Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not greievous.
John 14:15 If ye love me,
keep my commandments.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
A commandmant was first given by the Lord God to Adam.
Gen.2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree
of the garden you may freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
This
one commandment was given to the man in Genesis 2:16, before the woman was created in Genesis 2:22. The man passed on the commandment to the woman, but he either changed it or the woman misunderstood
it, for when confronted by the serpent the woman misquoted God's command.
Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yes, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
The
serpent knew exactly what God had said, and knew that the woman did not:
Gen.3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die:
5. For God does know that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit of it, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together,
and made themselves aprons. 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you? 10. And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11. And He said, who told you that
you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat? 12. And the man said, the woman whom
You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Had the man accepted the responsibality for his sin and repented and confessed
it, all may have unfolded differently: Instead he blamed the woman, and then God.
13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? and the woman said, The
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all
the days of your life: 15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel. 16. Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply
your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow shall you bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. 17. And unto Adam He said, Because you have harkened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten
of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; 18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring
forth to you: and you shall eat the herb of the field; 19. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it you were taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return. 20. And Adam
called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know
good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: 23. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24.
So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
This is how sin, or disobedience to God, came
into the world. It seperated man from God; it seperated man from the source and truth of eternal life and changed the nature of man from spiritual to carnal . Every man since Adam, except for Jesus, has sinned and been seperated from God.
Adam did surely die that day. However,
physically, he lived on to the age of 930 years, which is within God's day as of 1000 years; but in the very day that he disobeyed the Lord God, he was immediately cut off spiritually from the Source of eternal life and truth, and lost his spiritual life, and his spiritual nature and understanding; was seperated from God and from the kingdom of God, and became subject to the physical world and
to his physical senses and worldly sensual wisdom and reason; afraid and ashamed, he lost touch with his true spiritual nature, and became a fallen, natural, carnal, sensual being, subject to this world and in bondage to the god of this world: the devil, and
sin; which is the breaking of God's commandments.
And we all have
broken God's commandments.
Rom.3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Sin is the breaking
of God's commandments.
The ten commandments; given through Moses on Mount
Sinai.
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
#1 Ex.20:2 I am the Lord
thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
#2
4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and forth generation of them that hate Me; 6. And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.
#3 7. Thou shallt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
#4 8. Remember the sabbath day to keep if holy. 9. Six days shall thou labour, and do all thy work: 10. For the seventh day is the sabbath of
the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
#5 12. Honour thy father and thy
mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
#6 13. Thou shalt not kill.
#7 14. Thou shalt not commit adultry.
#8 15. Thou shalt not
steal.
#9 16. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
#10
17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
Have you broken any one of these laws? we all have.
Rom.3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God.
Sin is the failure to obey God's commandments.
Rom.6:23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus suffered, was crucified and died upon the cross on Calvary; was buried, and rose
again from the dead, to set free from transgression, iniquity, sickness, desease and curses, and from the death penalty for sin, all who would believe it and accept His sacrifice for themselves; all who would believe in their heart that God raised
Him from the dead, and who would receive Him as their redeemer and will confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God and Lord, and follow Him as their Master, and obey Him as their
Lord; all who would repent and change their understanding of life, and turn from their sinful
and worldly ways and turn back to God and to rest in Him, and learn of and follow
His spiritual way. This leads us back to God as our Father, and to the true, eternal life.
Jesus rose again from the dead to break the power of death
for those who will follow Him. (see study on 'How are we saved?).
(see study on 'the Gospel').
If you honestly examine your heart and find that you are in need of reconciliation with God, that your heart tells you that Jesus is true and really did die to pay for our sins, and rose again from
the dead, then take this opportunity to tell Him.
Humble yourself and admit to Him that you are a sinner, that you have broken God's law, and that you need Him, and want to be forgiven,
and to be reconciled with Him. Receive Jesus' sacrifice for your sins and thank Him. Talk to Him; tell Him that you believe in your heart that He is the Son of God, and that He rose again from the dead. Thank Him; ask Him to help you to become His disciple.
Decide that you will make Him your Lord, and learn His teachings, and follow Him, and obey Him. Give your life into His care, and trust Him. He loves you. He died for you.
Forgive everyone
who has done wrong to you; for if we would be forgiven we must forgive others.
Get baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the name above all names; the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. (see study on 'Doctrine of Baptisms' in 'First Principles' on this website.)
