Are God's Commandments impossible to Keep?

[sag38]

canadyjd, you are not dealing with a man who cannot in anyway ever admit that he is wrong. He is abrasive, unapologetic, and always right. Perhaps we should call him Apostle Freeatlast.

 

[matt wade]

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

 

[Jim1999]

The Law was never intended to save anyone. By grace are we saved,,Old and New Testament....The Law is more of a mirror for to see and see our failure in relation to God....Our mirror cracks every glance.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[freeatlast]

The Law was never intended to save anyone. By grace are we saved,,Old and New Testament....The Law is more of a mirror for to see and see our failure in relation to God....Our mirror cracks every glance.

Cheers,

Jim

Jim you are correct. Also there is no part of the commandments that cannot be kept. Every sin is a choice, not a must.
1“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.

3“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

4“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

5“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

6“You shall not murder.

7“You shall not commit adultery.

8“You shall not steal.

9“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”

 

[convicted1]

The Law was never intended to save anyone. By grace are we saved,,Old and New Testament....The Law is more of a mirror for to see and see our failure in relation to God....Our mirror cracks every glance.

Cheers,

Jim

Amen, Brother, amen!!

 

[convicted1]

Well, even as great a man Paul was, he couldn't keep the Law.

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.


The Law was our schoolmaster(teacher) that brought us unto Christ. Notice the word unto; it wasn't written into Christ, because Grace is what brings us into Christ.

In Hebrews Paul wrote about Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was a child of the bondwoman(Law), and Isaac was the a child of the freewoman(Grace). We who are CHRISTians, are sons by the freewoman(Grace), and not of the bondwoman(Law).

The Law could never bring eternal life, but Grace does. If the Law could have saved anyone, then Jesus wasted His time dying for us. So even if you could keep the Law(commandments), this would never save you.

If anyone can keep the Law, then they are self-sufficient, and they do not need any help whatsoever. Keeping the commandments for salvation is a works based salvation, and Grace was tossed out the window. Give me Grace over Law anytime.

 

[convicted1]

Yes there was something wrong with the law. It was not able to atone for sin and all sinned.

Well Brother, the Law could, and did atone sins, but it(Law) could not blot them out. Every year, the High Priest would have to make an atonement for all of Israel, and if it was found pleasing, their sins were pushed ahead another year, but not blotted out. The next, the High would have to make an atonement for all of Israel.............

Jesus' blood blots out sin, the blood of bulls and goats(Law) never could. Gimme Grace every time!!

 

[HankD]

I think I understand what FAL is saying.

God did not give Israel commandments that were impossible to keep looking at each individually.

i.e. Every new moon you shall swim the length of the Mediterranean Sea.

Clearly impossible without divine intervention.

To pay a tithe of the increase of the land was entirely possible.

However, if we look at the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses as a collective then sooner or later we fail.

Thus the law provided for that expected failure through the sacrifices.

No one can keep the law perfectly.

Besides a (if not the) major function of the law is to produce evidence of that moral failure of the human race called sin.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.​

HankD​

 

[kyredneck]

I think I understand what FAL is saying.

God did not give Israel commandments that were impossible to keep looking at each individually.

i.e. Every new moon you shall swim the length of the Mediterranean Sea.

Clearly impossible without divine intervention.

To pay a tithe of the increase of the land was entirely possible.

However, if we look at the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses as a collective then sooner or later we fail.

Thus the law provided for that expected failure through the sacrifices.

No one can keep the law perfectly.

Besides a (if not the) major function of the law is to produce evidence of that moral failure of the human race called sin.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.​

HankD​

Good post.

 

[kyredneck]

It's that one cannot help but do it. The Commandment says, Thou shalt not covet. Covetousness is a desire like hunger. Now try to tell us that you have not coveted anything that is thy neighbor's, or that when you did (and do) it's only when you sat down and thought, "Hmm. I think I'll desire such and such."

Another good post.

