Commandments
I have noticed a lot of teaching about Grace and not much about following the commandments of God. It saddens me to see that many in the Body of Christ believe that ‘because we are under grace’ we no longer have to worry about following the commandments of God. I just recently read a website which was teaching this very thing (in the belief that Jesus has taken care of our sin - past, present and future and we need not worry about consequences anymore). It grieved me greatly. I believe it grieved the Holy Spirit too as today whilst reading the word this is what I believe I heard Him speak to me, “My Children have lost sight of the commandments. They think because they are under grace they no longer have to follow My law. Oh how wrong they are.”
A few days earlier I came across some Scriptures that confirmed what I had already written about the law of God. My belief is that the law of God is still in effect and was not taken away or abolished contrary to the belief of many that it has. The law of God I am referring to is His moral law. It tells us RIGHT AND WRONG regarding conduct and character. Right and wrong is defined only by God. The law of God which prescribes the moral or social duties, and prohibits the violation of them. The Law of God is His character. The very essence of Who He is. God doesn't change. The law of God is the Ten Commandments and various other commands given to Moses and the Prophets. It is also the commands given to us by Jesus Himself. The Law of God is in our minds and written on our hearts by the finger of God. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Hebrews 8:7-10, NKJV). The word laws in this passage in Greek is Nomos and Towrah in Hebrew (Jeremiah 31:33) and means 1b) of the Mosaic law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents 1c) the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love. The law written on our hearts and in our minds is His Moral Law which includes the Ten Commandments. The Bible tells us not to sin. Breaking the moral law of God is a sin. Operating in the works of the flesh is a sin. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:19-23, KJV). God’s moral law is all about love - Loving God, loving ourselves and loving others! As Christians God requires us to still abide by His Moral Law of LOVE. As ambassadors of Christ we must be seen to be different to the world. Adhering to the Law of God is also a form of worship. It shows Him we love and respect Him.
The Scripture that is commonly used that the law of God was taken away is Galatians 3:13-14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14, NKJV). The 'curse of the law' was the penalty system of punishment for those that failed to keep the law. The good news is that the penalty system for not keeping the law is gone. WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE LAW! The penalties ranged from 'being unclean to the evening' (Leviticus 11:24-28) to 'making an offering' (Leviticus 5:5-6) to being 'cut off' (Leviticus 7:27) and to 'the death penalty' (Exodus 31:14). The Law of God is what He views as right and wrong. The Law of God however is still in effect. Do we then make void (not valid or legally binding) the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish (set up on a permanent basis) the law (Romans 3:31, NKJV). The Law was never removed, only the penalties. The law of God is good because it shows us the standard in which we as followers of Christ should live, but keeping the law does not earn your salvation, or make you become righteous. It also does not earn you favour with God or justify you, nor can it heal you or release your inheritance. You are already justified and made righteous because Christ in you makes you righteous. You are saved through faith by believing in Christ for your salvation and you already have favour with God because you are adopted as a son/daughter upon salvation. The shed blood of Jesus Christ heals you as it remits the sin, and you gain your inheritance as you yield your life to Christ by obeying Him and allowing Him to put to death the old you.
Another common Scripture one uses for the belief that the law was abolished is Hebrews 8:13. In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13, NKJV). The Old Covenant is obsolete in the sense that nothing we can do in the way of works enables us be in right standing with God or earn our salvation. The Old Covenant system was about earning our salvation through works of righteousness by keeping the law and ceremonial traditions. The New Covenant is about us already being righteous, inheriting salvation and being right standing with God by believing and accepting Jesus into our lives. The love of God is the basis of the new Covenant and it is based on faith. Faith in the belief of Jesus and His work on the cross. Keeping the moral law should now be about 'worship' and 'resisting the devil so he flees from you'. Keeping the law has nothing to do with your salvation or being in right standing with God. Only faith in Jesus can render you righteous and His Blood justifies you.
