We Need God's Help to Become Obedient - We Need His Powerful Grace
To the degree we are able, we are to obey the moral laws. But without help, it is even impossible to completely love your neighbor as yourself; and without divine help, it is impossible to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And there are other things, that no matter how hard we try, we can't do without obtaining divine assistance, power through grace, to be changed for the better. A few examples:
Being addicted to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, shopping, pornography, etc. - some are so deep as to be genuine bondages that require supernatural help to break.
Being addicted to pass-time pleasures of all sorts. Not that all pleasures are inherently evil; but if we were to feel pain from stopping participation in them, they are an idol in our life. And even if not addicted, the time we spend in their pursuit, is time we could spend preparing for eternity, by seeking to hear and obey God. The love of the world is enmity with God.
Greed can be an addiction, or always wanting something more. That is idolatry - wanting money or anything equal to or more than your desire to please God. All of Christianity has forgotten covetousness. We systematically train our children to covet by creating Christmas lists of wants. People go through life thinking if they just had more money, or a new car, or a better house, or a vacation in Hawaii, they would be happy; but once they get what they want, they have to focus on something else to believe in as the solution to their happiness. See Fox for more on covetousness. Money is not evil; it is the love of money that is evil.
Inability to control our emotions and passions in general.
Addictions and bondages have to be broken with the help of God, his grace, his power to change us. We don't get help by simply asking for it, (except occasionally he does grant us special favors to get rid of serious substance addictions). We get help by humbly going to him as a sinner and waiting on him to help us: by teaching us, counseling us, commanding us, and guiding us out of spiritual Egypt, through the long dry wilderness, until at last we reach the promise land of strength, purity, peace, love and joy - we receive the fruit of the spirit by crucifying the sinful nature within us on the cross of Christ, missing in today's Christianity. As we go to him, he gives us commands. Each of these commands are individually tailored to our life's circumstances, as only our creator knows how to help us. If we obey the words heard , they are written on our heart, added to the inward law; and we receive power to walk as ordered until we finally become pure. So we seek, listen, obey, seek, listen, obey..... seek, listen, obey,.. etc. This is the purification process. It is the crucifixion of the sinful nature. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship .., and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
I saw this law was the pure love of God which was upon me, and which I must go through, though I was troubled while I was under it; for I could not be dead to the law but through the law, which judged and condemned that which is to be condemned. I saw, many talked of the law, who had never known the law to be their schoolmaster; and many talked of the gospel of Christ, who had never known life and immortality brought to light in them by it. You that have been under that schoolmaster, and the condemnation of it, know these things; for though the Lord in that day opened these things unto me in secret, they have been since published by his eternal spirit, as on the house top. And as you are brought into the law, and through the law to be dead to it, and witness the righteousness of the law fulfilled in you, you will afterwards come to know what it is to be brought into Christ, who is the author of, and you will have peace and access to God.
These above two teachings of Jesus are the core teachings of this web site: 1) Come to him, Listen to his words, do the words he gives you - obey his commands. 2) If you Love Jesus, you will obey him. The Father then loves you, and he and Jesus come to you and make their home with you; and their home is the Kingdom of God within you. They dwell in a pure heart.
The Lord has said to me: "Where there is obedience, there is righteousness; without it, you have World War II." Even Adolph Hitler said Jesus was his Lord and Savior. - a sinner saved by grace???? WHILE NOT OBEDIENT???
Man, who originally followed his creator in obedient love, became a rebel to decide his own way, taking thought, judging what is good and bad for himself. When man is restored into the image of God, he ceases to make his own decisions; instead returning to reverent, loving obedience to his creator, of him and of the universe. Part of this restoration is to destroy the rebellious, self-seeking, self-gratifying mind. This is a lengthy process for most. And as the mind is destroyed, the Lord's guidance fills the void. When our selfish nature is slain, we will receive the Spirit of Christ, so that we will be obedient in our love for God - and our obedience is by choice, God not having taken away our free will. Love never insists on its own way. But our love for God will make our obedience to his every wish to be the joy of our life. For never forget - he loves us beyond measure - so whatever he asks will be to our ultimate benefit and total satisfaction. So we obey his every gentle prompting and leading, to both our and his great joy.
