Do we have to keep all the New Testament commands?

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In light of the fact that there are something like 1000 commands/exhortations/instruction in the New Testament. Do we have to keep all of them all the time in order to live blamelessly before God as Christians today? Ie. Acts 24:16, Phil 2:15, 1 Tim 6:14.

Not all commands in the NT are for all Christians everywhere and at all times. For example, the rich young ruler. Jesus told him to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor. He told him that because he was too attached to his wealth, but He wasn't implying that we should all sell everything we own. The lesson we could learn is that God MIGHT be calling you to do this, but more importantly- we should hold our blessings with an open hand.
 
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Wordkeeper

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So someone who goes to church while hating their neighbors is still loving God? See, I strongly disagree that it's possible to love God while holding contempt for one's neighbors, or even simply disregarding them. It's just not possible to turn the Great Commandment into two different commandments to love God OR love neighbor. It's ONE commandment, not two. They go together and cannot be separated. If there is no love for the people who God loves (everyone), then there is no love for God.
Well, God thinks following Him is more important than giving the poor relief. Goodness sake, He created evil/calamity, making a person blind from birth, just so that His great works could be displayed!

John 9
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,”said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

He wanted Israel to see His power while doing the works He revealed, by those like Christ, Moses, Peter, etc. so that they would be motivated like Rahab and Nicodemus to follow Him, obey every word that proceeded from His mouth, so that they could have eternal life. However, like Israel in the wilderness, they forgot what He did in Egypt:

Matthew 11
21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Psalm 78:11
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.

Psalm 78:42
They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

Psalm 106:21
They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,

Which is more important, to fill a belly with bread which satisfies temporarily or give bread which removes hunger forever?

This is the Way, a repetitive motif seen throughout Scripture, how God convinces people to become His followers one small step at a time. Even Daniel's minder was turned this Way:

Daniel 1
14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.

And of course, the woman in sin is going to be blessed so abundantly she'll always be remembered by those she knew :

Matthew 26
6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9“For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11“For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12“For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.13“Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
 
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Anguspure

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Only in so far as that He is a different person. Nevertheless how can we say that we Love our Father and yet hate His children?
The evidence of how well you know Him and Love Him is in the way you treat others.
 
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Dreamdweller

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I was surprised to not find any articles on google addressing this question. There is plenty on the question of whether or not the Old Testament commands are binding but not the New Testament commands.

More specifically my question is this:

In light of the fact that there are something like 1000 commands/exhortations/instruction in the New Testament. Do we have to keep all of them all the time in order to live blamelessly before God as Christians today? Ie. Acts 24:16, Phil 2:15, 1 Tim 6:14.

In other words, is it possible to regularly do things(or fail to do things) that we are instructed not to do in the NT without actually sinning against God?

I realize that there are some things that are obviously of paramount importance, (Like believing the Gospel). But what about all those nitty gritty instruction on how to live, how to do church etc. Are all of those binding on us? (as in we have to do them all, all the time) If so why? Romans 13:8 says "the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." That would lead me to believe that as long as you truly are loving your neighbor as yourself there could be ten thousand ways that you could knowingly and purposefully disregard a NT command without displeasing God at all. Is this logic faulty? Where does the bible say that we have to do everything written in the NT perfectly all the time in order to keep from sinning against God?

I've spoken with my pastor about this. When God wrote the 10 commandments, He knew we would never follow every single one, every single day till we died. It's impossible. He wrote them to show us that we are not perfect. We strive to do what God commands. But no one can achieve that.

Think of this quote, "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:22-24)

It says, "...for ALL have sinned.." There are no sub-quotes or hidden meanings. When the Bible says, "God found favor..." with someone, that doesn't mean they are exempt from this. John 14:6..."no one comes to the Father but through Me."

God knows we are going to fall. But if we accept His Son, then He will build us back up. Just like when a person lifts weights, they actually tear their muscles as they strain. It isn't until you are resting, that your body actually becomes stronger as it heals.

God will allow you to be knocked down, over and over. But each time He lifts you back up, He is making you more like Him. You will start to find your love of things getting stronger. But also remember, your hate for things will grow as well. When you accept Him, you also draw the attention of another...Ephesians 6:12.
 
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bekkilyn

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Well, God thinks following Him is more important than giving the poor relief. Goodness sake, He created evil/calamity, making a person blind from birth, just so that His great works could be displayed!

I am beyond speechless by this statement. I can only say that it explains a lot concerning my disagreements on this thread.
 
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Sketcher

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This sounds right to me in theory. But then why do we have:



And what should our relationship be to these commands?

I ask because it seems that there are times that love for God would require breaking one of these.

For example Eph 4:25.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.

So is it loving God and neighbor when you have Jews hiding in your attic and Nazis at your door to tell the truth or to lie?