You should still live by God's moral law? The moral law of God is good and right. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12, NKJV). God’s law is about right and wrong. The entire basis of Gods law is LOVE - to love Him, love ourselves and to love others. We need to choose to always do the right thing, but this in no way earns our salvation. Adhering to the Law of God is also a form of worship. It shows Him we love and respect Him. Instead of seeing the law and focusing on the law it is actually far easier to instead focus on love - which is walking with Him in a personal relationship focused on loving Him, loving others and loving ourselves. The Holy Spirit in us helps us to achieve this. We are not left on our own to achieve this and don't need to feel condemnation when we mess up. God knows we are imperfect and does not expect perfection from us. This is the sanctification process we walk through to become Christ-like. We cannot do this in our own strength, it is impossible. Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17, NKJV). I took the word fulfil back to Greek, which is pleroo and is translated to make full, to fill to the full – to cause to abound and to 'complete' and 'to carry through until the end'. Jesus fulfilled the whole requirements of the law so we didn't have to. Why? Because in our own strength it was impossible! His words 'It is done" means He fulfilled the requirements of the law set by God to inherit all that God had promised through the keeping of the law. Jesus then comes to complete and carry through to the end the fulfilment of His work on the cross 'through us' as we allow Him to sanctify and cleanse us from all sin through His Holy Spirit working in us. He helps us to achieve this. God’s objective is to transform us into the express image of His son Jesus. This is possible and can happen to us whilst on earth. It is when we are glorified - walking in the fullness of God with no spot or wrinkle, then and only then has Jesus completely fulfilled the law through us. In the next verse He goes on to say; For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:18, NKJV). Currently Heaven and earth have not passed away! This is still to come. The moment you are saved everything becomes new. You are no longer under the old Covenant punishment system. You are under the New Covenant system of Love. Upon salvation your spirit-man is born-again. Unfortunately your flesh (physical body and soul) still needs to be crucified to come into alignment with the born-again spirit. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15, NKJV).
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-36, NKJV).
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40, NKJV). The word hang in this Scripture is Kremannumi and means ‘used of the Law and the Prophets, they are summed up or hanging on two precepts’. So we see by this that the commandments spoken by Jesus sum up all the law which includes the Ten Commandments and various other commands given by God to the Prophets. These commandments including the new one spoken by Jesus did not replace the Ten Commandments, they simply summed them up. Summed up simply means to present something in a condensed form. The law of God is still to be obeyed by Christians today and is further reiterated by Jesus as He was about to ascend to the Father and further on by Paul and John.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV).
And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us (1 John 3:22-24, NKJV).
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:1-6, NKJV). The word commandments in this passage in Greek is Entole and means Order, command, charge. A prescribed rule in which a thing is done. Ethically used of the commandments in the Mosaic law or Jewish tradition.
More of the Ten Commandments that Paul reiterates in his letters:
- Do not worship other gods: Paul emphasizes the worship of the one true God (e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).
- Do not make idols: Paul speaks against idolatry (e.g., 1 Corinthians 10:14).
- Honor your father and mother: Paul reinforces this commandment (e.g., Ephesians 6:1-3).
- Do not murder: Paul upholds this commandment (e.g., Romans 13:9).
- Do not commit adultery: Paul addresses sexual immorality (e.g., Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
- Do not steal: Paul speaks against stealing (e.g., Ephesians 4:28).
- Do not bear false witness: Paul promotes truthfulness (e.g., Colossians 3:9).
- Do not covet: Paul specifically mentions this commandment (e.g., Romans 7:7; Romans 13:9).
The Holy Spirit continued to speak to me and this is what I believe He said, “Man has lost sight of following the law of God because of the antichrist spirit who is a deceiver. The false teachings of My Grace are taking away accountability. You are still held accountable for your sins even when you have accepted Jesus. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13, NKJV). Jesus took away the curse of the law – eternal death and separation from God and the penalty system. Once saved you are under grace and no longer separated from God and have eternal life in My Kingdom. You also no longer have to perform ceremonial acts or sacrifices to make yourself clean, but this does not make you exempt from the consequences of sinful practices. The principle of ‘reaping and sowing’ is still in effect. This has never changed. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8, NKJV). My law has not changed and I do not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV). Every man and woman is required to live a life pleasing to God by following the law of God – this includes the Ten Commandments and what was spoken by Jesus and the Prophets. When you follow the law of God you reap good things. This however does not mean that following the law of God saves you, heals you or justifies you – you are saved and made whole only through faith and belief in Jesus Christ and what He achieved on the cross for you. Through Jesus your inheritance is released –all you have to do is enter into His will for your life. Seek His will and ask Him what He wants from you. He will tell you that He wants you to follow Him and His ways. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). The will of Jesus is for you to become like Him. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:29-32, NKJV). This can only happen when you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour and allow Him to put to death the ways in which you live contrary to the ways in which He lives. Pain and suffering is a direct consequence of reaping what you have sown. If you cannot actively walk in all the ways of God does this mean you are destined to live a life of pain? Absolutely not – as you yield and surrender your life to Him and allow Him to put to death those things that are contrary to the law and commandments of God all will be well with you. Walking in the ways of God is never easy. It requires a life of discipline. Not everyone who enters in can walk in this disciplined way of living. These are the ones who are bound up in iniquity and need to be set free to live a life pleasing to Me. Jesus died so you can be set free from those things that bind you. I do not expect My children to instantly be able to walk as I walked when they are first born-again. They are entrapped within the worldly system and the worldly system is binding. I am calling you to be separate from the world which means I have come to remove the bonds of the world from you. Grace doesn’t give you the freedom to walk contrary to My ways without consequence but it does give you the means by which to become free from the entanglement of the world. How do you use My grace to set yourself free from the world? You entrust yourself to Me and allow Me to lead and guide you so that when you come to that place of total surrender My Grace fills you. What is grace?”
