Man Crushed by Law Boulder, Then Walking FreeBible World
5:31 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For this is the love of God, that obedient love keeps His commandments as its proof and expression, and His commandments are not grievous but possible and joyful to keep with the strength He gives. True love is not mere feeling, talk, or religious enthusiasm, but willing, habitual obedience to all ten commandments from a surrendered will, while claims to love God or be holy while breaking the law are false. Such obedience does not earn His love but is the fruit of faith when His love is already received, growing from the new birth and oneness with Christ that brings the heart into harmony with His law. Christ in humanity proved man connected with the Father and Son can obey every requirement, and under grace faith, His blood, and the Holy Spirit pardon transgression and transform mind and will to make loyalty possible. Loving God in this way shows we love His children and overcome the world by faith, bringing peace, freedom, and great reward unto eternal life.
Love Proved by Obedience
For this is the love of God, that keeping His commandments is what love for God means, and willing obedience proves and expresses that love. Love is shown by a sincere desire to know and do His will, by loyalty to God, and by continuing in Christ's love. It is not merely impulse or emotion, but an active principle guided by the will, a firm and surrendered resolve to serve God even unto death. By loving God and keeping His commandments, love for the children of God is also known, requiring loving one's brother instead of hating him.
His commandments are not grievous, meaning they are not a burden to those who obey Him, not a grievous yoke or unpleasant restraint or impossible burden. They are not burdensome to those who truly seek holiness, who delight in His law even while they grieve that they fall short of its requirements. With the strength God gives, believers can obey them and find happiness in doing so, and faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps them.
The law also reveals what sin is, for sin is transgression of the law. All sin is transgression of God's will by substituting human will for God's higher claim, and disobedience and transgression of His precepts bring death. This was shown in Eden, where the one small prohibition was a test of dependence on God and acknowledgment of His sovereignty and authority amid abundance, which made disobedience inexcusable, and keeping His commandments divides the world into only two parties, the obedient keepers and the disobedient breakers.
True Versus False Love
True love for God is proved by willing obedience to His commandments, and His commandments are not a burden to those who obey Him. This love is not mere impulse, emotion, feeling, talk, or religious enthusiasm, but an active, living principle guided by the will, a firm surrendered resolve to serve even unto death. It is a sincere desire to know and do His will, with cheerful submission to His will as expressed in His Word and delight in doing it, coming when self is surrendered and the human will is brought into harmony with the divine will. It is habitual and perfect obedience without hesitancy or doubt, and keeping His commandments never makes a person harsh, rude, or discourteous even toward those thought to be in error, but makes him Christlike. The law also reveals what sin is, for sin is transgression of the law.
Obedience that proves love must be to all ten commandments without selecting out one or two or nine. It includes the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, keeping the sanctified seventh day God blessed as a memorial of creation rather than keeping Sunday, even at the demand of the man of sin. The law leaves no freedom to make exceptions and selections but requires respect unto all His commandments, the first four defining love to God and the last six defining love to man. Conscientiously accepting even the most objectionable features of faith such as the Sabbath makes believers a peculiar people distinct and separate from the world.
Mere feeling, talk about love for God, and claims to know and love Him, to be holy or sanctified, or to have assurance of salvation while breaking the law and living in violation of it are false, delusive, and belong to deception and apostasy. The verse gives the test that proves everyone who claims to be sanctified and to love Jesus while the heart is in rebellion to God's law. Faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps God's commandments, unlike claims of holiness or religious feeling that reject the light of God's law. Those who profess to know and love God must let light shine not by pretension and assertion but by good works revealing the binding claims of His law and the power of Christ to keep from transgression, for works showing little grasp of His requirements dishonor God and put the disobedient in danger of being cut off.
Keeping the commandments does not earn God's love or salvation; it is the loving response and fruit of faith when His love is already received in the soul. When the will is surrendered to God, His love leads people to delight in obeying, and a heart abiding in Christ is brought into harmony with God's law. A profession of faith without obedience is presumption.
Faith Enables Obedience
Obedience grows from the new birth, when divine love is implanted in the heart and the law is written within, bringing the heart into harmony with God and his law and turning the life from transgression to loyalty. Love for God is expressed in keeping His commandments, which are holy, just, and good rather than a grievous yoke, and those who love God love His commandments. Faith does not release from obedience but makes partakers of grace that enables obedience, so obedience through faith in Christ belongs to Bible sanctification and the standard of moral right. This love is found in those led to the cross, who renounce self and all other dependence and take Jesus as complete Redeemer and Saviour, precious to those who believe in Him. Oneness with Christ and the Father brings love and power for following Christ, and those born of God overcome the world through faith.
