I've been reading in the Gospel of John recently and just finished reading the Epistle to the Galatians. These two verses almost seem to contradict each other. I in no way mean that I believe they do, I believe that God does not contradict himself, but rather I know that I must just not understand something
Gal 3:2- This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
John 14:15,16- If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
also...
John 14:23- Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Christ's words on this subject make it seem that one must keep his commandments in order to receive the Holy Spirit, which goes totally against the gospel of grace taught in the Pauline Epistles.
What does Jesus say about His commandments?
John 15:9-10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:
continue ye in my love. If ye keep
my commandments, ye shall abide in
my love; even as
I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
So, what does Jesus command? People talk about commandments all of the time; and when you ask them, what commandments? There is usually silence; or, a citing of the ten commandments. But rarely will anyone refer to the actual commandments which Jesus calld
His commandments: let's not forget that Jesus is instituting a
new covenant through fulfilling the
old covenant; and what are the commandments of Jesus? We find these:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Now how did you receive this love that loves? By, works of the law? Or, by the hearing of the sacrifice of Jesus who said: John 15:13 and of which John says: 1 John 3:16 (I always found it quite interesting that this verse is 1 John 3:16 which mirrors John 3:16 - coincidence?) so again: 1 John 4:19-21. So you see, love begets love, not by works, but, by the hearing of faith. That is this Holy Spirit (that is, the Comforter) which is of God, and is God; and so we see that, God is love: 1 John 4:8
Now John writes of love:
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 3:18-24 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because
we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And
this is his commandment, That we should
believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as
he gave us commandment. And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
Now, love, by her nature, will wish to work no ill-will to the neighbor who is loved: Romans 13:10 so one with unfeigned love will not wish to work ill to them loved and will, by nature, do no harm to others, thus fulfilling the spirit; but the law and the prophets were until John: Luke 16:16: and afterward came the new covenant by faith: Romans 3:21-23 of which Paul speaks to the Galatians since: Romans 10:17
Doing "works of the law" tries to establish the righteousness of one by the commandments of the law; but love seeks not her own: 1 Corinthians 13:5 but to the good of others, working no ill to that is loved, and, thus, fulfilling the commandment of Jesus Christ. The source of "doing works" is oneself, but the source of "love" is God; so "works" puts salvation/sanctification/reconciliation into the hand of he who works; but "love" puts these into the hand of God who
is love, and so Paul writes: Romans 9:32, Galatians 3:10 but Romans 4:5