments". Is that a fair summary of a Christian's role in living a faithful life?

 

[psalms 91]

sounds about right. If we say we love Him and do not then the love of the Father is not in them

 

[TurtleHare]

How can we not love the Almighty God who died for us and saves us for all eternity. As his children we want to obey him because if you stop and think about it each time you sin that was more that Jesus had to suffer and I couldn't endure that agony he went through could you?

 

[MoreCoffee]

How can we not love the Almighty God who died for us and saves us for all eternity. As his children we want to obey him because if you stop and think about it each time you sin that was more that Jesus had to suffer and I couldn't endure that agony he went through could you?

Your question is excellent but what of the corollary: how can we love God and not obey him?

 

[psalms 91]

How can we say we love Him and yet disobey Him

 

[Lamb]

But we do disobey don't we? Otherwise we wouldn't need a Savior.

 

[MoreCoffee]

But we do disobey don't we? Otherwise we wouldn't need a Savior.

I dare say that even if you ceased disobeying today you would still need a saviour.

 

[psalms 91]

I dare say that even if you ceased disobeying today you would still need a saviour.

Yes

 

[MoreCoffee]

I dare say that even if you ceased disobeying today you would still need a saviour.

Yes

That being admitted it seems that all people even those that Jehovah says are perfect and upright need a saviour, Christ alone excepted. And all people are called to live a life of obedience even if they are also promised forgiveness when they repent of their sins.

 

[Josiah]

There appears to be a link between love as Christ loved and as Christians are encouraged to love and obedience. The Lord Jesus Christ put it this way: "if you love me then you will keep my commandments". Is that a fair summary of a Christian's role in living a faithful life?

Of course, no Christian does that - which is one more reason why Christians REMAIN in need of mercy, forgiveness, Christ, the Blood.


Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.


The law has two purposes:
1 To kill, to condemn, to make us fall to our knees, to make us realize our total depravity and our need for a Savior, for mercy.
2. To show us a life that is pleasing to God and a blessing to all.

Thing is, while purpose #1 gets accomplished, #2 never fully does (not this side of heaven, anyway). Nonetheless, we press on to achieve it, claiming His strength for progress - even though we'll never achieve absolute perfection. See Philippians 3:13. However, while the Law remains for Christians, SO DOES THE GOSPEL - the Gospel is not cancelled out by the reality that we continue to need it, if such were the case, the Gospel would be meaningless, irrelevant and Jesus a waste of time and blood since as Scripture proclaims, NO ONE is righteousness, no not even one. Jesus stated there is only one - just one - who is good (Mark 10:18).



Pax CHRISTI



- Josiah

 

[TurtleHare]

I thought the law was a mirror curb and guide and that makes 3 purposes.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Obedience is not the same thing as keeping the laws of Moses.

 

[psalms 91]

Your right, obedience involves more than the Law, it is also your day to day obedience in whartt God tells and shows you

 

[MoreCoffee]

Your right, obedience involves more than the Law, it is also your day to day obedience in whartt God tells and shows you

That is one aspect of it but the idea that following the law of Moses is a core part of Christian faith is likely to be a mistaken view.

 

[Josiah]

Your right, obedience involves more than the Law, it is also your day to day obedience in whartt God tells and shows you

The Law is whatever is the will of God. Matthew 5:48, "You must be perfect, just as God in heaven is perfect." "You must be holy just as God is holy." "You must love all people even as Jesus first loved you." THAT'S the Law. It's not limited to the Ten Big Ones.

And NO ONE keeps the Law, obeys the law. Not even just one of the Ten Big Ones. No one is even good, much less all perfect, all holy, all loving. "There is NO ONE who does good, not even one (Romans 3:12). "No one is righteous, no, not even one." "NO ONE is good except God alone."

Day-to-day obedience would be being PERFECT 24/7 - every microsecond, perfect NOT compared to other sinful bloats on earth but as compared to GOD Himself in heaven, being HOLY 24/7, every microsecond, being LOVING even as and to the same extent that Jesus loved on the Cross 24/7. NEVER a microsecond of sinful nature or thought or word or deed...... NOTHING ever left undone (NEVER)...... NOTHING done that should not have been..... NEVER. Not even a remote thought that flashed through our being. THAT is being obedient. THAT is keeping the Law. And of course, when we do, then the soteriology some here support would be true: One can look in the mirror for the reason for our entering heaven, one CAN dismiss the Christ, the Cross, the Blood, mercy (some here don't even see fit to MENTION such things, even in passing) - these can be irrelevant and meaningless and unnecessary because self is obedient, keeping the Law. The disagreement seems to be whether justification is a case of self being obedient (making Christ a sad joke, agreeing with the soteriology of Judaism, Islam and some forms of Hinduing) OR if Jesus is the Savior (thus, NOT self), justification (narrow) being the case of JESUS' obedience, righteious, love.... looking to the Cross.



Pax CHRISTI



- Josiah

 

[psalms 91]

Or not since the Law is written on our hearts