Keeping the commandments is the great proof of union with Christ and the best expression of love for Him. Love for Christ as His life in the soul leads to practical obedience, by which redeemed people show love in doing what He commands. As branches of the living vine believers bear fruit in this obedience, which Christ intends to share His joy with followers and make their joy full. Christ taking humanity and standing as man's representative proved that man as created and connected with the Father and Son can obey every requirement, meeting God's test with the same help any person may obtain. By this He unmasked the deceiver and settled Satan's claims in the great conflict, exposing as a lie the claim made in heaven and after the fall that Adam's sin proved human beings could not keep God's law, for a ransom had been found.
The hindrance is not the law but sin, which separated man from God and maintains that separation, cutting man off from the connection that makes obedience possible. God's law expresses His nature and the principle of love, His loving character and thoughtful care to protect people from evil, and it is not arbitrary demands or a burdensome restriction on happiness. Its principles preserve rights, restrain oppression and disobedience, and support human happiness and social stability, governing heaven as the law of love, and obedience to those enduring principles is a pledge of eternal life. God gave His holy law as the transcript of His character, and love for Jesus makes obedience from the heart not a hard task, whether watched or alone and whether the way is clear or not, leaving results with God as members of the royal family. The claim that its precepts cannot be obeyed misrepresents it.
Under the covenant of grace obedience is possible, and believers are not to give up trying to obey when tempted or fallen. Faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps God's commandments, and genuine faith is always made manifest in obedience, as Abraham's faith was made perfect by works in offering Isaac, so saying only believe without keeping the law fails to understand faith and works. Through grace freely given because Jesus gave His life to pardon transgression and impart loyalty and character, believers can return to loyalty, follow Christ's example, and become obedient by exerting all God-given powers in humble, perfect obedience to a plain Thus saith the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus obedience makes free rather than bringing servile bondage, and through faith in Jesus as substitute, surety, righteousness, and divine Saviour, divine power is laid hold of so the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those walking after the Spirit. Keeping the commandments is thus the evidence of faith and part of the plain conditions on which salvation and eternal life are assured, bringing great reward, and it calls for turning every stumbling block into an errand to the throne for wisdom and cooperating with Christ and angels to lead souls to obedience, choosing the Father's commandments as Christ kept them rather than the commandments of men.
Born of God Community
By loving God and keeping His commandments it is known that the children of God are loved, for he who loves God loves his brother also instead of hating him. Taken to heart and obeyed, this love surrounds workers and institutions with a healthful atmosphere like a precious odor, a savor of life unto life, and calls for purified, refined, sanctified hearts that are steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. It forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and forbids dealing with them according to human prejudices without the Spirit of God, requiring instead dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness. Those who so obey are brought into harmony with the character of Jesus Christ in every phase of character, ever revealing His meekness and lowliness because they have learned in the school of the great Teacher, and are worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and power in faith to represent Christ to the world. This obedience flows from union and oneness with Jesus Christ by constant exercise of faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and that union produces unity with and love toward one another and the ceasing of all criticism, contention, strife, and division, which distinguishes Christians from all others and makes unity the sure result, while divisions are the fruit of Satan's work.
Keeping the commandments in this way belongs to those born of God, and whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world by faith, with victory through Jesus Christ by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Reading and practicing God's Word is part of living this obedient faith, which overcomes the world and leads to eternal life. Obedience grows from being one with Christ and the Father, expressing love for God as no hard or burdensome duty. Cultivating this obedient love places believers on vantage ground with spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness.
Belief in Christ as a personal Saviour is the only salvation provided for the sinner, for sin is unbelief in Christ and refusal of the truths He came to proclaim, which has made men aliens from God. Christ died to make an atonement for sins and paid the redemption price without which none could be saved, and He now stands at the Father's right hand pleading with power to take away sins. To all who receive Him He gives power to become the sons of God, and because He lives to make intercession those who are obedient to His will shall live also and He will keep them from falling.
Those who love God and keep His commandments are owned by Him as His church and people, where Jesus presides even when only two or three are present, in any place on earth, in the wilderness, in the city, or in prison. They are to receive their influence and recognition from God because they keep His commandments, which are not burdensome, and must not acknowledge any worldly power as superior to God, but demonstrate their influence by keeping them as the apple of the eye. God meets with those who love Him and keep His commandments, and honoring Him includes preparing the very best offering in a neat, humble, attractive, and convenient house of worship where they can assemble and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. To all who love God and keep His commandments the wonderful secret of redemption is told, and the light that enables such obedient believers to be lights in the world comes only through Christ, because He reveals the Father full of grace and truth.
