The Conclusion: Keep His Commandments

[Charlie24]

Solomon came to a conclusion in the Book of Ecclesiastes, that man cannot have lasting happiness and fulfillment in this life apart from God.

Ecc. 12: 13-14
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

Let's take Solomon's words "and keep His commandments" into the New Testament and see the Apostle John's conclusion.

1 John 3:23-24
"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.

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."

Notice that John condenses the "commandments" into "commandment," from plural to singular, by believing in Christ and practicing love.

We keep the "commandments" by believing in Jesus Christ, His finished work in His death, burial, and resurrection, that saves the soul of man, and loving others.

All of God's commandments and Laws are wrapped up in this commandment, the conclusion.

So John is telling us that we are Law-keepers of the commandments in the sight of God through faith in His Son. But how is that made possible? Now we go to the Apostle Paul for his conclusion.

Romans 8:3-4
"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

"What the Law could not do" is referring to the Law of Moses, specifically the 10 Commandments that man could not keep (weak through the flesh). So man has no chance of righteousness through the keeping of the 10 Commandments, he can't keep those commandments in his fallen state.

So God sent His Son to keep those commandments for us, that through faith in Him, we are given the righteousness of Christ, faultless and perfect in the sight of God, though we are not righteous, faultless, and perfect in reality, not yet. This is the position that God has placed us in through faith in Christ.

Our sanctification, where the Holy Spirit is ever making us a work in progress, cleaning us up, and conforming us into the image of Christ, lasts throughout our lives on this earth. The Holy Spirit is working in us to bring us up to the position that the Father has placed us in, in Christ. Righteous, faultless, and perfect before the Throne of God.

So the Conclusion: Keep His Commandments, is already provided for us in Christ. All we do is accept and believe, cooperating with God.

 

[Dave G]

All we do is accept and believe, cooperating with God.

" For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." ( Ephesians 2:10 )

Also, please see Romans 8:1-17.

Those who are saved obey His commandments because that is who God has created them to be.
He does the work, and even their faith is of the operation of God, Charlie...

" And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 [and] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." ( Colossians 2:10-15)

They don't co-operate with Him, He operates in them as part of conforming them to the image of His Son.

"Not of works, lest any man should boast."

 

[Tenchi]

So the Conclusion: Keep His Commandments, is already provided for us in Christ. All we do is accept and believe, cooperating with God.

The idea of obedience to God - keeping his commandments - as the ultimate aim of Christian living is, basically, moralism. Instead, God invites His children into fellowship, love-motivated communion, with Himself.

Revelation 3:20
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

2 Corinthians 13:14
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

1 John 1:3
3 ... indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Psalm 36:7-9
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

So it is that God's First and Great Commandment addresses the state of one's heart toward Him, not external conformity to His commands.

Matthew 22:36-38
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.

All of our obedience to God's other commands is actually predicated upon our ever-enlarging, life-shaping desire for God, for intimate fellowship with Him. If our obedience isn't so predicated, the apostle Paul wrote that our obedience is spiritually useless - even if it is sacrificially extreme:

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Imagine how many professing believers will one day stand before God, confident they are His on the basis of their having obeyed His commands, though having been in constant neglect of His First and Greatest Command, who find themselves hearing, "Depart from me. I never knew you." True obedience to God, begins with loving Him, which is an inner, heart-desire thing, not with external conformity to His commands. And so, there will be many who will say, "We cast out demons, prophesied and did miracles in your name!" thinking that moralism was the point of their "Christian living" when, in fact it was joyful, holy loving fellowship with God.

 

[Charlie24]

Getting a little carried away aren't we guys!

Do we not cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He points out something in our lives that's wrong?

I think we're misunderstanding the definition of works because we are saved vs the works to get saved.

Our entire relationship with God/Christ centers around faith in His finished work.

 

[Tenchi]

Getting a little carried away aren't we guys!

How is it "carried away" to point out what God's word plainly states?

Do we not cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He points out something in our lives that's wrong?