Would it be a sin to lie in that moment? And pleasing to God at the same time? Or would God in that moment be completely pleased with you disregarding Eph 4:25 and lying? Jesus told people on multiple occasions "sin no more". Therefore it seems clear that He does expect us to follow some standard of morality of some kind. How do we know what commands in the bible are breakable and which are not? It would seem that love for God and neighbor are unbreakable. Are there any others? How do we know?
Jewish tradition states that a command in the Law may be broken if needed to preserve life. That would explain God's favor in Exodus 1:15-20. It would also explain Jesus' alleged breaking of the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11 and 13:10-17). Note that Jesus didn't abuse it to indulge in whatever he wanted, as some would do. But it does provide some framework for making sense of what to do when it seems that obeying one command would mean breaking another.
 
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Wordkeeper

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Good question. -- I don't know entirely, but perhaps I can answer in part. The short answer is living in harmony with God, in timing, thinking, behaviour, practices, principles, rituals, conversation, etc.

"Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:16)

"And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. ...I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people. ...And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." (Lev. 20)

In the context of 2019, society at is present extremely individualistic, reflecting a selfish nature and the binary pov you refer to to credit oneself. To do or not do what is right. It's evident on the news all around the world with people walking past, ignoring, and stepping over people who are dying on the street, stabbed in robberies, or in serious car accidents, etc, and whimpering and or crying for help.

It's a problem with collective communal responsibility, social morals, ethics, and righteous behaviour as a human race, all being the children of God, all made in the image of God, all being citizens on the Lord's Earth, and the Lord's property. -- And in that sense, all situations share a sense of sameness, in the eyes of God. Where all have gone astray. No one is righteous not one.

The Lord's parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates how one is expected to go above and beyond in helping a stranger who is in clear need, obvious to by-passers bar religious hypocrites. Those who pray publicly (to broadcast their religiosity and piety to the world), but behind closed doors are horrible people. Hence, the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6 is behind closed doors, private and secluded, a terse doxology and petition to the Lord alone, not broadcasted to the world. It's also a summary of all the Jewish blessings.

Hence, Scripture outlines traits that are intrinsic, essential, qualitative, and elaborate, connoting time, energy, effort, and resources invested, all being summarised under the word 'love'. Traits such as longsuffering (2 Pet. 3:9), forbearing one another in love (Eph. 4:2), riches of his goodness and forebearance and longsuffering (Rom. 2:4), and going the extra mile for others (Mt. 5:41), and all things work together for the good of them that love God (Rom. 8:28).

NT are premised on the Torah, being parallel in many ways.

"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again." (Deu. 22:1-4)

Working for our older brother Jesus Christ, first born from the dead of many brethren (Hebrews 2:11; Romans 8:29; Mark 3:34)

This is good stewardship, being a good neighbour, a good brother, and at the same time loving God, having taken care of his property. One meets the law through such loving behaviour, learned through the law.

Hence, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Ps. 1:1-3)

I hope that helps.

Blessings :)

View attachment 260047
Let me offer a thought for your reflection. It is important to do charitable deeds, they have an intrinsic value, but more importantly, the aftermath also counts. Loving involves sacrifice, which is why people are careful about doing good deeds, but God wants the world to know that He is involved in the good acts done by His followers, by making sure do gooders DON'T suffer, thereby motivating others to imitate the doer.

The two important points which MUST be taught while doing good works:

1.Do gooders will not lose out
2.God is the reason

That is why Moses was punished, by not being allowed to be the one who led Israel into the Promised Land.
 
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Wordkeeper

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I am beyond speechless by this statement. I can only say that it explains a lot concerning my disagreements on this thread.
King James Bible
Isaiah 45
7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Berean Study Bible
Isaiah 45
7I form light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.
 
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Dreamdweller

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I am beyond speechless by this statement. I can only say that it explains a lot concerning my disagreements on this thread.

I'm one of those "good guys" that was never accepted by most people. I always looked back at history and found myself asking God over and over, "Why didn't you allow me to be born during the Renaissance era? I would have flourished there."

After some years went by, He made me realize that I would have flourished there. But I wouldn't have been tested as hard. My desire has been to love Him more. If that's true, then what environment would test me more?

It sounds crazy to people when they hear it. So what. If people want to purposely cause a rift, just remember Matthew 7:6. This is about trying to discuss His Word with someone who wants nothing more than discord.

The verse (Isaiah 45:7) is saying this...
When God made the light...the opposite was also made.
When God caused well-being...the opposite was also made.
You can't have one and not the other...at least not yet.
 
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bekkilyn

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I'm one of those "good guys" that was never accepted by most people. I always looked back at history and found myself asking God over and over, "Why didn't you allow me to be born during the Renaissance era? I would have flourished there."

After some years went by, He made me realize that I would have flourished there. But I wouldn't have been tested as hard. My desire has been to love Him more. If that's true, then what environment would test me more?

It sounds crazy to people when they hear it. So what. If people want to purposely cause a rift, just remember Matthew 7:6. This is about trying to discuss His Word with someone who wants nothing more than discord.

I think you're probably right. I'd already about decided to stop trying to discuss anything with the legalist, fundamentalist types, and it's probably also not worth trying to have a discussion with someone who sincerely believes that God has an evil nature. I suppose I just really want people to be able to experience God's limitless and absolute goodness and love, but it's God himself who will need to do that work in all of us.
 