Promise and Reward
Loving obedience brings peace and well-being, happiness and joy and satisfaction rather than hardship, blessing both body and mind with health and freedom from harmful habits such as tobacco and tea. It does not bring the soul into bondage, for the commandments are not impossible or a source of servile bondage, and knowing the truth makes free through the blood of Jesus Christ. Keeping them brings great reward.
God gave the commandments for the good of His people as a protective hedge like a wall around a vineyard, plainly stating the laws of His kingdom, and His goodness and love to all who keep them is very great. To obey them is life, and His promises to abundantly bless His people are fulfilled only on condition of that obedience. Those who keep them know they have the approval of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and fidelity in obeying brings His commendation before all people. Each person decides his own case as recorded in the books of heaven, and those who are faithful and honor God by keeping His commandments correctly represent the character of Christ on earth before believers and unbelievers, keeping the future glorious reward always in view.
Such willing obedience to all His commands at whatever cost to self, seeking to know and do His will without murmuring or finding fault with the law and declaring love by word and action, is well-pleasing in the sight of heaven and places the will on the side of God's will. Then all the promises of God's Word support the faithful and obedient, they may hope in His mercy and build on His immutable counsels and obtain the desires of their hearts, making it their meat to do His will and finish His work. Keeping the commandments is the evidence of faith in Christ as divine Saviour, and through faith in Him as substitute, surety, and righteousness, divine power is laid hold of so that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, as part of the plain and simple conditions on which salvation and eternal life are assured. Willing obedience prepares people to belong to those who as the nation that has kept the truth enter through the gates of the eternal city, eat of the tree of life and have access to it, and enjoy the unsearchable riches of eternity.
Those who so love God are doers of the Word building securely on the eternal Rock, so that the tempest and storm of persecution and the bitterest opposition to God's great moral standard of righteousness will not shake the steadfast soul who trusts fully in God. All things work together for good to those who love God in this way, and even suffering will spread faith, win souls to Christ, and glorify His holy name. No one suffers in obeying, for obedience is life, as shown in Eden where the one prohibition was a small test of dependence on God and acknowledgment of His sovereignty and authority amid abundance to eat, leaving no need to eat of the forbidden tree and making disobedience inexcusable. All sin is transgression of God's will by substituting human will for His higher claim, and keeping His commandments divides the world into only two parties, the obedient commandment keepers and the disobedient commandment breakers. While His people remain firm in allegiance to Him the commandments are not grievous, and in obedience they find wisdom and understanding and an elevation of life and character that even the heathen world recognizes and commends, but when they separate from God and give their powers to the service of the prince of evil they become aware of their inability to carry out the holy enactments of heaven, and the law that was once their delight becomes an unendurable weight.
Living Out Obedience
Genuineness of love for God is best proved by religion in the home, for it is not the stranger, visitor, or minister who can best judge Christian devotion but the children, servants, and workmen who toil in the fields. If the household and workmen are not made better by a person's Christianity, the truth has not wrought its designed work upon the soul. Love claimed while the commandments are not obeyed is cheap, deceptive, and worthless, mere talk and outward show, but genuine love in the family and toward God has value because it is verified by obedience, with parents and children alike ruled by God, His will paramount and His rules allowing no sinless departure. Keeping the commandments includes having morning and evening prayer in the house, not beginning and ending the day with drudgery, and not laying so much work on the Sabbath that there is scarcely time left for secret prayer. Parental indulgence that excuses disobedience to parental commands teaches children to disregard the commands of God. The law given to be obeyed is the best expression of His love, and real service is found by keeping that law while continually looking to Jesus as Author and Finisher of faith; perfectly obeyed, His commandments would make families on earth symbols of the family in heaven.
The spirit of the commandments draws Christ's followers to God and separates them from worldly things, so that love for God and obedience to His commandments cannot be joined with love for the world's pleasures, influences, and friendship. To love God is to love the path of obedience to all His commandments because it is Bible truth, conscientiously accepting even the most objectionable features of faith such as the Sabbath, though that obedience makes believers a peculiar people distinct and separate from the world and turns away many who do not wish to be set apart. Those who deny themselves and sacrifice for Christ, even when counted fools for His sake, are recognized in heaven as people who love God and keep His commandments. This was illustrated by people who came to love God and keep His commandments by accepting the truth and refusing to work on the day they recognized as God's memorial, even at the risk of losing their jobs.
