Psalms 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Some persons view the instructions and laws given in the Bible as merely good suggestions, and based upon their perspective, some conclude that it is ok to pick and choose which ones will be obeyed. But, while it is true that God has given us the freedom of choice, if we desire to serve Him, He would have us understand that whatsoever is written in His word is much more than merely good ideas.
As far as we know from the scripture God has never ever given out any suggestions or good ideas to the human family. Things, such as advice, suggestions, opinions, concepts, theories and great ideas belong and pertain only to finite beings. God gives us laws instructions statutes and judgments, to which, any who serve Him must walk in obedience.
There is a right way to do good, and there are also consequences for doing both good and evil, but if a person chooses to do the good that’s in the Bible, it would have to be done God’s way, alone. The view that is currently, and commonly held by many folks in Christendom, is that the laws of God are merely good ideas, and as such strict obedience is not ever required.
Furthermore, because of viewing His laws as mere suggestions and not requirements, persons become ensnared into thinking that certain aspects, which they deem objectionable, can then be modified to suit their particular circumstance. Thus, the result is a host of man-made variations and modifications to what God has given by divine authority, which then is often watered down by culture and tradition.
From this philosophy springs the myriad strands of churches, and denominations, some subscribing to whatever they think is necessary or convenient, and others rejecting outright those portions of His word that may not rub them the right way. But Christians will soon discover that it is not always cool and easy to obey God, for doing so often involves a struggle. Let’s read:
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
In the days of Christ and the apostles there was only one brand of Christianity, the one that had Christ as Lord and Savior through faith which then always led persons to obey God. Faith in God, and a deliberate, continuous rejection of His laws were also mutually exclusive, and were never espoused by those earlier believers.
Back in the days of yore, persons who espoused the Person of Christ, and the gospel would demonstrate their desire to follow Him by being fully immersed in water through baptism and from then on persons were expected to walk in newness of life, being led and empowered by His Holy Spirit.
It was only later, when the perspective of viewing God’s instructions as merely good suggestions, that the practice of sprinkling took root, and with such a modification came others, such as taking the name of Christ whilst walking directly contrary to all of His laws, statutes and instructions.
Thus, the mass confusion, and plethora of options on the table today never existed in times past, and indeed it was never the will of God to have so many divergent views and different strains of Christianity, so that persons would get lost in the maze of beliefs interpretations, and preferences that do not clearly outline the truth as God would have it.
When the Bible is understood and obeyed as plainly stated, there could only be one type of believer and only one brand of Christianity. That’s why in the last days of earth’s history, God is calling us to reject the philosophy that holds His laws, and instructions as being optional, subjective, or merely as good ideas,
as is demonstrated in the next passages. Let’s read:
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
2nd Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Persons with a good understanding of God and His word will not only view God’s law as being absolute and final, they would go a step further by avoiding anything God does not like, even if it might not be written in stone. If Christ shows His displeasure for something, that should be sufficient for believers to shun it too, instead of waiting for fine print to tell us so, in no uncertain terms.
That is what is meant by being led by The Spirit, for The Holy Ghost may lead us to avoid things that are not specifically written, but which, if harbored will prove detrimental to spiritual growth. That is why the following two excerpts are so very important for they give a much wider perspective, and panoramic view, of what it means to obey God. Let’s read:
Romans 14:22 “Happy is he who condemns not himself in that thing which he allows”.
23 “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin”.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.
This last passage is important, for it hearkens back to the fall of man, when the system of sacrifices was first instituted. At that time, all the descendants of Adam were expected to bring a lamb as an offering to God thereby showing their faith in the promised, coming Redeemer.
And even though the Bible does not specifically say in Genesis 4 that it was given in legal format, yet it was what God had ordained, and as such it was not to be viewed as optional or a mere good suggestion. It was law, and as such, any deviation from it would be sin, because God’s law does not necessarily have to be written in stone for it to be valid or binding.
According to James, it just has to be “Good” for it to be required. It is worthy of note, that in addressing Cain God did not mention any law. Instead, He uses the word well which has a very broad connotation. Let’s read:
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Question: Why did The Lord not have respect unto Cain’s offering, while He clearly approved of Abel’s? Before we attempt to answer this question we must remember that Cain did in fact adopt several of the same instructions as did Abel. He built an altar, he was present for worship, and he acknowledged God in His capacity as God.
