Portion For Reading: Duet 4-6Jesus tells us that obedience is the result of love:
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”—John 14:15.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”—John 14:15.
If we love God, we will obey the first four commandments which define our relationship to God; and if we love people, we will obey the last six commandments which define our relationship with others (See Matthew 22:36-40).
The Apostle Paul agrees with the thought that love for God and for our neighbors will result in our being law-keepers rather than law-breakers:
“HE WHO LOVES HIS FELLOWMAN HAS FULFILLED THE LAW. THE COMMANDMENTS, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, ARE SUMMED UP IN THIS ONE RULE: ‘LOVE your neighbor as yourself’. . . Therefore LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.”—Romans 13:8-10.
The person who tramples on the Ten Commandments sins:
“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” —1 John 3:4.
But thank God, we have a Saviour who came to this world and died, was resurrected, and now lives for one purpose:
But thank God, we have a Saviour who came to this world and died, was resurrected, and now lives for one purpose:
“But you know that he appeared SO THAT HE MIGHT TAKE AWAY OUR SINS.” —Verse 5.
Our Saviour forgives and removes our sinfulness:
Our Saviour forgives and removes our sinfulness:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9.
And He promises to give us His love to love with—the great antidote to a life of selfishness:
“GOD HAS POURED OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” —Romans 5:5.
“GOD HAS POURED OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” —Romans 5:5.
We have no innate ability to keep God’s law. In fact, our sinful minds reject God’s law (Romans 3:10). God’s love “poured out . . . in our hearts” is our need, for “he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law” (Romans 5:5; 13:8). Love is the motivating power of the Christian life. Because we love God, we naturally want to obey Him, “for Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
What Jesus Said About the Ten Commandments
One day as Jesus was teaching, an enthusiastic young man hurried up to Him and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Christ could see that he was wrestling with a money problem and advised him to get rid of his possessions and to “obey the commandments” (verse 17).
One day as Jesus was teaching, an enthusiastic young man hurried up to Him and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Christ could see that he was wrestling with a money problem and advised him to get rid of his possessions and to “obey the commandments” (verse 17).The young man tried to sidestep Christ’s diagnosis of his problem by asking which commandments He was talking about. Jesus listed several of the Ten Commandments: those against murder, adultery, stealing, lying, and dishonoring his parents (Verses 18, 19).
Finally, the “rich young ruler” turned and walked away sadly (verses 20-22). He wasn’t willing to take the prescription. He could give mental assent to the Ten Commandments, but he wasn’t willing to obey the spirit of the law by abandoning his selfish way of life.
Several years ago, W. J. Cameron made this statement in an address given on the CBS radio network: “There are certain minimum terms on which people can live together, and if these be broken, social stability is lost. . . . The most comprehensive statement known to us of the minimum terms on which society can be maintained is the Ten Commandments. . . .
“This is the basic law on which all Anglo-Saxon laws are founded. Basic, because it is first written in the normal constitution of human nature. Commandments so-called, they simply state what right-minded people naturally do, and what no law can compel wrong-minded persons to do. Thus, they are more than commandments; they are the profound constitution of good society. Analyze any one of them and in it you will find an indispensable social necessity. No strong social structure has arisen where any of these elements has been lacking.”
Source: Discover Online