Obedience to God's law is necessary for worship to please Him, and turning away from the law makes even prayer unacceptable.
Those who know the truth are required to labor earnestly and unselfishly to win souls to love God and keep His commandments, as a fitting response to the debt of love owed to Christ who gave His life for them. Bringing others to that love and obedience is the work earthly possessions are to serve, requiring cutting away all superfluity from the soul, refusing to amass worldly riches and lose sight of the promised reward, and instead using means to win souls to Christ and carry the gospel message to all parts of the world, choosing eternity of bliss over being recognized and honored by the world. Love proved by keeping the commandments and precepts that govern His kingdom is tested by working to win souls to Christ, for those who have the truth and are truly converted subordinate themselves as living, working agencies with Jesus Christ to draw souls to Him, and none stands as an idle looker-on, because every individual must act a part in seeking to save the lost and inactivity without work brings spiritual death. This requires diligent study of the Bible to gain knowledge of His laws, and when a Thus saith the Lord is discerned it is to be obeyed cheerfully whatever the cost, without asking the opinion of men, bringing the blessing of God to rest upon the obedient and reflecting glory to Him. All who so obey receive great encouragement from the testimonies of others who have received justification through faith, been delivered from bondage, gained clearer and more distinct views of the love of Jesus, been made joyful in God, and advanced in mercy and blessing in their labor.
Taken to heart and obeyed, loving God and keeping His commandments brings a different state of things in institutions, surrounding workers with a healthful atmosphere like a precious odor, a savor of life unto life. It forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and forbids dealing with them according to human prejudices without the Spirit of God; it requires dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness, for he who loves God loves his brother also. Keeping God's commandments with cheerful submission to His will as expressed in His Word, with willing obedience and delight in doing His will, comes when self is surrendered, mind and heart sanctified by receiving truth, human will brought into harmony with divine will, and faith in Christ imparts strength for obedience. Such obedience never makes a person harsh, rude, discourteous, impolite, or disagreeable, even toward those thought to be in error, but makes him Christlike and fit to save the erring from evil ways. Love joined with faith produces obedience that softens and subdues the heart, governs the tongue, and makes people kind, courteous, respectful, beneficent, compassionate, and humble, and genuine Christlike love is the best guide for teaching others to obey God. Those who make this profession must be very careful with their words, proclaim the message of truth more decidedly, present the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to souls deceived and being deceived, call those who have erred to stand on the platform of eternal truth to do thorough work in preparation for immortal life, refuse to vindicate those who continue in opposition to a plain Thus saith the Lord, and refrain from words of condemnation against brethren that only stir up retaliation. Those who love God and keep His commandments show sympathy to others, especially to the oppressed and suffering, sharing in their sorrow and joy, shaped by Christ's self-sacrificing love and tenderness. When the love of Jesus Christ pervades the soul, a person stops speaking harsh, critical words against brethren who love God and keep His commandments just as conscientiously, and instead loves them as brethren with pity and courtesy, for loving God and keeping His commandments belong together with loving His children.
Those who obey are brought into harmony with the character of Jesus Christ in every phase of character, ever revealing His meekness and lowliness because they have learned in the school of the great Teacher, and worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and power to represent Christ to the world. This obedience purifies the church from all contention and strife and makes unity the sure result, while divisions are the fruit of Satan's work. Those who love God and keep His law and commandments are to unify on the truths that have called them out from the world as God's denominated people, and their harmony will convince those in the world that God sent His Son to save sinners, for God is love and all who truly practice the truth bear the precious fruit of love.
Loving God and keeping His commandments makes a well-doing possible for all, which is living moment by moment in trustful dependence on Christ, honoring God's name as sons of God, glorifying God on earth, walking before Him in all humility of mind, and being living witnesses for the Master in Christlike usefulness and holiness that associates can see in the life.
Those who love God and keep His commandments are His people, God meets with them, and honoring Him includes preparing the very best offering in a neat, humble, attractive, and convenient house of worship where they can assemble and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Jesus Christ uses those who love God and keep His commandments to establish His schools, and the students in those schools belong to Him. Care for such people means they should not go without food or clothing when help can be given.
To love God is to keep His commandments, and this is the science of education. All who teach the youth must have the fear of God as the foundation of their knowledge, for this is the beginning of wisdom. Years of training mean nothing without touching the very beginning, the a-b-c of spirituality, the a-b-c of devotion, the a-b-c of self-sacrifice. Intelligent study of the Word of God gives this knowledge and is the foundation of all education, central to devotion and true education.