 

[freeatlast]

Well Brother, the Law could, and did atone sins, but it(Law) could not blot them out. Every year, the High Priest would have to make an atonement for all of Israel, and if it was found pleasing, their sins were pushed ahead another year, but not blotted out. The next, the High would have to make an atonement for all of Israel.............

Jesus' blood blots out sin, the blood of bulls and goats(Law) never could. Gimme Grace every time!!

You need to stop playing games with words, atonement, and blotting out.
It has always been grace. The law could not atone for sin. If it could then Jesus died in vain. The practice of the animal sacrifices for atonement was a picture of what was to come. If the people had faith they obeyed the day of atonement and because of there faith God then covered them because of the coming atonement of Christ, but the blood of bulls and goats cannot atone for sin.
By the way we are bale to keep the commandments, but we choose not to. As long as any person holds that it is impossible to keep the commandments then they hold at least in part that they are not responsible for their sin. We all sin because we choose to not because we have to.

 

[freeatlast]

Well, even as great a man Paul was, he couldn't keep the Law.

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.


The Law was our schoolmaster(teacher) that brought us unto Christ. Notice the word unto; it wasn't written into Christ, because Grace is what brings us into Christ.

In Hebrews Paul wrote about Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was a child of the bondwoman(Law), and Isaac was the a child of the freewoman(Grace). We who are CHRISTians, are sons by the freewoman(Grace), and not of the bondwoman(Law).

The Law could never bring eternal life, but Grace does. If the Law could have saved anyone, then Jesus wasted His time dying for us. So even if you could keep the Law(commandments), this would never save you.

If anyone can keep the Law, then they are self-sufficient, and they do not need any help whatsoever. Keeping the commandments for salvation is a works based salvation, and Grace was tossed out the window. Give me Grace over Law anytime.

[SIZE=+0]You are adding to scripture. Paul never says he could not keep the commandments. In fact Paul claims that as to the law he was blameless (Phl. 3:4-3).[/SIZE]
We can keep the commandments, but our evil hearts decides not to. You say we cannot keep the commandments. Then name me just one time in your life one sin that you have done that you absolutely had no choice in doing. Name just one sin of the thousands that you had to do.

 

[12strings]

Romans 10:1-3... [bracketed parts added by me]...

(1)*Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them [context shows that the "them" Paul writes about are the Jewish people] is that they may be saved. (2)*For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. [Paul says these people can have a "zeal for God"...but not be saved!!! What a warning to us; how much more could we have a zeal for church ministry, or a zeal for social justice, or a zeal to fight homosexual marriage...but not be saved!!! ] [Why weren't they saved...read on:] (3)*For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. [Paul's fellow Jews had a zeal for God that drove them to try to get to God by following laws. Think of the pharisees who thought their great piety made them impressive to God. Paul says their zeal was misplaced. They were ignorant of the righteousness that God wanted to grant to them through Christ (Rom. 3:22 - "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."), and so they tried to establish their own righteousness.]

The very essence of rejecting the gospel consists of believing that one can keep God's laws well enough to gain his favor. Paul says that's why they aren't saved... because they are trying to follow God's laws and gain salvation that way, instead of through receiving the righteousness accomplished by another...

Paul's desire was to "be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3:9)

 

[JesusFan]

Thank you Salty as this is a much needed discussion. We have far too long made excuses for our sins by claiming we cannot keep the commandments.
I know of no rational parent that would give their child chores that they could not possible carry out and then discipline them for failing. Yet most of the church today accuses God fo doing just that. That means we think more of ourselves then we do God as we live by higher standards.

To hold a doctrine that we cannot keep the commandments is to suggest that we have a God who holds us accountable for things we cannot do. The truth is we have been commanded to keep them and we can, but we make willful choices to not keep them. There is no person alive who can name even one sin they have ever committed that they had to do. Every sin is a willful choice to go against the Lord.

