Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Keep God's commandments and live, guarding His law as something precious with the closest care given to the apple of the eye. The eye is precious and tender and easily harmed even by a speck, so the law is to be held carefully and kept constantly in view. Keeping the commandments in this way is the way of life, bound up with life and presented as the term of entering into life. This obedience embraces the whole law, including the laws governing the body whose keeping brings life and health, and the seventh-day Sabbath whose restoration breaks bondage and brings delight. Pardon comes through repentance and faith in Christ, who died not to abolish the law but to give another probation and restore transgressors to loyalty, demonstrating that people wholly dependent on God can keep the commandments and live.
Law Guarded as Treasure
The verse commands treasuring God's law and guarding it as something precious, with the closest and most careful guarding given to the apple of the eye. That guarding is connected with keeping the commandments and living by them, cherishing and obeying them as the way to life and health. The figure is chosen because the eye is precious, vulnerable and tender, harmed even by a speck, so it is watched with constant, jealous care. As an accident that destroys a child's sight brings great sorrow, so the law is to be held carefully and kept constantly in view. Its pleasing figures make God's grace familiar and show the simplicity of true godliness.
Keeping the law in this guarded way means striving with the powers of mind God gives to reach its high standard. It calls for unwavering loyalty despite opposition, and for deliberate commitment to obey God and to love His law. Obedience so rendered is not burdensome, and it is wrong to describe it as a terrible affliction. Keeping the commandments in this spirit brings God's recognition and influence, and gives a faithful public witness against sin that may help others receive the truth.
Obedience That Brings Life
Keeping the commandments is the way of life, bound up with life and required for life, presented as the term of salvation leading to entering into life. It is a personal choice to obey all requirements and to give one's life in response to Christ giving His life. It is applied to a life of obedience to Christ in preparation for entering the holy city.
The law to be lived out includes the laws governing the body, so that transgressing nature's laws is also transgressing divine law. Obedience brings life to those who find the commandments and health to the whole body, fitting it for acceptable service. This rests on the word trusted by faith rather than judged by feeling. Those suffering from violation of nature's laws are therefore to be instructed to live in harmony with those laws, including through teaching health principles and through sanitarium work.
The call embraces the whole law including the seventh-day Sabbath. The fourth commandment was broken by changing the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. The third angel's message warns the world to return to obedience and to keep the commandments and the law, and many respond by embracing the Lord's Sabbath. Where this restores respect for the law and observance of the true Sabbath, obeying breaks the yoke of bondage and brings freedom and delight in the Lord.
The law is the standard by which life and character are judged: it reveals sin and condemns the transgressor but cannot save. A conscience that does not condemn does not prove rightness with God until tested by the word. Pardon comes through Christ, received by repentance for sin and faith in Him, and through faith in Jesus and acceptance of His righteousness people may share in the divine nature and live in obedience. Christ died to give another probation and to restore transgressors to loyalty so they can keep the commandments, not to abolish the law or permit continued sin. Jesus demonstrated in human life that people can keep the commandments and live when wholly dependent on God.
Obedience is the test of loyalty showing whether one claiming to be Christian is loyal, and it is a test for the world that is to be urged on others. This involves yielding to Christ, following His guidance in every good and right way, and loving and treasuring the law kept constantly in view, with everlasting life as the promised outcome. Keeping the commandments and cherishing the law are precious safeguards against the devil's snares. Those who keep them belong to the covenant people, whom heavenly help is pledged to resist the devil.
Those who keep Christ's commandments may have His joy even in this world as they prepare to enter the holy city and the kingdom of God. The faithful who hold fast will be kept from the worldwide hour of temptation so no one takes their crown, and the overcomer receives an unfading crown of glory. The verse calls to reform, become zealous in good works, and use every moment diligently in service to God and the salvation of others. Faithful obedience and loyalty to the written word give a public witness against sin that may help others receive the truth, and obedience is not to be misdescribed as a terrible affliction.