For this is the love of God, that obedient love keeps His commandments as its proof and expression, and His commandments are not grievous but possible and joyful to keep with the strength He gives. True love is not mere feeling, talk, or religious enthusiasm, but willing, habitual obedience to all ten commandments from a surrendered will, while claims to love God or be holy while breaking the law are false. Such obedience does not earn His love but is the fruit of faith when His love is already received, growing from the new birth and oneness with Christ that brings the heart into harmony with His law. Christ in humanity proved man connected with the Father and Son can obey every requirement, and under grace faith, His blood, and the Holy Spirit pardon transgression and transform mind and will to make loyalty possible. Loving God in this way shows we love His children and overcome the world by faith, bringing peace, freedom, and great reward unto eternal life.
Love Proved by Obedience
For this is the love of God, that keeping His commandments is what love for God means, and willing obedience proves and expresses that love. Love is shown by a sincere desire to know and do His will, by loyalty to God, and by continuing in Christ's love. It is not merely impulse or emotion, but an active principle guided by the will, a firm and surrendered resolve to serve God even unto death. By loving God and keeping His commandments, love for the children of God is also known, requiring loving one's brother instead of hating him.
His commandments are not grievous, meaning they are not a burden to those who obey Him, not a grievous yoke or unpleasant restraint or impossible burden. They are not burdensome to those who truly seek holiness, who delight in His law even while they grieve that they fall short of its requirements. With the strength God gives, believers can obey them and find happiness in doing so, and faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps them.
The law also reveals what sin is, for sin is transgression of the law. All sin is transgression of God's will by substituting human will for God's higher claim, and disobedience and transgression of His precepts bring death. This was shown in Eden, where the one small prohibition was a test of dependence on God and acknowledgment of His sovereignty and authority amid abundance, which made disobedience inexcusable, and keeping His commandments divides the world into only two parties, the obedient keepers and the disobedient breakers.
True Versus False Love
True love for God is proved by willing obedience to His commandments, and His commandments are not a burden to those who obey Him. This love is not mere impulse, emotion, feeling, talk, or religious enthusiasm, but an active, living principle guided by the will, a firm surrendered resolve to serve even unto death. It is a sincere desire to know and do His will, with cheerful submission to His will as expressed in His Word and delight in doing it, coming when self is surrendered and the human will is brought into harmony with the divine will. It is habitual and perfect obedience without hesitancy or doubt, and keeping His commandments never makes a person harsh, rude, or discourteous even toward those thought to be in error, but makes him Christlike. The law also reveals what sin is, for sin is transgression of the law.
Obedience that proves love must be to all ten commandments without selecting out one or two or nine. It includes the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, keeping the sanctified seventh day God blessed as a memorial of creation rather than keeping Sunday, even at the demand of the man of sin. The law leaves no freedom to make exceptions and selections but requires respect unto all His commandments, the first four defining love to God and the last six defining love to man. Conscientiously accepting even the most objectionable features of faith such as the Sabbath makes believers a peculiar people distinct and separate from the world.
Mere feeling, talk about love for God, and claims to know and love Him, to be holy or sanctified, or to have assurance of salvation while breaking the law and living in violation of it are false, delusive, and belong to deception and apostasy. The verse gives the test that proves everyone who claims to be sanctified and to love Jesus while the heart is in rebellion to God's law. Faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps God's commandments, unlike claims of holiness or religious feeling that reject the light of God's law. Those who profess to know and love God must let light shine not by pretension and assertion but by good works revealing the binding claims of His law and the power of Christ to keep from transgression, for works showing little grasp of His requirements dishonor God and put the disobedient in danger of being cut off.
Keeping the commandments does not earn God's love or salvation; it is the loving response and fruit of faith when His love is already received in the soul. When the will is surrendered to God, His love leads people to delight in obeying, and a heart abiding in Christ is brought into harmony with God's law. A profession of faith without obedience is presumption.
Faith Enables Obedience
Obedience grows from the new birth, when divine love is implanted in the heart and the law is written within, bringing the heart into harmony with God and his law and turning the life from transgression to loyalty. Love for God is expressed in keeping His commandments, which are holy, just, and good rather than a grievous yoke, and those who love God love His commandments. Faith does not release from obedience but makes partakers of grace that enables obedience, so obedience through faith in Christ belongs to Bible sanctification and the standard of moral right. This love is found in those led to the cross, who renounce self and all other dependence and take Jesus as complete Redeemer and Saviour, precious to those who believe in Him. Oneness with Christ and the Father brings love and power for following Christ, and those born of God overcome the world through faith.
