Why do we follow the 10 commandments?

[Lysimachus]

You know, I was about to rephrase my question to make it more clear, however, pkrause made me realize I've been asking you guys to judge those who die thinking they can sin all they want and it's completely okay. I can only pray that I will be resurrected at the 2nd coming, because only God knows if my faith is strong enough to receive his grace.

However, most of the Christians I know who are not SDAs usually have an attitude that as long as you have faith, your sins do not matter (they hint that you can go crazy and live it up).

I'm glad you can see that alex. May we never forget that if we have truly been converted in our hearts, and imbued with the Spirit of Christ, we will be transformed. Of ourselves, it is impossible to please God. We must have faith, and faith automatically produces good works.

Sadly, many Christians will quote those scriptures that we must confess with our mouth Jesus Christ, and we will be saved (Romans 10:9). Or that all we must do is "believe", and "be saved" (1 John 5:13). But sadly, most Christians do not know what "believing" means.

Believing is a "big package". In the popular Christian mind, "believing" is nothing more than a mere mental ascent to the truth, but those who are not deceived will realize that this does not constitute righteousness. Fruits must follow, and fruits are the result of our faith.

Salvation is by faith alone, and not the works of the law. But according to James 2, if there are no works, the faith is dead. So in actuality, these professed Christians are believing in a dead faith, not a faith that lives. A faith that lives actually has works as evidence of the faith.

Salvation is by faith through Grace alone, and not the works of the law. In other words, it is impossible to earn your salvation through works, or in other words, earning your way to heaven. You are not going to gain brownie points by doing something good. This is trying to earn a ticket to heaven, and that does not work. Christ does not want us to do good works to earn our way to heaven. He wants us to perform good works because we truly love God, just as a wife does things to please her husband because she truly loves him. It cannot be forced. She does it because she is in love with him.

The same attitude should be concerning the bride to her husband Jesus Christ. :)

[John317]

... I've been asking you guys to judge those who die thinking they can sin all they want and it's completely okay. I can only pray that I will be resurrected at the 2nd coming, because only God knows if my faith is strong enough to receive his grace.

Yes, that's right. We can't know who is going to be saved. We have to leave that up to God, who has the final decision. We can trust Him to make the right one because He is all-knowing and loves everyone with an infinite love.

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However, most of the Christians I know who are not SDAs usually have an attitude that as long as you have faith, your sins do not matter (they hint that you can go crazy and live it up).

It's unforuntate that this is the attitude of so many Christians, and even of many Seventh-day Adventists. As a people, because of our understanding of the Investigative Judgment, we have no excuse for believing such a false teaching.

Many Christians forget or ignore such verses in the Bible as the following:

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. [8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1-6

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. [2] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. [3] And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. [4] Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, [5] but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: [6] whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 3:1-10

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. [3] And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

[4] Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. [5] You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. [6] No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. [7] Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. [8] Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. [9] No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. [10] By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.