Bible Matters 306: Commandments – Preponderance of Evidence

The New Testament is a contract between you and God.  The New Testament is the compiled transcripts of eight witnesses that walked with, were brothers of or recruited by Jesus.  Three witnesses made it clear that you must use two or three witnesses to establish the truth in God’s word.  The Gentiles and Jews are offered salvation by the grace of God, for those that understand the New Testament commandments and God’s word.  For those that do the will of God (See Bible Matter 282 Will of God).  All seven witnesses gave testimony of doing the will of God.  Understanding the will of God is paramount.

Matthew 7:21 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Certain religious denominations may require you to fulfill commandments of man (i.e. circumcision, water baptism, tithing, confession, participation in Sunday service, etc.)  These are often required as a testimony to your faith and desire to participate in the religious walk of the denomination.  Never, ever, look upon doing the commandments of man as your fulfilment in doing the will of God.  Just don’t be confused.  My goal is to get you to heaven!  Period.  Don’t be offended by the word of God. You must understand the commandments told to you by Jesus, in order for you to understand the will of God. 

In your pride, you feel that you should be allowed to be part of any denomination, without performing their commandments of man.  Salvation in Jesus Christ and your walk begins when you lose that pride.  To accept Jesus as a little child and open to his word to follow his commandments.  So, if you have too much pride to be baptized in water in front of fellow believers, who you see, will that pride interfere with following the will of God, for whom you don’t see.  If you cannot confess your faults, one to another, then how can you repent and turn from your sins as required by God? (See Bible Matter 235 – Repentance POE.) 

James 5:16 – Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.   You must start by being humble and not to be turned from the truth.

Mark 10:15 – Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

1 Peter 5:6-8 – Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Titus 1:14 – Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

What are the commandments of Jesus?

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John….all spoke of God’s two great commandments

Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

John 15:10-14 – If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

1 John 4:21 – And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Jesus also spoke of commandments from God given to Moses.

Luke 18:20 – Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

1 Corinthians 7:19 – Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

The bottom line is to both love of God and man. 

John 14:15-16,21,23 – If ye love me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. –

1 John 4:19-20 – We love him, because he first loved us.  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

You must walk in the spirit and follow the commandments of Jesus.  To walk in the spirit, living a righteous life for Jesus Christ and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

When you love God, you are a testimony of the things God has given you.  He wants you to be a testimony for him.  You cannot be a testimony for God without knowing his scripture.  A drunkard does not have a desire to fill his body with the new wine of God’s Scripture. (i.e. a drunkard desires the old wine or the things of this world.)

Luke 5:39 – No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Matthew 5:19 – Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

2 John 1:6 – And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

1 John 2:15 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Colossians 1:9-10 – For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

1 Corinthians 14:37 – If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Galatians 5:16,19-21 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

From your study of bible doctrine, your will begin to understand the commandments of men vs. the commandments of Jesus Christ.  To be righteous before God and walking in the commandments of the Lord.

Luke 1:6 – And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Revelation 22:14 – 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.

As a man or a woman, you and you alone are responsible for understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ and following his commandments.  Salvation in Jesus Christ and by doing the will of God.  No one else.  Attend the believers church that gives glory to God.  Do not attend a church of an unbeliever in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and participate in that service or you will be as guilty as the unbeliever.  See Bible Matter 261: Sound Doctrine, POE. 

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.