Keeping the commandments is the great proof of union with Christ and the best expression of love for Him. Love for Christ as His life in the soul leads to practical obedience, by which redeemed people show love in doing what He commands. As branches of the living vine believers bear fruit in this obedience, which Christ intends to share His joy with followers and make their joy full. Christ taking humanity and standing as man's representative proved that man as created and connected with the Father and Son can obey every requirement, meeting God's test with the same help any person may obtain. By this He unmasked the deceiver and settled Satan's claims in the great conflict, exposing as a lie the claim made in heaven and after the fall that Adam's sin proved human beings could not keep God's law, for a ransom had been found.
The hindrance is not the law but sin, which separated man from God and maintains that separation, cutting man off from the connection that makes obedience possible. God's law expresses His nature and the principle of love, His loving character and thoughtful care to protect people from evil, and it is not arbitrary demands or a burdensome restriction on happiness. Its principles preserve rights, restrain oppression and disobedience, and support human happiness and social stability, governing heaven as the law of love, and obedience to those enduring principles is a pledge of eternal life. God gave His holy law as the transcript of His character, and love for Jesus makes obedience from the heart not a hard task, whether watched or alone and whether the way is clear or not, leaving results with God as members of the royal family. The claim that its precepts cannot be obeyed misrepresents it.
Under the covenant of grace obedience is possible, and believers are not to give up trying to obey when tempted or fallen. Faith in Christ works righteousness and keeps God's commandments, and genuine faith is always made manifest in obedience, as Abraham's faith was made perfect by works in offering Isaac, so saying only believe without keeping the law fails to understand faith and works. Through grace freely given because Jesus gave His life to pardon transgression and impart loyalty and character, believers can return to loyalty, follow Christ's example, and become obedient by exerting all God-given powers in humble, perfect obedience to a plain Thus saith the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus obedience makes free rather than bringing servile bondage, and through faith in Jesus as substitute, surety, righteousness, and divine Saviour, divine power is laid hold of so the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those walking after the Spirit. Keeping the commandments is thus the evidence of faith and part of the plain conditions on which salvation and eternal life are assured, bringing great reward, and it calls for turning every stumbling block into an errand to the throne for wisdom and cooperating with Christ and angels to lead souls to obedience, choosing the Father's commandments as Christ kept them rather than the commandments of men.
Born of God Community
By loving God and keeping His commandments it is known that the children of God are loved, for he who loves God loves his brother also instead of hating him. Taken to heart and obeyed, this love surrounds workers and institutions with a healthful atmosphere like a precious odor, a savor of life unto life, and calls for purified, refined, sanctified hearts that are steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. It forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and forbids dealing with them according to human prejudices without the Spirit of God, requiring instead dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness. Those who so obey are brought into harmony with the character of Jesus Christ in every phase of character, ever revealing His meekness and lowliness because they have learned in the school of the great Teacher, and are worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and power in faith to represent Christ to the world. This obedience flows from union and oneness with Jesus Christ by constant exercise of faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and that union produces unity with and love toward one another and the ceasing of all criticism, contention, strife, and division, which distinguishes Christians from all others and makes unity the sure result, while divisions are the fruit of Satan's work.
Keeping the commandments in this way belongs to those born of God, and whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world by faith, with victory through Jesus Christ by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Reading and practicing God's Word is part of living this obedient faith, which overcomes the world and leads to eternal life. Obedience grows from being one with Christ and the Father, expressing love for God as no hard or burdensome duty. Cultivating this obedient love places believers on vantage ground with spiritual dominion over the powers of darkness.
Belief in Christ as a personal Saviour is the only salvation provided for the sinner, for sin is unbelief in Christ and refusal of the truths He came to proclaim, which has made men aliens from God. Christ died to make an atonement for sins and paid the redemption price without which none could be saved, and He now stands at the Father's right hand pleading with power to take away sins. To all who receive Him He gives power to become the sons of God, and because He lives to make intercession those who are obedient to His will shall live also and He will keep them from falling.
Those who love God and keep His commandments are owned by Him as His church and people, where Jesus presides even when only two or three are present, in any place on earth, in the wilderness, in the city, or in prison. They are to receive their influence and recognition from God because they keep His commandments, which are not burdensome, and must not acknowledge any worldly power as superior to God, but demonstrate their influence by keeping them as the apple of the eye. God meets with those who love Him and keep His commandments, and honoring Him includes preparing the very best offering in a neat, humble, attractive, and convenient house of worship where they can assemble and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. To all who love God and keep His commandments the wonderful secret of redemption is told, and the light that enables such obedient believers to be lights in the world comes only through Christ, because He reveals the Father full of grace and truth.
