The Daily Word of Righteousness

Should We Obey the Word or Not?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Romans 6:17)

Should we obey the Word or not? To a Christian this may sound like a stupid question. But we are being taught today we do not have to obey the commandments because we are "saved by grace." Is it possible we are confused?

How are we to regard the writings of the Apostles?

Throughout the Epistles there are numerous commandments and exhortations:

"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame."

"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 who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind."

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you."

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication."

And so on and on and on—hundreds of such direct commandments!

Also, Christ and His Apostles issued severe warnings concerning those who do not bring forth the fruit of righteousness, who return to the ways of the world.

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is near to cursing; whose end is to be burned."

"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not."

How are we to treat the warnings and admonitions of Christ and His Apostles? How important are they? Does the fact we are "under grace" mean that while it would be nice if we would obey the New Testament commandments, not doing so does not mean we will lose our salvation?

Christ commanded us to turn away from the world, take up our cross, and follow Him. Paul urged us to present our body as a whole burnt offering, a living sacrifice to the Lord. Most believers do not obey Christ or Paul in these matters. Does this mean they will not go to Heaven when they die?

A related question is, what is the new covenant? How does it work?

It seems today there is almost total ignorance of the new covenant. What is being preached in most evangelical churches is not scriptural, not the new covenant. There is widespread blindness but God is ready to remove the veil.

We are crying grace and love to the world. The Spirit is crying repent to the churches!

We do not demonstrate our love for Christ by a big show at the altar but by obeying His commandments. According to the Great Commission we are supposed to teach people to keep Christ's commandments.

We're not doing it and we're not teaching it. In fact we're messed up big time.

Is there a Phinehas among us? (from A Contemporary Error)