Keep God's commandments and live, guarding His law as something precious with the closest care given to the apple of the eye. The eye is precious and tender and easily harmed even by a speck, so the law is to be held carefully and kept constantly in view. Keeping the commandments in this way is the way of life, bound up with life and presented as the term of entering into life. This obedience embraces the whole law, including the laws governing the body whose keeping brings life and health, and the seventh-day Sabbath whose restoration breaks bondage and brings delight. Pardon comes through repentance and faith in Christ, who died not to abolish the law but to give another probation and restore transgressors to loyalty, demonstrating that people wholly dependent on God can keep the commandments and live.
Law Guarded as Treasure
The verse commands treasuring God's law and guarding it as something precious, with the closest and most careful guarding given to the apple of the eye. That guarding is connected with keeping the commandments and living by them, cherishing and obeying them as the way to life and health. The figure is chosen because the eye is precious, vulnerable and tender, harmed even by a speck, so it is watched with constant, jealous care. As an accident that destroys a child's sight brings great sorrow, so the law is to be held carefully and kept constantly in view. Its pleasing figures make God's grace familiar and show the simplicity of true godliness.
Keeping the law in this guarded way means striving with the powers of mind God gives to reach its high standard. It calls for unwavering loyalty despite opposition, and for deliberate commitment to obey God and to love His law. Obedience so rendered is not burdensome, and it is wrong to describe it as a terrible affliction. Keeping the commandments in this spirit brings God's recognition and influence, and gives a faithful public witness against sin that may help others receive the truth.
Obedience That Brings Life
Keeping the commandments is the way of life, bound up with life and required for life, presented as the term of salvation leading to entering into life. It is a personal choice to obey all requirements and to give one's life in response to Christ giving His life. It is applied to a life of obedience to Christ in preparation for entering the holy city.
The law to be lived out includes the laws governing the body, so that transgressing nature's laws is also transgressing divine law. Obedience brings life to those who find the commandments and health to the whole body, fitting it for acceptable service. This rests on the word trusted by faith rather than judged by feeling. Those suffering from violation of nature's laws are therefore to be instructed to live in harmony with those laws, including through teaching health principles and through sanitarium work.
The call embraces the whole law including the seventh-day Sabbath. The fourth commandment was broken by changing the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. The third angel's message warns the world to return to obedience and to keep the commandments and the law, and many respond by embracing the Lord's Sabbath. Where this restores respect for the law and observance of the true Sabbath, obeying breaks the yoke of bondage and brings freedom and delight in the Lord.
The law is the standard by which life and character are judged: it reveals sin and condemns the transgressor but cannot save. A conscience that does not condemn does not prove rightness with God until tested by the word. Pardon comes through Christ, received by repentance for sin and faith in Him, and through faith in Jesus and acceptance of His righteousness people may share in the divine nature and live in obedience. Christ died to give another probation and to restore transgressors to loyalty so they can keep the commandments, not to abolish the law or permit continued sin. Jesus demonstrated in human life that people can keep the commandments and live when wholly dependent on God.
Obedience is the test of loyalty showing whether one claiming to be Christian is loyal, and it is a test for the world that is to be urged on others. This involves yielding to Christ, following His guidance in every good and right way, and loving and treasuring the law kept constantly in view, with everlasting life as the promised outcome. Keeping the commandments and cherishing the law are precious safeguards against the devil's snares. Those who keep them belong to the covenant people, whom heavenly help is pledged to resist the devil.
Those who keep Christ's commandments may have His joy even in this world as they prepare to enter the holy city and the kingdom of God. The faithful who hold fast will be kept from the worldwide hour of temptation so no one takes their crown, and the overcomer receives an unfading crown of glory. The verse calls to reform, become zealous in good works, and use every moment diligently in service to God and the salvation of others. Faithful obedience and loyalty to the written word give a public witness against sin that may help others receive the truth, and obedience is not to be misdescribed as a terrible affliction.