Not if you desire - love - your sin more than you love God. In my experience as a discipler of men for the last thirty years, this is the single biggest area of struggle for Christian men. They know they ought to obey God but they constantly pursue what they most desire (which is often what God says is sinful). Pursuing our greatest desire is exactly how God made us to be, however; and so, He tells us to begin in our relationship with Him by making Him our greatest desire. If we don't, we just end up "a dog returning to his vomit and sow to her wallowing in the mire," perennially caught in a tight cycle of sin>confession>sin>confession.

Also, I don't think I would say that I "co-operate" with the Spirit but, rather, that I submit to him (Ja 4:7, 10; 1 Pe. 5:6; Ro. 12:1, 6:13-22) and wait, by faith, upon him to transform me, working out only what he first works into me (Phil. 2:13, 4:13; Eph. 3:16, 6:10; 2 Cor. 3:18; Ro. 8:13, etc.). If I don't, I inevitably begin to create my own "best version" of Christ, a fleshly, corrupt counterfeit of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Conduits, not Copyists.

Isaiah 64:8

jonathanhay.substack.com

Our entire relationship with God/Christ centers around faith in His finished work.

Yes, my relationship to God as His child does rest upon Christ and his perfect atoning work for me at Calvary. Amen.

 

[Charlie24]

How is it "carried away" to point out what God's word plainly states?



Not if you desire - love - your sin more than you love God. In my experience as a discipler of men for the last thirty years, this is the single biggest area of struggle for Christian men. They know they ought to obey God but they constantly pursue what they most desire (which is often what God says is sinful). Pursuing our greatest desire is exactly how God made us to be, however; and so, He tells us to begin in our relationship with Him by making Him our greatest desire. If we don't, we just end up "a dog returning to his vomit and sow to her wallowing in the mire," perennially caught in a tight cycle of sin>confession>sin>confession.

Also, I don't think I would say that I "co-operate" with the Spirit but, rather, that I submit to him (Ja 4:7, 10; 1 Pe. 5:6; Ro. 12:1, 6:13-22) and wait, by faith, upon him to transform me, working out only what he first works into me (Phil. 2:13, 4:13; Eph. 3:16, 6:10; 2 Cor. 3:18; Ro. 8:13, etc.). If I don't, I inevitably begin to create my own "best version" of Christ, a fleshly, corrupt counterfeit of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Conduits, not Copyists.

Isaiah 64:8

jonathanhay.substack.com

Yes, my relationship to God as His child does rest upon Christ and his perfect atoning work for me at Calvary. Amen.

We are basically agreeing, only stating it a different way.

I agree that we submit, but isn't that also cooperating?

Yes, there's a constant pull on man to fulfill the desires of the flesh through sin.

Paul told us that Christ condemned sin in flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us.

In other words, Christ made it possible for us who believe to have power over that sin, the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

Paul said recon yourselves dead to sin, so you won't commit the desires of the flesh.

We are not like those lost with no hope, bound to sin, we are free from sin with Christ breaking that bond for us.

That doesn't mean that we no longer sin as believers, it means we actually have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it.

 

[Charlie24]

We are basically agreeing, only stating it a different way.

I agree that we submit, but isn't that also cooperating?

Yes, there's a constant pull on man to fulfill the desires of the flesh through sin.

Paul told us that Christ condemned sin in flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us.

In other words, Christ made it possible for us who believe to have power over that sin, the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

Paul said recon yourselves dead to sin, so you won't commit the desires of the flesh.

We are not like those lost with no hope, bound to sin, we are free from sin with Christ breaking that bond for us.

That doesn't mean that we no longer sin as believers, it means we actually have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it.

Some Believers stay stuck in a rutt, unable to find victory over sin, but they are just as saved as anyone else through faith in Christ.

The ones who find victory over sin are the ones who cooperate with God, they turn at His reproof, they keep an active relationship with Christ willing to follow Him wherever that journey make take them in this life.

 

[Charlie24]

Some Believers stay stuck in a rutt, unable to find victory over sin, but they are just as saved as anyone else through faith in Christ.

The ones who find victory over sin are the ones who cooperate with God, they turn at His reproof, they keep an active relationship with Christ willing to follow Him wherever that journey make take them in this life.

