If We Keep His Commandments

[Christsfreeservant]

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:1-6 ESV).​

The goal of our salvation from sin is not just so we get to go to heaven when we die. The goal of our salvation from sin is that we might cease from sinning, that sin would no longer be our habit, our practice, i.e. what we obey in place of obeying the Lord and his commands (New Covenant). For Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. He died to free us from our slavery to sin so we would now follow him in obedience.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

But this is not to say that we will never sin. We still live in flesh bodies, and we will still be tempted to sin, and we might sin at times. But sin should not be our practice, i.e. it should not be that which we run to instead of running to God, and that which is our habit, and not walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. We should not still be people who engage in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord, and against other humans, while professing faith in Jesus Christ, and while claiming heaven as our eternal destiny.

For, the Scriptures teach us here that the way in which we know that we have come to know God/Christ is if we keep (obey) his commandments, in practice. Therefore, if we say that we intimately know God/Christ, i.e. that we are in personal relationship with Jesus Christ, by faith in him, but we do not keep (obey) his commandments (New Covenant) in practice, then we are liars, and the truth is not in us, just like those who claim to be in fellowship with Christ while they still are walking in the darkness (sin).

But it is whoever is keeping (obeying, in practice) our Lord’s commands under the New Covenant who knows God intimately and personally and who is in fellowship with him. And his commands to us are written down for us all throughout the New Testament Scriptures. Fundamentally they are that we forsake our sinful lifestyles to now follow our Lord in surrender to his will for our lives, and that we no longer walk in sin but now in godly living and in holiness and in righteousness, in the power of God, by the grace of God.

And Jesus Christ is our model we are to follow after. Yes, he was sinless, but he was still in a flesh body, and he was still tempted to sin, and he still had the propensity to sin, so he had to resist sin in much the same ways that we do, and he had to tell his flesh “NO!” and he had to submit to the will of his Father in heaven, just like we do. And we are also to follow his model in godly and in holy living and in serving God with our lives. We are to walk in a similar manner as he walked in obedience to God, and in his service.

But the situation we are in today, at least here in America, is that so many of our “ministers of the gospel” are not teaching what John taught. Some of them are discarding his writings in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John altogether. But even if they do, Paul taught the same thing, as did Jesus and the other NT apostles. Not one of them taught that we can be saved from our sins and on our way to heaven regardless of how we live and on the basis of a once in a lifetime profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Thus, many of these false “ministers of the gospel” are circumventing the truth of the gospel in order to spread their lies. They are lying about the truth of the gospel in order to convince the people that they should discard the truth as trash so that they will then embrace the literal trash as truth. And the masses seem to be following them in their lies, for it appears that the majority of professers of faith in Christ in America are following the lies and they are rejecting and discarding the truth as though it is trash.

And they don’t wait until the truth is declared. They prepare the people in advance for when they hear key phrases that they are to reject anything coming after that as though it is “works salvation” which is to be discarded. And they utilize Scriptures which they pull out of context to make them say what they do not say in context, but to prove their point. And so they have convinced many people to discard the truth as lies and to accept the lies as truth, all on the basis of a lie from hell which is leading the masses astray.

So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who read them in context, and who are open to hearing from the Lord what he has to teach us from his word, and who are testing what we are hearing from other humans against the Scriptures, but IN CONTEXT! And then we need to be those who are following our Lord in obedience and who are living holy lives and who are no longer walking in deliberate and habitual sin. And all this is possible by the grace of God, in the power of God, if we will surrender our all to God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

Lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1739
Music by Carl G. Glaser, 1828

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease—
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin,
He sets the pris’ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, list’ning to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever giv’n
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heav’n.

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[Buzzard3]

But the situation we are in today, at least here in America, is that so many of our “ministers of the gospel” are not teaching what John taught. Some of them are discarding his writings in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John altogether. But even if they do, Paul taught the same thing, as did Jesus and the other NT apostles. Not one of them taught that we can be saved from our sins and on our way to heaven regardless of how we live and on the basis of a once in a lifetime profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Thus, many of these false “ministers of the gospel” are circumventing the truth of the gospel in order to spread their lies.

Well said. They ignore verses like these:

The "saints" are "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12, see also Rev 12:17).


Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile" (1Peter 1:14-27).


Salvation thru faith alone amounts to a false gospel. It appeals to those who aren't prepared to sacrifice for the Lord, the pleasure of their favourite sin(s).

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Well said. They ignore verses like these:

The "saints" are "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12, see also Rev 12:17).


Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile" (1Peter 1:14-27).


Salvation thru faith alone amounts to a false gospel. It appeals to those who aren't prepared to sacrifice for the Lord, the pleasure of their favourite sin(s).

Thank you. Yes, those Scriptures are largely being ignored, sadly so. But a lot of this stems, too, from misunderstanding what faith is, that it comes from God, and it is not of our own doing, and that it is persuaded and empowered by God, and it is gifted to us by God, and therefore this faith is going to submit to God and to his will and purposes for our lives. But it is largely being mistaught as some verbal confession of Christ as Savior and Lord but with no obedience required. And far too many people are believing the lies and not the truth of the Scriptures.

 

[Buzzard3]

Thank you. Yes, those Scriptures are largely being ignored, sadly so. But a lot of this stems, too, from misunderstanding what faith is, that it comes from God, and it is not of our own doing, and that it is persuaded and empowered by God, and it is gifted to us by God, and therefore this faith is going to submit to God and to his will and purposes for our lives.

Why would anyone think God doesn't care if we obey him or not? Of course he wants us to obey him! One doesn’t have to be very smart to work that much out, surely.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Why would anyone think God doesn't care if we obey him or not? Of course he wants us to obey him! One doesn’t have to be very smart to work that much out, surely.

Many preachers are telling their people that "faith" requires no obedience, no repentance, and no works. I hear it from people all the time.

 

[Buzzard3]

Many preachers are telling their people that "faith" requires no obedience, no repentance, and no works. I hear it from people all the time.

In that case, they're preaching "dead" faith and a.dead gospel .... "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

They must have a different Bible to mine. In Rev 2 and 3, Jesus judges the seven churches according to their "works", promises eternal life to the believer who "overcomes" his sinful works, and declares some believers "worthy" of eternal life according to their works (Rev 3:4-5).