It is not that we cannot keep them, it is that we choose not to. Until we can accept this truth we will never see just how sinful our hearts really are. I am afraid that we think too much of ourselves and too little of God.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

we know that the law was NOT ever given by God to save any of us, as it was set up to regulate human behavior, reflect God nature, and to lead us to realise that we cannot keep the law and need God to be our redeemer!

jesus totally kept and fulfilled the law for us, and God credits that tot he account of the saved...

To answer the OP directly...

a Christian can keep the law, in the power of the Holy spirit, for 'times and seasons" , for as long as we agree to stay "in Christ" and walking in the Spirit, he will let jesus live through us and will keep the law, but we can and will at times sin, and than need to confess/repent to be restored again!

So "on paper" a believer has the power potentially of HS to keep from sinning, but in practical terms, will be sinning less hopefully each day, until when out sin natures are eradicated at time of our glorified bodies!

 

[Alive in Christ]

We may be able to admire Gods laws and decrees, and commandments, and we may want to keep them perfectly, but no...

It is utter and complete nonsense to think that we can perfectly keep Gods laws, decrees and commandments.


Except for Jesus Christ of course.

 

[sag38]

Perhaps one could keep the law, on the outside, perfectly. I really doubt it. Paul, evidently did because he did claim that he was blameless. But, I'm not sure that signifies perfection on his part. No one is perfect. I think the question more so is about the heart. That puts the law on an entirely different matter. It's not enough to keep it on the outside. More so, one must keep it on the inside as well. There's not a man who has lived, is living now, or ever will live who can do this except for Jesus.

 

[Alive in Christ]

Perhaps one could keep the law, on the outside, perfectly. I really doubt it. Paul, evidently did because he did claim that he was blameless. .

But Paul also said, in Romans...

Oh Wreched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death

Which seems to indicate that Paul knew full well he could not meet Gods standard of perfection.

His claim of "blamelessness" could have meant that he at least was not guilty of anything worthy of being stoned for, or something like that.

Or, if he did mean that he kept the law, he could have meant that he kept it "outwardly", as you put it, while knowing in his heart that he was just a "pretender" like all of us.

 

[freeatlast]

Perhaps one could keep the law, on the outside, perfectly. I really doubt it. Paul, evidently did because he did claim that he was blameless. But, I'm not sure that signifies perfection on his part. No one is perfect. I think the question more so is about the heart. That puts the law on an entirely different matter. It's not enough to keep it on the outside. More so, one must keep it on the inside as well. There's not a man who has lived, is living now, or ever will live who can do this except for Jesus.

The point is as long as we claim that the commands are impossible to keep we will never seek to obey in the manner the Lord intended. No place does the Lord tell us to just do our best because He knows we will not be able to obey all. He tells us to go and sin no more. He was not just saying that because he had nothing else to say. That is to be our goal.

Also if we hold that the commandments cannot be kept we cannot properly confess sin as we have an excuse for our sins at least in part. In other words it is not all our fault as God has put more on us then we can bare. The truth is we all sin because our hearts are not what they ought to be. No one ever has to sin, ever. We willfully choose every sin we do.

One more thing. Because so many have bought this false teaching that the commandments cannot be kept, and most love the teaching, there is no incentive to live above sin in our daily lives. There is no reason why a Christian cannot make it through a day without sinning. We are not even awake for the full 24 hours. If we can make it 1 minute without sinning then we can make it an hour. If an hour then several hours and if several hours a day. It all boils down to admitting, do I really want to make it through the day without sinning? Finally diligently seeking to keep the commands will cause a problem and a blessing. The problem is it will shed light on those who continue in their daily sinning and claim their love for Christ when their actions say different. The blessing is a peace that passes all understanding.

 

[matt wade]

If we can make it 1 minute without sinning then we can make it an hour. If an hour then several hours and if several hours a day.

And if a day, why not a week? And if a week, why not a year? And if a year, why not a lifetime? Why haven't you lived a perfectly sinless life freeatlast?

 

[preacher4truth]

And if a day, why not a week? And if a week, why not a year? And if a year, why not a lifetime? Why haven't you lived a perfectly sinless life freeatlast?

Because to face reality would utterly destroy Lordship salvation?