Whether unsaved or saved following Christ, God makes us a promise.

Proverbs 1:23

"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

He will pour out His Spirit on us and He will make His words know to us if cooperate in turning away from what He has pointed out to be wrong.

 

[Tenchi]

We are basically agreeing, only stating it a different way.

I agree that we submit, but isn't that also cooperating?

Submission and co-operation aren't synonymous. They overlap, they are related, but they aren't the same thing. Submission is the constant condition in which we co-operate with God. Think of it this way: Submission and co-operation work together like two people paddling a canoe. So long as Joe (who's in the bow) subjects himself to the steering of Sam (who's in the stern) and they paddle in a well-coordinated way, the canoe will traverse the water without difficulty. Of course, Joe has to actually be in Sam's canoe, and willing for Sam to do the steering, and paddling in proper time with Sam for this to be the case.

In the same way, I have to submit to being in the Holy Spirit's "canoe," letting him do all the steering. I don't own the canoe; I don't own the paddles; I don't determine the color of the canoe, or where its stored, or how its transported. I just sit in the Spirit's "canoe" and enjoy a tour around a lake with him, yielded to wherever it is on the water he wants to take me. But I have to "paddle" in-time with the Spirit, my "paddle" of co-operation always carefully aligned with the rhythm of the Spirit's "paddling." If I cease to "paddle," so does the Spirit, and our canoe slides to a halt. In fact, if I want to jump out of the canoe and swim in another direction entirely, he will let me, but it will be a cold, wet, exhausting experience. In any case, the Spirit won't keep paddling when I've ceased to participate in our journey but will wait for me to take up my "paddle" of co-operation again and, in submission to this steering, begin to move with him in the direction he intends to take me.

This isn't, obviously, a perfect analogy, but it does illustrate how submission and cooperation aren't identical things, though they are very intimately related.

Yes, there's a constant pull on man to fulfill the desires of the flesh through sin.

God's made us all to be moved according to our desires; the stronger the desire, the more powerfully we are moved by it. And so, God wants our supreme desire to be Himself (Matt. 22:36-38). This is what it means to obey the First and Great Commandment. Whenever we chase after lesser, sinful desires, we're indicating that we love - desire - them more than God. Until this changes, we'll just keep doing as we're made to do and pursue what we desire most.

I practiced a martial art for thirty years. I broke teeth, dislocated bones, tore tendons, got many lumps, bumps and bruises, sweated buckets, and got flung to the ground tens of thousands of times. Why in the world would I do this for three decades? Was it just iron discipline? Not at all. It was love - desire - for training and for the martial skills that I developed. No amount of determined willpower could have propelled me through all the hardships of training like love did. Instead of a teeth-gritting, resentful pushing of myself to train, every fiber of my being desiring to be elsewhere, I took joy in all the "blood, sweat and tears" of martial training. This is where love far exceeds mere self-discipline; it makes a joy of what would otherwise be merely an onerous task; it makes one eager to do what one might otherwise despise. And so it is that God calls us, in fellowship with Him, not to self-discipline, but to love.

In other words, Christ made it possible for us who believe to have power over that sin, the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

Paul said recon yourselves dead to sin, so you won't commit the desires of the flesh.

We are not like those lost with no hope, bound to sin, we are free from sin with Christ breaking that bond for us.

That doesn't mean that we no longer sin as believers, it means we actually have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it.

How is the power of the Holy Spirit "unleashed" in you? What does it look like when it is "unleashed"? Do you know?

What does it mean to "reckon yourself dead to sin and alive unto God"? What does this look like, exactly, in the face of strong temptation to sin?

How do you live consistently in the victory over the World, the Flesh and the devil that is yours in Jesus Christ? Do you know?

If you have the power to overcome sin why do you sin? How does such a condition cease to be?