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timothyu

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think you're probably right. I'd already about decided to stop trying to discuss anything with the legalist, fundamentalist types, and it's probably also not worth trying to have a discussion with someone who sincerely believes that God has an evil nature.
Nothing good may come of it for them but it often forces us to study and grow.
 
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bekkilyn

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Nothing good may come of it for them but it often forces us to study and grow.

Sometimes. But other times it just keeps going around and around and ends up being arguing for the sake of arguing.

But I suppose if we did take the premise that God is indeed the source of all evil, then he probably would be the type of god who would threaten severe punishment on anyone who didn't do everything exactly as he says, and then some, and so in that sense, Christianity would indeed be all about figuring out how to perfectly obey hundreds of different commandments.

(Not that I believe the above in any way, but just following it to what may be a natural conclusion of such a premise.)
 
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Dreamdweller

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Sometimes. But other times it just keeps going around and around and ends up being arguing for the sake of arguing.

But I suppose if we did take the premise that God is indeed the source of all evil, then he probably would be the type of god who would threaten severe punishment on anyone who didn't do everything exactly as he says, and then some, and so in that sense, Christianity would indeed be all about figuring out how to perfectly obey hundreds of different commandments.

(Not that I believe the above in any way, but just following it to what may be a natural conclusion of such a premise.)

Don't get wrong. Go through Revelation and you'll see just how bad God's wrath is going to get. And yet, it shows that God gave them chances to stop their ways, and they still refused. If people thought that God wiping out the planet with the Flood was bad, they haven't seen anything yet.

I'll leave you with a thought that my pastor once left me with:...
If 100 people decided to foolishly jump off a cliff, and I'm able to stop 20 of them...does that make me responsible for the other 80?...referring to Saul's conversion (Acts 9:3-6).

It shows that even a horrible person like Saul will be saved when he had no reason to be. But even Saul will be punished for what he did....Acts 9:15-16.
 
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bekkilyn

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Don't get wrong. Go through Revelation and you'll see just how bad God's wrath is going to get. And yet, it shows that God gave them chances to stop their ways, and they still refused. If people thought that God wiping out the planet with the Flood was bad, they haven't seen anything yet.

I'll leave you with a thought that my pastor once left me with:...
If 100 people decided to foolishly jump off a cliff, and I'm able to stop 20 of them...does that make me responsible for the other 80?...referring to Saul's conversion (Acts 9:3-6).

It shows that even a horrible person like Saul will be saved when he had no reason to be. But even Saul will be punished for what he did....Acts 9:15-16.

Even interpreting Revelation in the most wrathful way possible shows God fighting *against* evil, wiping out all sin in the process. He's angry *at* the evil, not causing it.
 
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devin553344

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Don't get wrong. Go through Revelation and you'll see just how bad God's wrath is going to get. And yet, it shows that God gave them chances to stop their ways, and they still refused. If people thought that God wiping out the planet with the Flood was bad, they haven't seen anything yet.

I'll leave you with a thought that my pastor once left me with:...
If 100 people decided to foolishly jump off a cliff, and I'm able to stop 20 of them...does that make me responsible for the other 80?...referring to Saul's conversion (Acts 9:3-6).

It shows that even a horrible person like Saul will be saved when he had no reason to be. But even Saul will be punished for what he did....Acts 9:15-16.

You have to spell out Acts of the Apostles 9:15-16 to get the popup scripture, BTW.
 
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Blade

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"Do we have to keep all the New Testament commands?" When they were given.. and all the law was given 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." <----did this already happen?

Reread the 10 commandments. Anything written there that is NOW not written on heart? Back then they HAD to have that. We don't. Its written on our heart. Never reading the bible you KNOW its not wise to steal to do harm to take what others have..on and on. Free choice.
 
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CharismaticLady

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I was surprised to not find any articles on google addressing this question. There is plenty on the question of whether or not the Old Testament commands are binding but not the New Testament commands.

More specifically my question is this:

In light of the fact that there are something like 1000 commands/exhortations/instruction in the New Testament. Do we have to keep all of them all the time in order to live blamelessly before God as Christians today? Ie. Acts 24:16, Phil 2:15, 1 Tim 6:14.

In other words, is it possible to regularly do things(or fail to do things) that we are instructed not to do in the NT without actually sinning against God?

I realize that there are some things that are obviously of paramount importance, (Like believing the Gospel). But what about all those nitty gritty instruction on how to live, how to do church etc. Are all of those binding on us? (as in we have to do them all, all the time) If so why? Romans 13:8 says "the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." That would lead me to believe that as long as you truly are loving your neighbor as yourself there could be ten thousand ways that you could knowingly and purposefully disregard a NT command without displeasing God at all. Is this logic faulty? Where does the bible say that we have to do everything written in the NT perfectly all the time in order to keep from sinning against God?

Does it cramp your style, or what is it you object to?
 
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