So, even Christ did not make his own decisions. He said what he heard the Father say, and he did what he saw the Father do. He followed the promptings of God. We also must have our carnal mind destroyed to the point that we speak and act from the promptings of the Spirit of God; this is the end of obedience - to think, speak, and act according to God's promptings.
A major reason Christ died on the cross, was to show us by example the extent of obedience required; for as he went to the cross in loving obedience to God, so we also must obey the promptings and commands of God, to crucify our sinful nature on the inward cross of self-denial.
Anything relating to form, ceremony, or shadows of what Christ actually replaced - anything that doesn't relate to morals: circumcision, tithing, Sabbath days (a shadow of the rest), meats, days, oaths, dress, water baptism, etc. - all those died with Christ. Obedience to these parts of the law counts for nothing, and belies your faith in Christ's lasting sacrifice.
By his [Jesus'] sufferings, one offering, sacrifice and death, put an end to all the legal offerings, types, shadows, and figures, outward ordinances [tithes], rites and ceremonies, and many washings [baptisms], under the Law of Moses and Levitical Priesthood. (From G. Whitehead's Letter)
There are entire sects built around the Sabbath as part of the Ten Commandments, insisting that worship be on the seventh day, instead of the first day of the week. Because Jesus said not one jot shall pass from the law, they think obeying all of the Ten Commandments is obeying the whole Law. The law is not just the Ten Commandments - it is hundreds of laws relating to ceremonies, rituals, ordinances, Sabbath restrictions, family life, sacrifices, washings, etc. Obeying the Ten Commandments is not obeying the Law.
These false prophets tell you that you have the liberty to continue to sin without God's wrath to follow. These same kind of lies were being spread in the Apostles times, 2000 years ago. Peter references them:
The definition of grace has been twisted into pernicious lies by the false prophets. They say when you repeat the "sinners prayer" or say that Jesus is Lord and/or get baptised, you instantly receive the grace of God to forgive all your past, present, and future sins; excusing you to live the remainder of your life in sin, with their guarantee of you going to heaven when you die.
Consider how completely different the Apostle Paul in Titus defines grace: (what we must be saved by)
Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live righteously and godly in this present world. So to become purified and zealous for good works. Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts is repentance. Grace leads us to repentance. Grace leads us to the inward cross of self-denial, so that we can crucify our sinful nature, to become free from all iniquity and be pure. This is Paul's definition of grace. Can you see how different Paul's definition of grace is from the definition of instant, no-effort grace you have been sold by the false prophets?
One who still sins might mistakenly argue they are redeemed from all iniquity, but not that grace has purified them!
These men were false Christians, who had slipped unnnoticed among the true Christians, preaching freedom to sin through grace by faith in Jesus, but denying Christ to rule their words and actions as their sovereign and Lord, as he did with the real Christians of that time. The false gospel of grace was being sold as salvation 2000 years ago; unfortunately false instant salvation, has become universal, all sects being deficit sects. See the Great Apostasy for more information.
See True Grace vs. False Grace for a complete discussion of how the definition of grace has been twisted into malicious lies.
But the false prophets say you need do nothing; for we are not saved by works, we are saved by faith and grace. They say if you do works, (even carry your cross), you are trying to be justified under the law, and therefore you lose salvation.
Of course we are saved by faith and grace, but after repentance and after carrying our cross in faith for a time - works, through and energized by, faith. We cannot be justified by works alone without faith in Christ, but unless our faith energizes and prompts us to do many good works in obedience, our faith is imagined - make believe Christianity. We cannot be justified by following the Mosaic law, with its hundreds of commands relating to ceremonies, rituals, washings, sacrifices, etc., but you had better be sure, that without works of obedience to the moral core of the law, you will never see the Kingdom of Christ.
Now ask yourself: How many works, or deeds, have I done that have been wrought, or prompted by God and with his help? How many works have I done that God has specifically told me to do, and then helped me to do them? The first works for all are repentance - with God prompting or showing you what to repent from, and then you through sorrow, resolving to do do better - repentance. As Paul said: I declared.. that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. Acts 26:20
