在很多教堂里, people are more focused on supernatural manifestations than on the Word of God and the process of sanctification. 十字, the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God are often used as an excuse to not have to change and to keep living like the world and fulfill the lusts and desires of the flesh. Many Christians use the cross as an excuse so that they won’t have to change and remove the sins from their lives and die to the lusts and desires of their flesh. They don’t want to be told what to do and don’t want to keep the commandments of God. They consider the commandments of God outdated and no longer relevant in the New Covenant. But are the commandments of God outdated or are the commandments of God still valid according to the Bible?
Repentance is often more a formality than a change of life
When people 悔改, it is usually more a formality than becoming spiritually aware of their sinful state and evil nature and regretting their sins. Many people consider themselves as good people, instead of seeing their dirty state as a sinner and the necessity of repentance to God and the necessity of regeneration.
This is mainly because the Holy Spirit is not present in the lives of many believers. Since the church is the assembly of believers, this means that the Holy Spirit is not present anymore in many churches.
Many churches are 坐在黑暗中 and do the works out of the flesh through natural means (although they think they do the works out of the Spirit).
Since the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin, true repentance of the heart is hardly taking place anymore. Because if someone truly repents, a (道德) life change will always follow.
When a person truly repents of sin, (s)he will remove the sins from his or her life instead of persevering in sin. The person only wants one thing and that is to please the Lord Jesus Christ, exalt Him, and do His will.
The person wants to 赶走老人 as quickly as possible and 穿上新人, who is born in Jesus Christ, by water and Spirit. The person’s spirit becomes alive and is hungry for the Word of God and feeds him/herself with the Word so that the spirit matures and grows up into the likeness of the Word; 耶稣.
Transferred from the darkness into the light
Giving thanks unto the Father, 这使我们有资格分享圣徒在光明中的基业: 谁把我们从黑暗的权势下拯救出来, 并将我们带入他爱子的国度: 我们借着他的血得蒙救赎, 甚至罪孽的宽恕 (歌罗西书 1:12-14)
A person, who believes and accepts Jesus Christ, as his or her Saviour and Lord and becomes born again in Him, will be delivered from the power of darkness. The person has been transferred from the darkness into the Kingdom of Heaven. This means a new Kingdom; a new law(s) and regulations.
But when people hear the words law(s) and regulations, most people get the chills and become hostile. 为什么? Because many want to live in freedom instead of submitting to all kinds of laws, regulations, and commandments.
So what happens is, that they keep living the same life as before their repentance. They keep living in rebellion against God, 和他的话语, and don’t submit to His will.
The only change that takes place in their lives is that they read their Bible, pray, go to church, and speak pious words. 出色地, many times they only speak piously, when they are in the company of other Christians.
They think that the commandments of God are outdated and not valid anymore. They consider the commandments of God as legalistic, as a bunch religious laws that don’t fit into their lives and in today’s society.
Many Christians think, that because of the work of Jesus Christ, the commandments of God are outdated and therefore annulled.
It’s all by grace
Many believers say: ”Jesus has accomplished the work, and through Him we’ve been made righteous. We can’t earn it, and we shall never be able earn it by our works. We don’t have to do works, because it’s all by grace. We are, who we are, and God loves us anyway, no matter what we do and how we live. We live in a New Covenant and therefore we don’t have to keep the commandments of God and we don’t have to change. It’s all by grace!”
By saying this and by living this way, they think they live in the truth. They think they please God with their lives, 但实际上, they live in the bondage of the devil and please the devil. They live in a lie, in rebellion against God.
Ofcourse you are not justified by your works, because you have been made righteous by His work; by the blood of Jesus Christ.
但, if you have been made righteous by His blood, shouldn’t you walk in righteousness and do His righteous works?
If you have been redeemed from your sin nature and have died to your sin nature, how can you still do the works of the sin nature and keep walking in sin?
If the commandments of God; 上帝的旨意, which are written in the Old Testament are not valid anymore and don’t apply to the new creations, then why did Jesus say, that if you love Him, you will not only keep His commandments but also keep God’s commandments and therefore do His will?
Not every one that saith unto Me, 主, 主, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven (马修 7:21)
All these believers had prophesied, cast out devils, and had done many great works. They thought they knew Jesus. 但….. Jesus didn’t know them. 为什么? Because they didn’t do the will of the Father, in other words, they didn’t keep His commandments.
The commandments of God are still valid
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (启示 14:12)
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city (启示 22:14)
在《启示录》中, which is written after Jesus’ 受难与复活, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit, we read that God’s commandments still matter. Therefore the commandments of God are still valid.
但你必须做出选择. Will you keep the commandments of God and do 他的意志? This means that the world will become your enemy and therefore you will be hated by the world and experience persecution by the world. Or will you keep the commandments of the world (devil)? Which means that God will become your enemy.
The commandments of God are precious
When you are born again and have received His Holy Spirit, then the law of God, 代表神的旨意, is written in your heart. Just like God’s law was written in the heart of Jesus. When you walk and live after the Spirit, you shall find out how important the commandments of God and Jesus are. You will find out how precious the commandments of God are. Because He gave them out of His love for His people. Through His commandments, you shall find His will and His truth.
Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law; the commandments of God, but Jesus came to fulfill the law. When you submit to Jesus, you shall live after His will and keep His commandments, 其中包括神的诫命. Because you are born of Him, you shall bear His fruit; 这 圣灵的果子.
I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people (希伯来语 8:10)
When the Holy Spirit dwells in you and you live after the Word and the Spirit, you shall automatically 履行法律, 就像耶稣一样. You shall walk in His commandments because they are written in your heart and you shall fulfill His will in your life.
‘成为地球之盐’