This is the start of becoming a child of God.
Read the King James bible and take note of the words of Jesus.
Talk to Him and to the Father of your spirit.
Include Him in your thoughts and let
Him help you in every area of your life.
Become aware of His presence. (see study on 'Resting in the Lord' on
this website.)
Get used to being with Him for He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Let
God be your Father; He is the Father of our spirits, and He knew us before He created the world.
Learn the first principles of the oracles of God;
the principles of the doctrine of Christ. (see study on 'First Principles').
Jesus gave His followers a new commandment.
Jn.13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved
you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one
to another.
Not as we love one another, but as He has loved us. He died for us.
Jesus was asked which is the first commandment of all?
Mk.12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together,
and perceiving that He had awswered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou
shalt love your neighbour as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mt.22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and
great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
If we obey these two commandments we will obey all of the ten commandments.
For if we truely
love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength of will, we will obey the first four commandments; and if we love our neighbour as ourselves, we will keep the other six commandments.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets and all the testimony (Is.8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. Is.8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according
to this word, it is because there is no light in them). Testimony here in Isaiah 8, is, in the Greek, Tee w dah; attestation, witness. from; uwd, to repeat, to duplicate, to reiterate.
On these two commandments hang all of doctrine of the Bible from the Prophet Moses, through the law,
the history, the prophets, the gospels, the epistles and the prophesy of John in Revelation.
If we obey these two commandments , we
will be following the Living Word of God in Spirit and in Truth.
John 15: 10 If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Fathers commandments, and abide in his love.
The
commandments of God are in force until all things are fulfilled.
Mt. 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For truely I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Many are deceived into believing that the commandments were abolished at the cross of Christ: this is misunderstanding. (see study on:'Law & Commandments').
Eph.2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are now made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle
wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself
of two one new man, so making peace; 16 And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Col.2:13 And you, being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;
Col.2:20 Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as
though living in the world are you subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 which are
all to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Heb.9:8 The Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not
yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the
conscience: 10 Which stood in meats and drinks, and diverse washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until
the time of reformation.
These commandments contained in ordinances are the Levitical, ceremonial and social laws of Israel.
Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 5.
Mt.5:21 You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger
of the judgement: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
5:27 You have heard
that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has comitted adultery with her already in his heart.
5:38 You have heard that it has been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Jesus is, in these scriptures, reinforcing the commandments, and negateing the ordinances.
How
do we know if we are obeying Jesus' new commandment?
1 Jn.5:2 By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not greivous.
When one truely loves God it is a delight to do His commandments. (see study on 'Law and Commandments').
In the new covenant,
which God has made with the followers of Jesus Christ, He will put His law in our innermost parts, and write it in our hearts, He will be our God and we will be His people.
Jeremiah 31:33
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel (the Church of God, the Body of Christ, built, by the Lord Himself, of the Living Stones of His faithful followers, is the Spiritual house of Israel); After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will
make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
After the resurrection of the dead, at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and after the judgement; in the new earth, the commandments will still be in force; as attested to in Isaiah 65:17,20.
Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor
an old man that has not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
If there are sinners in the new earth, then the commandments are still in force.
To love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strenght, to love thy neighbour as thyself, and to love the children of God as He has loved us; is the fulfilling of all the law and the prophets.
Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
The testimony (Teh w dah; witness, attestation; from uwd; repeat, reiterate), is a repeated witness to the Word of God;
and as such, covers all the words and works of God throughout the old testament, including all the sayings of the Lord God through the prophets; all the testimonies of the Gospels, the epistles, and Revelation.
Therefore, we will fulfill all of God's will for us, if we, through all the strength of our will, love the
Lord our God with all of our heart, and with all of our soul, and with all of our mind; and
in so doing, will be enabled, to love our neighbour as we love ourself, and to love one another, as He has loved us.
He is in our hearts.
The Father has sent the Spirit of His dear Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. His life is in us; Christ in
us, the hope of glory; His love and life is in our hearts.
When we still our minds, and set our heart upon Him, and rest our mind upon Him in our heart, we are with Him; and as we learn to rest in His presence, He will manifest, not only His love in us, but also through the renewing of our minds, the mind of Christ; He will conform us unto the
image of His dear Son, as the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in us, as we abide in Him.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Love God, keep His commandments.
Follow
Jesus.
Live forever!