But Cain did not agree with the type of sacrifice God had specified, and because he viewed it as a mere suggestion he then presumed to modify it to suit his own convenience with the vain hope that someway, somehow God would accept what his idea. But Cain was to become very disappointed when he learned that God is not into modifications. Let’s read:
Psalms 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
Genesis 4:6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
Some people may be quick to criticize Cain for what he did, but before pointing fingers, we should take a moment to examine his perspectives, for they are too often replicated in the modes of thought and action that are prevalent today.
By strictly human standards, Cain’s offering would be considered more humane, and certain animal rights activists may have balked at the command to sacrifice an innocent lamb. In other words, his view was that, in certain instances, God’s requirements are unnecessary, inconvenient, or disagreeable.
And as such, other options which Cain deems to be less objectionable or cruel should, and ought to be adopted. What is worthy of note is that the same one who seemed to be more humane, by sparing the life of an innocent animal, ended up taking the life of an innocent person, and thus his perfidy was exposed.
Now, it is true that most Christians and even secular folk would readily agree that it’s a good idea to take one day off per week from our busy schedules to be refreshed, recharged and reinvigorated. In some of the more prominent Christian circles, the concept is touted as a day for relaxation, family and removal from the mundane, temporal pursuits which have too often absorbed our best interests and energies.
That’s all well and good, but the question is, will we like Cain, modify the law God has given on this point because it is better suited to our convenience? And if so, will God accept a substitute day of rest, even if it may promulgate some of the very same aspects of rejuvenation as the seventh day Sabbath does?
God will never accept a substitute to His original 7th day Sabbath. He never has, and He never will, for if He does, then Cain would be owed an apology. A person’s good intentions never excuses him or her from the obligation of God’s law, and though it may be modified, and changed, while retaining some of the same good concepts, it falls short of God’s will, and as such it will never be accepted in His sight.
Now, there are some who have in sincerity, been in ignorance upon this point, and God sees and knows their hearts. That’s why He is now calling on folks to leave their congregations, churches, denominations and affiliations, if those organizations won’t, or do not subscribe to the entirety of His law.
The door of mercy will still be open for such persons but there would have to be definite separation from congregations and churches which continue to be in a selective and subjective mode of thought, when it comes to obeying God. Plain and simple! Let’s read:
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Isaiah 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that lays hold on it; that keeps the sabbath from polluting it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord to be his servants, everyone that keeps the sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of my covenant;
7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
God is not merely looking for an acknowledgement of Himself by human beings, for while this may be a good starting point, it does not fulfill His will if folks do not follow on in willing obedience. It is worthy of note that acknowledgement is something the devils always did, when in the presence of Christ, and in this regard, they have done much better than men who refused to acknowledge Him for who He is.
Yet, for all of their acknowledgement the devils did not obey, unless forced to, which service God would never accept. Similarly, persons who acknowledge God, must go a step further by obeying His laws and instructions with a willing heart, or else they would have nothing over the devils. Let’s read:
Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mark 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
God is seeking those who are willing to worship Him in spirit and in truth, for that’s the only combination that is specified in His word by Jesus. Therefore, in our day, a true believer will not only be defined by an acknowledgement of God, or even one who may be baptized the correct way by immersion.
Neither will a true believer be defined by his or her affiliation with other believers. The test in our day is not even to believe in Christ, for devils also believe. The true test of a believer in our day will be his or her willingness to obey all of God’s commandments including the fourth which is the only one beginning with the word “Remember”.
Therefore, The Lord in His mercy is now calling all the inhabitants of earth to choose wisely, based on what has been made so plain in both the old and new testaments. The Sabbath points us to God in His capacity as Creator of heaven and earth, the fact which forms the basis for Him requiring obedience from those whom he has created.
In closing, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s original day of rest is still binding, it has never been changed, or modified, and if any person expects, or desires to enter heaven, obedience to all of God’s commandments is required. This is the everlasting gospel and it carries everlasting consequences for those who submit and those who resist. Let’s read:
Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
God Bless!