Promise and Reward
Loving obedience brings peace and well-being, happiness and joy and satisfaction rather than hardship, blessing both body and mind with health and freedom from harmful habits such as tobacco and tea. It does not bring the soul into bondage, for the commandments are not impossible or a source of servile bondage, and knowing the truth makes free through the blood of Jesus Christ. Keeping them brings great reward.
God gave the commandments for the good of His people as a protective hedge like a wall around a vineyard, plainly stating the laws of His kingdom, and His goodness and love to all who keep them is very great. To obey them is life, and His promises to abundantly bless His people are fulfilled only on condition of that obedience. Those who keep them know they have the approval of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and fidelity in obeying brings His commendation before all people. Each person decides his own case as recorded in the books of heaven, and those who are faithful and honor God by keeping His commandments correctly represent the character of Christ on earth before believers and unbelievers, keeping the future glorious reward always in view.
Such willing obedience to all His commands at whatever cost to self, seeking to know and do His will without murmuring or finding fault with the law and declaring love by word and action, is well-pleasing in the sight of heaven and places the will on the side of God's will. Then all the promises of God's Word support the faithful and obedient, they may hope in His mercy and build on His immutable counsels and obtain the desires of their hearts, making it their meat to do His will and finish His work. Keeping the commandments is the evidence of faith in Christ as divine Saviour, and through faith in Him as substitute, surety, and righteousness, divine power is laid hold of so that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, as part of the plain and simple conditions on which salvation and eternal life are assured. Willing obedience prepares people to belong to those who as the nation that has kept the truth enter through the gates of the eternal city, eat of the tree of life and have access to it, and enjoy the unsearchable riches of eternity.
Those who so love God are doers of the Word building securely on the eternal Rock, so that the tempest and storm of persecution and the bitterest opposition to God's great moral standard of righteousness will not shake the steadfast soul who trusts fully in God. All things work together for good to those who love God in this way, and even suffering will spread faith, win souls to Christ, and glorify His holy name. No one suffers in obeying, for obedience is life, as shown in Eden where the one prohibition was a small test of dependence on God and acknowledgment of His sovereignty and authority amid abundance to eat, leaving no need to eat of the forbidden tree and making disobedience inexcusable. All sin is transgression of God's will by substituting human will for His higher claim, and keeping His commandments divides the world into only two parties, the obedient commandment keepers and the disobedient commandment breakers. While His people remain firm in allegiance to Him the commandments are not grievous, and in obedience they find wisdom and understanding and an elevation of life and character that even the heathen world recognizes and commends, but when they separate from God and give their powers to the service of the prince of evil they become aware of their inability to carry out the holy enactments of heaven, and the law that was once their delight becomes an unendurable weight.
Living Out Obedience
Genuineness of love for God is best proved by religion in the home, for it is not the stranger, visitor, or minister who can best judge Christian devotion but the children, servants, and workmen who toil in the fields. If the household and workmen are not made better by a person's Christianity, the truth has not wrought its designed work upon the soul. Love claimed while the commandments are not obeyed is cheap, deceptive, and worthless, mere talk and outward show, but genuine love in the family and toward God has value because it is verified by obedience, with parents and children alike ruled by God, His will paramount and His rules allowing no sinless departure. Keeping the commandments includes having morning and evening prayer in the house, not beginning and ending the day with drudgery, and not laying so much work on the Sabbath that there is scarcely time left for secret prayer. Parental indulgence that excuses disobedience to parental commands teaches children to disregard the commands of God. The law given to be obeyed is the best expression of His love, and real service is found by keeping that law while continually looking to Jesus as Author and Finisher of faith; perfectly obeyed, His commandments would make families on earth symbols of the family in heaven.
The spirit of the commandments draws Christ's followers to God and separates them from worldly things, so that love for God and obedience to His commandments cannot be joined with love for the world's pleasures, influences, and friendship. To love God is to love the path of obedience to all His commandments because it is Bible truth, conscientiously accepting even the most objectionable features of faith such as the Sabbath, though that obedience makes believers a peculiar people distinct and separate from the world and turns away many who do not wish to be set apart. Those who deny themselves and sacrifice for Christ, even when counted fools for His sake, are recognized in heaven as people who love God and keep His commandments. This was illustrated by people who came to love God and keep His commandments by accepting the truth and refusing to work on the day they recognized as God's memorial, even at the risk of losing their jobs.
Obedience to God's law is necessary for worship to please Him, and turning away from the law makes even prayer unacceptable.
