The name Christian comes from the same root haMishchah (the anointing) which means to be Messiah like. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) Unfortunately, Christians who live like Jesus and keep His commandments are often labeled legalists - persecuted by, of all people, the church. The entire Law is properly understood in one command, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Galatians 5:14) There is no love greater than this that a man LAY DOWN HIS LIFE for his friends. You are MY friends IF you do all I have commanded you (John 15:13-14) This love that scripture teaches is one we can know this way: and by this we know that we Love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. Because whoever is born if God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. (1 John 5:2-4) The definition of Love is best understood thru Jesuss life and teachings: if you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15); and, he who has My commandments with him and keeps them, he it is who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved of My Father. And I will love him and reveal Myself to him. (John 14:21); and, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept the commandments OF MY FATHER, and I abide in His love. (John 15:10) Abiding in His love is clearly connected to keeping His commandments, the commandments of My Father. ~ Jesus clearly kept the commandments of His Father. So thats how we know we do love Him - if our hearts desire to keep His commandments and the commandments of His Father. He will do the work if our desire is there. Altho there is a change of priesthood in The renewed Covenant, Gods Word and His commandments remain eternal. All of them. Love has never changed. If anything, Love has been magnified. Now we are given the power to desire what God desires. As your love for God grows, so will the desire to keep His commands. Love is action and it is a voluntary and personal choice to do the right thing. We are to become as little children who can put their trust in Jesus and desire to simply do what He asks, rather than finding religious loopholes that make us feel better about not keeping with His Word. Love is a reciprocal giving and sharing that is based on being true to the Word of God. Great peace is established by love, because love is the action of doing right. Most Christians teach that Jesus nailed the commandments to the cross, and gave them the commandment of Love, but rather than the action of TRUE love that is in keeping the Word of God, it has become a way to hide sin under christian grace, providing unlimited pardon from willfull and repetitive sin. This is not the love Jesus taught and LIVED... and we are called to walk as He walked. Yes, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law. But most teach that fullfillment means to bring to an end, but to fullfill means to bring to reality, perform or do - where the action of love is demonstrated. In Colossians 2:14 the expression the handwriting of requirements which were nailed to the cross is a Greek legal term that signifies the penalty which a lawbreaker had to pay - but through Jesus the penalty was wiped out (the handwriting of requirements), not the commandments! But now This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them (Heb 10:16). Whatever was in force against us is taken out of the way. He has obtained for us a legal discharge from the hand-writing of ordinances, which was against us, and by writing the law on our hearts and minds gives us the grace we need to desire and keep them. It is so much easier to keep His commandments when we truly can love, because to truly love is to keep His Word.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 11:20:56 +0000
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