Brian2
Veteran Member
Agreed, however, love, faith and obedience to Gods Words are not separated from each other. How can you say you love your fellow man if you lie to them, steal from them of commit adultery with their spouse? Likewise how can you say you love God and not keep His commandments when Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments (see John 14:15; John 15:10 compare this to Exodus 20:6 where God shows His mercy to those who keep His commandments). So love is not separate from faith and obedience to Gods law. Romans 3:31 says that genuine faith obeys Gods law. Jesus says in Matthew 22:36-40 that on these two great commandments of love to God and man (quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) hang all the law and the prophets in Matthew 22:40. Paul agrees with Jesus when he says that we love our fellow man by obeying those commandments that express our duty of love to our fellow man and quotes Gods' 10 commandments as does James in James 2:8-12 and John in 1 John 5:2-4. Love is not separate from faith and obedience Brian. Faith that works by love is expressed in obedience to Gods law and is the fruit of genuine faith. Anything else according to James in James 2:17-26 is the dead faith of devils and will put us in the group that Jesus says "depart from me you who work iniquity, I never knew you," (see Matthew 7:21-23).
You have not shown that keeping the Sabbath is a commandment for Christians. It was given to Israel in the Mosaic Covenant.
You speak of commandments as if it is understood that the Sabbath is one of those commandments for Christians but you do not show that it is.
Your words here have no truth in them Brian and are a teaching of lawlessness, which is not supported in the scriptures, but allow me to explain why from the scriptures, if it might be helpful. James 2:10-11 says "10, For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.11, For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law. According to James in James 2:10-11 if we break anyone of Gods 10 commandments we stand before God guilty of breaking ALL of Gods commandments and have become a transgressor of Gods law. John agrees with James here in 1 John 3:4 and says transgressing Gods law is sin. "Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. So lets not pretend Brian that if we break anyone of Gods 10 commandments we are not sinning against God. According to the scriptures sin will keep us out of Gods kingdom (see Hebrews 10:26-31). The law of liberty of freedom from sin in those who have been born again into Gods new covenant promise and given a new heart to love and walk in Gods Spirit (see Hebrews 8:10-12 from Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:24-27; Galatians 5:16). Those who are born again according to John do not practice sin according to John in 1 John 3:4-9 and sin is the difference (those who practice sin and those who do not practice sin) between the children of God and the children of the devil according to 1 John 3:6-10. If we are still living a life of known unrepentant sin according to 1 John 2:3-4 we need to be born of God to walk in His Spirit *Galatians 5:16. We are free from condemnation and sin when we have received Gods forgiveness through faith (see Romans 8:1-4). If we are still practicing sin we do not know God according to the scriptures and till in bondage to our sins (see John 8:31-36) and need to be born again (see John 3:3-7) because those who are born of God do not practice sin (see 1 John 3:4-10; 1 John 2:3-4). So no dear friend the scriptures teach if we are knowingly breaking anyone of Gods 10 commandments we stand before God guilty of sin *James 2:10-11 so this includes Gods 4th commandment which is one of Gods 10 commandments that give us a knowledge of what sin is when broken (Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7 and 1 John 3:4). Gods Word does not teach lawlessness or Gods salvation through the dead faith of devils (James 2:17-26). Those who follow that path Jesus does not know (see Matthew 7:21-23 and compare 1 John 2:3-4) and John calls them the children of the devil in 1 John 3:6-10. Theses are all Gods Words not mine Brian. May you receive them and be blessed. Ignoring them does not make them disappear according to Jesus *John 12:47-48.
Take Care Brian.
We all sin and under the New Covenant we are not counted as guilty for our sins. (Psalm 32:2, Romans 4:8) Our righteousness comes by faith.
Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
We don't earn our own righteousness through keeping the law, especially when it is a law that we are not asked to keep.
Sanctification/ making us more Christ like, is an ongoing process of God working in us to change us into the image (2Cor 3:18) but the saving of us was done by Jesus on the cross.