Perfect Obedience

[Robert]

Since Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:3ff refers to the Ten Commandment as the law “written on stones” as a “ministry of death”... some imagine that he is discarding the Decalogue, to replace it for another set of rules for the Christian community.

[Robert]

1 Cor 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor... but have not love [Greek: Agape], I gain nothing [i.e., it is meaningless].

Now Paul describes agape: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking

Legalism "boast" - legalism is "rude" - it's a cold, legal religion. Legalism produces proud folks: E.G., I keep all TEN commandments and I belong to God's remnant church. Notice the I-ism"! Legalism is self-seeking. That's why Paul states, "You who SEEK to be justified by law have fallen from grace."

Back to Paul's example:

You see if my motive isn't correct then the act is sinful - it is self-seeking. That's the problem with legalism. The focus is on self and therefore everything we do is from a self-centered motive. Sin (self-seeking) isn't the fulfillment of the law - agape is!

But you can't experience "Agape" if you don't have the assurance of salvation. As long as believers do not have this assurance all their so called good works will be polluted with self-seeking....

Unless one matures from these legalistic roots they will be lost for they are the ones who cry out, "Lord, we have done many wonderful works". But Christ says, "I do not know you"!

Rob

[Robert]

Now for Jack:

We all know that the standard of righteousness is the Ten Commandments. But here’s the problem: in order for you and me to keep the Ten Commandments, we need an ingredient. That ingredient is Agape. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 22:35-40:

One of them [the Parisees], an expert in the law, tested him [Jesus] 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.”

A young man came to Jesus; He said, “What is the greatest commandment?” And Jesus divided the commandments into two camps, just as we as a church have done, rightly so.

The first four commandments deal with our relationship to God. The last six deal with our relationship to one another, our neighbors and so on. Jesus said to this young man, “Love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your being; that’s the first commandment. The second is like the first: love your neighbors like you love yourself.” Just like you naturally, spontaneously, unconditionally love yourself, that’s the way you must love your neighbors now.

Now here’s the problem. If I don’t have this agape, if I cannot generate it naturally (I can’t produce it naturally), then I can’t love my God or my neighbors naturally. But if God gives me this agape as a gift, so that I may, in turn, return it back to Him by keeping the first four commandments, you make God selfish. He gives you His love that it may come back to Him. That is why you will find almost nowhere — it’s hardly found in the New Testament — where we are told to keep the first four commandments.

Please look at 1 John 3:23:

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

That is how you and I can keep the first four commandments. In other words, the basis of keeping the first four commandments is faith. If I have faith, I will have only one God, no other. If I have faith, I will not rest in my performance, or in the government, or in Social Security; I will rest in the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ. The only way you and I can keep the first four commandments is by faith alone.

So God gives you agape, not that it may go back to Him. All He wants from you is faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. He gives you this agape, not that it may go back vertically (it comes down vertically) but that it may go back horizontally to our neighbors.

[Robert]

...if I keep the Sabbath because I want to go to heaven, am I keeping the law? Or am I keeping sin? While sin is the transgression of the law and love is the fulfilment of the law, please, love can also be the fulfilment of sin. Self-love is the fulfilment of sin. Agape is the fulfilment of the law.

In the judgment God is not going to look at your performance - He will look at your motive - your heart. The question will be, "What's your motive for the good things you do?"

Romans 2:14 [RSV] When Gentiles who have not the law [i.e., the Torah] do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that what the law requires [i.e., agape] is written on their hearts [minds], while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men [his motives] by Christ Jesus.

I'll tell you why the legalistic Jews kept the law outwardly. Turn to Matt 23:5 - "Everything they do is done for men to see."

What was their motive? Right, self! Look at me - I pay tithe, I keep the Sabbath, I am a Jew - I belong to God's remnant. They want a reward. Or perhaps it's fear based. They are afraid of God - they believe God demands what the law demands, or else! So everything they do is out of fear. There's no genuine love in such a relationship. Does all this sound familiar?

You can eat the right foods - you leave off all the jewelry - you can keep the right day - in fact you can do many good works, but unless it comes from agape it means nothing! As Jack says, "Self-love is the fulfilment of sin. Agape is the fulfilment of the law."

[Woody]

TU

[Robert]

"Wherever there is an impulse of love and sympathy, wherever the heart reaches out to bless and uplift others, there is revealed the working of God’s Holy Spirit."

All right....Who is Ellen speaking of? Some mature, upstanding Adventist? No! Read on:

"In the depths of heathenism [did you get that?], men who have had no knowledge of the written law of God, who have never even heard the name of Christ, have been kind to His servants, protecting them at the risk of their own lives. Their acts show the working of a divine power. The Holy Spirit has implanted the grace of Christ in the heart of the savage, quickening his sympathies contrary to his nature, contrary to his education. The “Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), is shining in his soul; and this light, if heeded, will guide his feet to the kingdom of God. [COL 385]

[Woody]

Where do you come up with these gems? They sure are good. Thanks Robert.

[Robert]

Where do you come up with these gems? They sure are good. Thanks Robert.

Thanks....

[Robert]

"Wherever there is an impulse of love and sympathy, wherever the heart reaches out to bless and uplift others, there is revealed the working of God’s Holy Spirit."

All right....Who is Ellen speaking of? Some mature, upstanding Adventist? No! Read on:

"In the depths of heathenism [did you get that?], men who have had no knowledge of the written law of God, who have never even heard the name of Christ, have been kind to His servants, protecting them at the risk of their own lives. Their acts show the working of a divine power. The Holy Spirit has implanted the grace of Christ in the heart of the savage, quickening his sympathies contrary to his nature, contrary to his education. The “Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), is shining in his soul; and this light, if heeded, will guide his feet to the kingdom of God. [COL 385]

What's the issue here? Does the heathen know about the Sabbath - that pork (and such) is unhealthy? No, that's not written in the heart. What is written is the principle of agape and in turn you see a change in this man that is in harmony with "love your neighbor as yourself" - the last six commandments.