The Lord didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfil it, I believe he said (Matthew 5:17).
Obedience or Lip Service?
- Thread starter Bob Estey
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OK, so obey all the laws then, old and new. That is what we should be teaching people.
God does not miraculously change a born again christian.
You must walk with God.
You must resist sin.
God does not resist sin for you.
God allows a way of escape.
It is up to YOU to take it.
If it is God that is directly keeping you from sinning.
Then when a Christian does sin.
Who is really weak?
the Christian.
Or is,
It God?
Who is at fault when the Christian gives into temptation and sins?
If God is the one giving you the ability to not sin in a miraculous way.
Then it is Gods weakness not the Christian when I fall away and sin.
If you have a physical addiction before you get saved.
You will have a physical addiction after you are saved.
It is your responsibility to overcome sin.
God will help you but not miraculously.
God will not allow anyone to be tempted by sin that is so great that he cannot withstand it!
1Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
So you are like the rest of us. Before we become Christians we do not recognise our wrongdoings or wrong thoughts as sin and it takes a bit of time afterwards to see all the sin in our lives but we become more and more aware of it the more mature we become.
I don' think I am like everybody else, because I believe perfection is attainable in this life, and I strive for it. Others think it is impossible, leaving me to believe they aren't striving for it.
Which in effect cover all the ten in the OT. Can any of us - hand on heart - say that we love others as ourselves?
But once again, don't add to the requirements the Lord has already laid upon us. That load is heavy enough.
So what do you think I'm adding? And the load should not be heavy with Jesus, for he says:
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
It is true that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, but don't get bogged down by that. If you are obeying the Ten Commandments, you're probably doing a pretty good job. Just remember the two great commandments, particularly the first, and great, one.
Matthew 22:35-40
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Don't get get so bogged down in the OT ten commandments; if we take heed of what Jesus said it will cover all ten.
Yes, but the two great commandments you quoted need some definition, don't you think? And I would say the Ten Commandments help do that.
Exactly What Jesus said is a precis of the original 10. We are told to love God and each other and all 10 commandments can be condensed into the command that Jesus gave. I really see it as simple.
Taken
Well-Known Member
The Churches receive funds, via people who give as they desire, and spends as they see fit, or as their funds are pre-dedicated toward a particular issue.
The Government receives funds through compulsion, theft, force, pockets a portion, for personal benefit; and doles out leftover scraps to the needy; and then takes the credit for those scraps...
Doesn’t impress me.
They were never given that authority.
In most instances I favor giving directly to the needy, as their hand extends.
God Bless,
Taken
I don't think the disabled people would have places to live and food on the table every day following that principle though. Some of the homeless people in my area get by with handouts. But they remain homeless. They just get food and cigarette money. And they steal clothes from the donation bins and from handouts.
Taken
Well-Known Member
You might be surprised at how many people CHOOSE to be homeless, for numerous reasons, particularly, they refuse to obey the house rules.
And on another note.
1 Tim 5:
[8] But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Do you have any idea of the thousand of people scampering for handouts, because they refuse to provide for their own, well except maybe to drive them to the handout office.
Do you know that an infidel is a nonbeliever?
Can you imagine what is Gods definition of WORSE than a nonbeliever?
These last few generations have been “indoctrinated and conditioned”, to be life-long government dependents.... kind of odd in the land of the free and independent taking care of oneself as they see fit....or content to beg and have no say in what they do or do not receive.
Not knocking aiding others. But it has been already shown the Government is NOT a good steward of the People’s Wealth.
And if a person has the Holy Spirit within himself and always follows the lead of the Holy Spirit, would it be impossible?
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27
"Quench not the Spirit." I Thess 5:19
Bob, your one question sentence as the OP is for non-believers not genuine believers. Genuine believers in Christ generally do obey the LORD GOD and thus do his will! You do realize this right?
Let me explain a bit----------------
It is imperative we define the word 'obedience' in the spiritual sense before going off to say we obey or we give lip service.
Obedience in a biblical sense means to hear (in Hebrew), listen, trust(in Greek - sama) and act upon.
Also, disobedience to God is not doing his will for a believer and never means sin. How can a believer separate themselves from God with the spirit of truth living inside them? They are permanently united in spirit via Christ to the Father.
They can however ignore the call to obey, and therefore suffer spiritually, stunt their spiritual growth toward perfection, and lack blessings from God in the process.
We can not sin if we have the spirit of truth, of Christ of God within us. It means we are not blessed as we are not doing the will of God. Prayer then does not get answered, and miracles in our lives sometimes cease.
So how do we hear and listen as a believer for obedience? In the OT it was primarily done via the prophets and the written Law. Today under grace we hear and listen from the spirit we have inside us, form our heart to our mind, and beside what scripture tell us, as a secondary tool. These can be commands (commandments) given by the spirit at times that we must hear and listen. They are different to each believer as our needs are different in this life. If we ignore the calling of the spirit within us we live a difficult live as a believer and struggle and do not grow as we should. And we sometimes get bewildered and confused and ask why is my life this way as a believer.
Now giving lip-service to the spirit is squelching the spirit for a believer as we are ignoring and not doing the will of God through the spirit of Christ. Believers generally do not give-lip service to the spirit, they do listen and obey. If one find themselves giving lip-service or feeling they do not know the will of God, most of the time, maybe they are not really saved, even if they give a profession of being saved with the spirit, although it is really absent. They might be religious 'good' and pious people and yet never can do the will of God because the spirit is absent and cannot speak to them directly.
A general formula for believers in maturing and constantly doing the will and thus obeying God consist of these three things:
1. Trust and act on the two commandment given by Christ with and through the spirit as a reflex spontaneous action - Love thy Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.
2. Pray at every opportunity for anything and everything and in thanksgiving with and through the spirit.
3. Read and understand scripture with and through the spirit.
Doing these 3 things and making them a genuine habit shows genuine obedience as the spirit desire us to do the will of the Father, always.
Giving lip-service and not doing the will of God, as a way of life is alien to a genuine believer. Lip-service is a trait of the imposters, the religious ones, the legalists, those that still work for their salvation, absent of the spirit and never doing the will of God in obedience.
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Amen!
Was David giving Solomon advice that was impossible to follow?
"And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." I Chron 28:9
Perfect:
~lX Shalem (shaw-lame'); Adjective, Strong #: 8003
- complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace
- complete
- full, perfect
- finished
- safe, unharmed
- peace (of covenant of peace, mind)
- perfect, complete (of keeping covenant relation)
- complete
bl Leb (labe); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 3820
- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
- inner part, midst
- midst (of things)
- heart (of man)
- soul, heart (of man)
- mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
- inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
- conscience
- heart (of moral character)
- as seat of appetites
- as seat of emotions and passions 1a
- inner part, midst
- as seat of courage