Those who know the truth are required to labor earnestly and unselfishly to win souls to love God and keep His commandments, as a fitting response to the debt of love owed to Christ who gave His life for them. Bringing others to that love and obedience is the work earthly possessions are to serve, requiring cutting away all superfluity from the soul, refusing to amass worldly riches and lose sight of the promised reward, and instead using means to win souls to Christ and carry the gospel message to all parts of the world, choosing eternity of bliss over being recognized and honored by the world. Love proved by keeping the commandments and precepts that govern His kingdom is tested by working to win souls to Christ, for those who have the truth and are truly converted subordinate themselves as living, working agencies with Jesus Christ to draw souls to Him, and none stands as an idle looker-on, because every individual must act a part in seeking to save the lost and inactivity without work brings spiritual death. This requires diligent study of the Bible to gain knowledge of His laws, and when a Thus saith the Lord is discerned it is to be obeyed cheerfully whatever the cost, without asking the opinion of men, bringing the blessing of God to rest upon the obedient and reflecting glory to Him. All who so obey receive great encouragement from the testimonies of others who have received justification through faith, been delivered from bondage, gained clearer and more distinct views of the love of Jesus, been made joyful in God, and advanced in mercy and blessing in their labor.
Taken to heart and obeyed, loving God and keeping His commandments brings a different state of things in institutions, surrounding workers with a healthful atmosphere like a precious odor, a savor of life unto life. It forbids loud, determined decisions against those who are chosen of God and precious, and forbids dealing with them according to human prejudices without the Spirit of God; it requires dealing with them according to the law of God in kindness, for he who loves God loves his brother also. Keeping God's commandments with cheerful submission to His will as expressed in His Word, with willing obedience and delight in doing His will, comes when self is surrendered, mind and heart sanctified by receiving truth, human will brought into harmony with divine will, and faith in Christ imparts strength for obedience. Such obedience never makes a person harsh, rude, discourteous, impolite, or disagreeable, even toward those thought to be in error, but makes him Christlike and fit to save the erring from evil ways. Love joined with faith produces obedience that softens and subdues the heart, governs the tongue, and makes people kind, courteous, respectful, beneficent, compassionate, and humble, and genuine Christlike love is the best guide for teaching others to obey God. Those who make this profession must be very careful with their words, proclaim the message of truth more decidedly, present the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to souls deceived and being deceived, call those who have erred to stand on the platform of eternal truth to do thorough work in preparation for immortal life, refuse to vindicate those who continue in opposition to a plain Thus saith the Lord, and refrain from words of condemnation against brethren that only stir up retaliation. Those who love God and keep His commandments show sympathy to others, especially to the oppressed and suffering, sharing in their sorrow and joy, shaped by Christ's self-sacrificing love and tenderness. When the love of Jesus Christ pervades the soul, a person stops speaking harsh, critical words against brethren who love God and keep His commandments just as conscientiously, and instead loves them as brethren with pity and courtesy, for loving God and keeping His commandments belong together with loving His children.
Those who obey are brought into harmony with the character of Jesus Christ in every phase of character, ever revealing His meekness and lowliness because they have learned in the school of the great Teacher, and worked by the Holy Spirit with daily increased faith and power to represent Christ to the world. This obedience purifies the church from all contention and strife and makes unity the sure result, while divisions are the fruit of Satan's work. Those who love God and keep His law and commandments are to unify on the truths that have called them out from the world as God's denominated people, and their harmony will convince those in the world that God sent His Son to save sinners, for God is love and all who truly practice the truth bear the precious fruit of love.
Loving God and keeping His commandments makes a well-doing possible for all, which is living moment by moment in trustful dependence on Christ, honoring God's name as sons of God, glorifying God on earth, walking before Him in all humility of mind, and being living witnesses for the Master in Christlike usefulness and holiness that associates can see in the life.
Those who love God and keep His commandments are His people, God meets with them, and honoring Him includes preparing the very best offering in a neat, humble, attractive, and convenient house of worship where they can assemble and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Jesus Christ uses those who love God and keep His commandments to establish His schools, and the students in those schools belong to Him. Care for such people means they should not go without food or clothing when help can be given.
To love God is to keep His commandments, and this is the science of education. All who teach the youth must have the fear of God as the foundation of their knowledge, for this is the beginning of wisdom. Years of training mean nothing without touching the very beginning, the a-b-c of spirituality, the a-b-c of devotion, the a-b-c of self-sacrifice. Intelligent study of the Word of God gives this knowledge and is the foundation of all education, central to devotion and true education.