Mine: love your enemy. UGH don't really see how this is possible at all. Being a Christian would be like 50000 times easier if it weren't for this command haha. What are all yours?
Annoying, difficult, or otherwise, all of the commands are impossible to follow. At least to the extent that God will be satisfied we are obeying them. God did not give His commands with the expectation we could follow them all.Mine: love your enemy. UGH don't really see how this is possible at all. Being a Christian would be like 50000 times easier if it weren't for this command haha. What are all yours?
Annoying, difficult, or otherwise, all of the commands are impossible to follow. At least to the extent that God will be satisfied we are obeying them. God did not give His commands with the expectation we could follow them all.
You can try to reach the point where you don't sin anymore, but you will never reach it. The Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." When someone says that we have to reach a point where we do not sin, I hear that we have to be like Jesus Christ. He was sinless and He is God. If we could do that then we don't need Him. All one will discover when they try to stop sinning is that they are digging up more sin to overcome. Besides, how do you go about this journey to stop sinning? You will have to subject yourself to some form of law? We aren't under any law. The law only stirs up more sin. There is another way of living Jesus offers.(Really sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread) Is that really true? There are people in the Bible listed as blameless and it's implied they followed the Lord perfectly. Also, in the NT it says certain leaders in the church were supposed to be blameless. Doesn't that mean they don't sin? Also, in 1 John it says those who sin don't really know Jesus, and also that those who know the Lord keep themselves from sin and the wicked one doesn't touch them. Doesn't all this mean God expects us to reach a point where we don't sin anymore?
That isn't the issue.You can try to reach the point where you don't sin anymore, but you will never reach it.
"Annoying, difficult, or otherwise, all of the commands are impossible to follow."
God did not give His commands with the expectation we could follow them all.
Are you as perfect as your heavenly Father in all that you do? Has your righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees? Do you resist evil people? Do you give to all who want to borrow from you? Have you stopped looking at any woman with lust in your heart? Are you obedient to all God commands? James said, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10)." How are you doing with that? Have you never sinned? Have you resisted all temptation? Jesus didn't say we should be "aiming for" a close relationship through obeying the law, He said obey it! The law is not abolished. However, who is the law for? Paul gave us the answer. "Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted (1 Timothy 1:8-11)." The law is for unbelievers to show them their sinfulness to lead them to Jesus Christ. It is not for Christians to try and obey in an effort to aim for a close relationship with God. It will only lead to the opposite as your repeated failures pile up. Or, it will lead to religious pride as you deceive yourself into believing you have found a way to be obedient to God. The righteous live by faith not obedience to the law.Jesus said he didn't come to abolish the law. Instead Jesus says in Mt 5:48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect", and I don't think Jesus was joking. And this expectation of Jesus that we become perfect makes fully sense when you think about it. Jesus himself was fully human, like you and me, and it says of him that Jesus was tempted in every way we are tempted in as well.
The reason why Jesus never sinned, why he resisted all the temptations, is because he was in such a deep, close relationship with his Father in heaven. A relationship like we should be aiming for, because that close of a relationship with God is possible for us now indeed. That's what Jesus died for! To enable us to have this same relationship with the living God.
This might sound quite theoretical, but I found it to be true over the years. The more I was willing to obey God the more He guided me and enabled me through His spirit to resist temptations. Over time God did exactly what the Bible talks about - He forms me more and more into the image of His son.
There is still a few things I struggle with, but it got much much less compared to a few years ago, and I am certain that this "perfectness" Jesus talks about in Mt 5 is to be taken literally. It is possible! But you will only know that it is possible when you try it yourself, when you stop saying "nobody is perfect" and give all of yourself to God - when you let Him do the work in you He will do it.
Jesus said he didn't come to abolish the law. Instead Jesus says in Mt 5:48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect", and I don't think Jesus was joking. And this expectation of Jesus that we become perfect makes fully sense when you think about it. Jesus himself was fully human, like you and me, and it says of him that Jesus was tempted in every way we are tempted in as well.
The reason why Jesus never sinned, why he resisted all the temptations, is because he was in such a deep, close relationship with his Father in heaven. A relationship like we should be aiming for, because that close of a relationship with God is possible for us now indeed. That's what Jesus died for! To enable us to have this same relationship with the living God.
This might sound quite theoretical, but I found it to be true over the years. The more I was willing to obey God the more He guided me and enabled me through His spirit to resist temptations. Over time God did exactly what the Bible talks about - He forms me more and more into the image of His son.
There is still a few things I struggle with, but it got much much less compared to a few years ago, and I am certain that this "perfectness" Jesus talks about in Mt 5 is to be taken literally. It is possible! But you will only know that it is possible when you try it yourself, when you stop saying "nobody is perfect" and give all of yourself to God - when you let Him do the work in you He will do it.
Mine: love your enemy. UGH don't really see how this is possible at all. Being a Christian would be like 50000 times easier if it weren't for this command haha. What are all yours?
The law is for unbelievers to show them their sinfulness to lead them to Jesus Christ. It is not for Christians to try and obey in an effort to aim for a close relationship with God. It will only lead to the opposite as your repeated failures pile up. Or, it will lead to religious pride as you deceive yourself into believing you have found a way to be obedient to God. The righteous live by faith not obedience to the law.
I read your post carefully. But, I don't see that you answered most of my questions. Our perfection is not a consequence of Jesus working in us. It is the consequence accepting Him as our savior regardless of what work He does in us. "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14)."Effort? Certainly not. If you read my original post carefully you'll notice that this perfectness is not a consequence of our own efforts but of us letting God work in us.
In Phil 2:13 it says "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do", and that's the truth.
"Found a way to be obedient to God"? That sounds as if we don't have to be obedient, or couldn't even be. But there is dozens of verses in the Bible that tell us with 100%-certainty that we shall indeed obey God to the fullest. Read Romans chapter 6, the whole chapter.
Jesus himself said "If you love me, keep my commands", and that's not a joke.
Mine: love your enemy. UGH don't really see how this is possible at all. Being a Christian would be like 50000 times easier if it weren't for this command haha. What are all yours?
Effort? Certainly not. If you read my original post carefully you'll notice that this perfectness is not a consequence of our own efforts but of us letting God work in us.
In Phil 2:13 it says "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do", and that's the truth.
"Found a way to be obedient to God"? That sounds as if we don't have to be obedient, or couldn't even be. But there is dozens of verses in the Bible that tell us with 100%-certainty that we shall indeed obey God to the fullest. Read Romans chapter 6, the whole chapter.
Jesus himself said "If you love me, keep my commands", and that's not a joke.
Annoying, difficult, or otherwise, all of the commands are impossible to follow. At least to the extent that God will be satisfied we are obeying them. God did not give His commands with the expectation we could follow them all.
Annoying, difficult, or otherwise, all of the commands are impossible to follow. At least to the extent that God will be satisfied we are obeying them. God did not give His commands with the expectation we could follow them all.
Mine: love your enemy. UGH don't really see how this is possible at all. Being a Christian would be like 50000 times easier if it weren't for this command haha. What are all yours?
Most annoying/difficult to follow command in your opinion?
One would be >What are all yours?
So, yes this should not be something I see as hard or impossible, but God gives us this command in order to bless us and help us. By stopping whatever in us has us complaining or arguing, this can help us become God's way in love so we can find out how to love . . . while in intimate sharing with God in us who has us succeeding.Every precept has a purpose. Every nudge is for my betterment.
So, yes this should not be something I see as hard or impossible, but God gives us this command in order to bless us and help us.