 

[Charlie24]

Submission and co-operation aren't synonymous. They overlap, they are related, but they aren't the same thing. Submission is the constant condition in which we co-operate with God. Think of it this way: Submission and co-operation work together like two people paddling a canoe. So long as Joe (who's in the bow) subjects himself to the steering of Sam (who's in the stern) and they paddle in a well-coordinated way, the canoe will traverse the water without difficulty. Of course, Joe has to actually be in Sam's canoe, and willing for Sam to do the steering, and paddling in proper time with Sam for this to be the case.

In the same way, I have to submit to being in the Holy Spirit's "canoe," letting him do all the steering. I don't own the canoe; I don't own the paddles; I don't determine the color of the canoe, or where its stored, or how its transported. I just sit in the Spirit's "canoe" and enjoy a tour around a lake with him, yielded to wherever it is on the water he wants to take me. But I have to "paddle" in-time with the Spirit, my "paddle" of co-operation always carefully aligned with the rhythm of the Spirit's "paddling." If I cease to "paddle," so does the Spirit, and our canoe slides to a halt. In fact, if I want to jump out of the canoe and swim in another direction entirely, he will let me, but it will be a cold, wet, exhausting experience. In any case, the Spirit won't keep paddling when I've ceased to participate in our journey but will wait for me to take up my "paddle" of co-operation again and, in submission to this steering, begin to move with him in the direction he intends to take me.

This isn't, obviously, a perfect analogy, but it does illustrate how submission and cooperation aren't identical things, though they are very intimately related.



God's made us all to be moved according to our desires; the stronger the desire, the more powerfully we are moved by it. And so, God wants our supreme desire to be Himself (Matt. 22:36-38). This is what it means to obey the First and Great Commandment. Whenever we chase after lesser, sinful desires, we're indicating that we love - desire - them more than God. Until this changes, we'll just keep doing as we're made to do and pursue what we desire most.

I practiced a martial art for thirty years. I broke teeth, dislocated bones, tore tendons, got many lumps, bumps and bruises, sweated buckets, and got flung to the ground tens of thousands of times. Why in the world would I do this for three decades? Was it just iron discipline? Not at all. It was love - desire - for training and for the martial skills that I developed. No amount of determined willpower could have propelled me through all the hardships of training like love did. Instead of a teeth-gritting, resentful pushing of myself to train, every fiber of my being desiring to be elsewhere, I took joy in all the "blood, sweat and tears" of martial training. This is where love far exceeds mere self-discipline; it makes a joy of what would otherwise be merely an onerous task; it makes one eager to do what one might otherwise despise. And so it is that God calls us, in fellowship with Him, not to self-discipline, but to love.



How is the power of the Holy Spirit "unleashed" in you? What does it look like when it is "unleashed"? Do you know?

What does it mean to "reckon yourself dead to sin and alive unto God"? What does this look like, exactly, in the face of strong temptation to sin?

How do you live consistently in the victory over the World, the Flesh and the devil that is yours in Jesus Christ? Do you know?

If you have the power to overcome sin why do you sin? How does such a condition cease to be?

There is no cooperating with God in the Calvinist world! Just robots programed with no relationship with Christ.

They deny the true God that works with man, for a God who willfully sends men to Hell by choosing who He wants and who He doesn't want.

God have mercy on such a belief!

 

[Charlie24]

There is no cooperating with God in the Calvinist world! Just robots programed with no relationship with Christ.

They deny the true God that works with man, for a God who willfully sends men to Hell by choosing who He wants and who He doesn't want.

God have mercy on such a belief!

The Calvinist's straight up deny this passage of Scripture, that God desires ALL to be saved and Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL.

Shame on you with your theories!

1 Tim. 2:3-6

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

 

[Tenchi]

The Calvinist's straight up deny this passage of Scripture, that God desires ALL to be saved and Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL.

Shame on you with your theories!

You won't be made more like Christ by railing at Calvinists. Make Jesus your "hobby-horse," not crabbing at Calvinists. There's nothing more the devil would like than to see you distracted, and perhaps even obsessed, with fussing about Calvinist doctrine. This preoccupation consumes time, energy and thought you might otherwise expend upon knowing and walking well with your holy, loving Maker, you see.

Hebrews 12:2-3
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Philippians 3:8
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...