At this point I decided to research what the word for grace was in the original transcripts. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14, NKJV). The word Grace in Greek here is Charis and means 1) grace 1a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech 2) good will, loving-kindness, favour 2a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues 3) what is due to grace 3a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace 3b) the token or proof of grace, benefit 3b1) a gift of grace 3b2) benefit, bounty 4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward. I have highlighted the part that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me. He continued talking, “My Grace is much more than kindness, favour and good-will. My Grace also empowers you to follow the law of God and empowers you to change. Healing comes through Jesus by the Blood and Water which is the cleansing and removal of sin and My grace strengthens you and kindles you toward the exercise of the Christian virtues. His strength in you once you are set free enables you to follow My law. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:18, NKJV). Jesus saves and delivers you through faith and belief in Him through the sanctification process while following the law enables you to stay that way. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14, NKJV). My grace working through you as I see fit. You are no longer under the law but under grace. On its own the law was a taskmaster and brought death to those who tried to follow it because in one’s own strength it was impossible. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good (Romans 7:5-12, NKJV). My grace alongside faith in Jesus enables you to put to death those things that rise up against My law. In your weakness you cannot overcome. My strengths (Grace) enable you to overcome those things that you cannot. In this sense being under grace means you become a slave to righteousness. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:15-23, NKJV). When you accept Me you come under My grace which is an empowering strength to change you. Grace does not let you off the hook when you sin – instead Grace is power you have in you to help you to overcome the sin! Those things you cannot change yourselves means My grace empowers you. Without the grace of God you cannot keep the law. Only Gods grace working through your members causes you to keep the law. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only (James 2:18-24, NKJV). When you accept Jesus and allow Him to sanctify you and remove those things that are not pleasing to God and accept His grace to fill you and kindle you towards exercising Christian virtues you fulfil what James spoke, - Your faith is made perfect by your works, working together with faith!”
(PRAYER) – “I repent for not following the law of God and His commandments. I repent for any belief that the law of God is gone, and for the false belief that grace enables me to do as I please without repercussions. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your grace that allows me to overcome so I can follow the law of God and His Holy Commandments. Thank You that I am under grace and not under the law. I choose to be a slave of righteousness leading to life. Help me to follow Your law and Holy commands. I understand that following the law does not save me, justify me, heal me or reconcile me back to You, as only the works of Jesus and my belief in Him does that. Following the law with the help of Your grace keeps me free from the consequences of sin. I pray that my faith will be made perfect as my works work together with my faith through Your precious and perfect blood and grace to empower me.”
*****Some more Scriptures that people use to teach that the law of God (especially the Ten Commandments) is gone.
Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity (Ephesians 2:15-16, NKJV). This scripture clearly states the law of commandments contained in ordinances is abolished. The word ordinances in Greek is Dogma which means the rules and requirements of the law of Moses; carrying a suggestion of severity and of threatened judgment. This shows us that what is abolished is the penalty for not keeping the law, not the law itself.
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:23-25, NKJV). We are no longer under a tutor (the law) which is the same as saying we are no longer under the law. This is correct because Jesus removed the curse of the law which was the penalty system for not keeping the law. This is what is meant by no longer being under the law. The law brought us to Christ in the sense that we are shown we cannot be justified (made right with God) by keeping the law. We are only made righteous and are justified through faith and belief in Jesus and by accepting Him as our Lord and Saviour. No amount of keeping the law saves us, justifies us, makes us righteous, releases our inheritance or heals us because only the shed blood of Jesus can do that as His blood is what removes the sin.
Keeping the law prevents us from becoming afflicted and in our weakness we can’t even do that on our own – His grace empowers us (help us to do it).
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4, NKJV). As previously stated we cannot become righteous through keeping the law or through works. We are righteous through faith in Jesus. No amount of works can render us anymore righteous than the righteousness of Christ in us. In this sense Christ is certainly the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes!
By Tania Francis