God says in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  Could this mean that this is how we show love for God is by keeping his law?  And if so, was this demonstration of our love for God nullified at the cross.

1 John 2:3, “We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments.”   and 2 John 1:6 says, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

We have heard these commandments from the beginning, yes even before Moses received the law at Sinai, we knew the law of God.  But if it was done away with, then we should see in the Bible that the commandments would play no part in prophecy, that is, looking toward the last days of earths history.   But the Bible does declare it in the book of Revelations that keeping the commandments of God will be an identifier of Gods remnant people.  Revelation 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints: here arethey that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. ”

Sin caused separation between mankind and God.  (Isaiah 59:2) We have the Law so that we know what sin is.  Without the Law of God, their is no sin against God.  1 John 3:4, :Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Lucifer warred against the law of God and sinned, and for this was cast out of heaven, him and one third of the angels in heaven that sinned with him.  Did Jesus come to to make void sin by doing away with the Law of God, the goal that Lucifer (Satan) originally sought to do in heaven?

Often, when claiming that the law is done away with, Matthew 22: 36-40 is mentioned.  Jesus they claim does not list any commandment found in the Law of God.  He doesn’t say thou shalt not kill, or thou shalt not bow down to idols, or any other commandment found in the 10 Commandments.  

Matthew 22:36-40, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  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. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  

To get the whole picture, you have to back up to Matthew 21 and from verse 23 all the way to Matthew 22:36-40.  After doing many miracles including the withering of the fig tree, Jesus came to the temple and the chief priests came to him asking questions. Matthew 21:23, “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?”  Jesus knowing their intentions engages them in an intellectual back and forth.

In Matthew 22:15, you can see that the Pharisees are getting frustrated with him and even convene a council to see how they could entangle Jesus in His talk.  The Bible records that they sent out disciples of the Herodians to ask another question about paying tribute to Caesar, and whether it is lawful or not.  Matthew 22:22 says, that when they heard the reply of Jesus, they marveled and walked away.  The scene plays out as one opponent after another are silenced by Jesus.  I imagine the scene where there is a group of people gathered to hear the words of Jesus and the chief priests, the Sadducees, and others come at Jesus to publicly get Him to say something to incriminate Himself so they could destroy Him.  So again the Sadducees come to Jesus asking a question about whose wife a woman would be in heaven.  The Bible records the reaction to Jesus’s answer.  Matthew 22:33-34, “And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.”  Jesus put the Sadducees to silence publicly.

This is where we get to the question, Which is the greatest commandment.  In the same spirit, the Pharisees were trying to entangle Jesus in his talk.  These are Pharasees, set apart and knowledgeable in the Bible.

Matthew 22:36-40, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  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. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  

We do not want to be Pharisees.  Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus clearly says that He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets and later in Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus binds the law and the prophets together.  In essence saying that the law is about love.  Love for God (commandment 1-4) and love for your neighbour (commandment 5-10).  How do I show love for God?  Have no other Gods before Him, do not make images and bow down to them, do not take His name in vain and keep the Sabbath day holy.  This is how we show love for God and we do it because of our love for God.

Matthew 5:17-20, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.  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.  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.  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If my righteousness to the law must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees in order for me to get to heaven, what was the issue with the Pharisees?  Their motivation was not love.   Their adherence to the law was selfish and it was demonstrated in how they viewed God and their neighbour.

He have heard… But I say.

I took another look at what Jesus said about the law.  In the sermon on the mount, Jesus references two laws, Thou shalt not kill, and thou shalt not commit adultery.  Let’s see what Jesus said about these laws.

Matthew 5:21-24, “Ye 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 judgment:  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

This does not sound to me that Jesus is abolishing the law?  He is not only saying not to kill, but he is striking at the root of hate.  He is asking us to do even more.  Notice that Jesus doesn’t say if you bring your gift to the alter and remember that you are angry or have something against your brother to go and reconcile.  He says that if you remember that your brother has an issue with you to go first and reconcile.  This is a powerful requirement completely expanding on the commandment.   Thou shalt not kill is easy because most have not committed murder, however what Jesus is saying here impacts everyone at some point.

Matthew 5:27-30, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Again, does this sound like Jesus has done away with the law?  Simply do not commit adultery is much easier than to say that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already in his heart.  Adultery here is not simply the act.  Jesus expends our understanding to include looking at a woman to lust after her.  Jesus in no way says that the law is to be done away with, but he expands on the law bringing a fuller meaning to it.

James 1:14-15, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

So what might the 10 commandments look like then based on how Jesus expanded the other two.  There are some commands that are close to other commands that require little expanding.

1. Thou shall have no other gods before me.  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  He who loves money or position or worldly possessions more than me is not worthy of me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  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 fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt 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. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.  Remember that the Sabbath is to be a sign between me and you, that you might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.  I give you this gift of the Sabbath so that you will remember through all your generations that I created the world and all that is in it in six days and rested with you on the Sabbath day.  Remember the Sabbath day so you will not forget that I am the Lord your God who sanctifies you.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  Be always respectful in what you say and how you behave toward them and have an inward attitude of esteem for their position. (got questions.org)
6. Thou shalt not kill.  Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
8. Thou shalt not steal.  Do not partner with a thief for he who is a partner with a thief hates his own life.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Do not mingle truth with fiction.
10. 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 any thing that is thy neighbour’s.  Be content with what you have.

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Will there be a judgement day?  Notice Acts 17:31, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”  God has “appointed a day,” now that’s significant!  In our next chapter, we will discover how close we are to that “day”.  To stir your imagination  a bit though, let’s read a fascinating scripture.  Revelation 14:6-7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  In other words, the everlasting gospel which is to be preached to all the world will say God’s judgement is come (present tense) before Jesus comes.

God’s Word has a court summons for all of us as we face this judgement, more serious than any summons we might receive here on earth.  2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  We all must appear before the judgement seat.  No one can escape it.

In the book of Daniel you will find a brief description of the judgement taking place.  Daniel 7:9-10, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”  Revelation gives a similar picture of what will take place.  Revelation 20:12-13, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

At this point there may be a sincere question in your mind.  In the last few verses in the Bible states we will be judged according to what we have done, good or bad, and judged according to our “works”.  Yet in the last chapter we read that we are saved by grace and it’s not works.  How do we reconcile that?

In the Bible there is a simple balance between faith and works.  It’s like  two oars on a row boat.  If you use the left oar of faith only you go in circles.  Or if you use the right oar or works you do the same.  But use them both and you go in a straight line.

We are not saved by works.  We’re saved alone by God’s grace.  But if we truly have been saved by grace through faith then God is in control of our life.  As we “watch and pray” the Spirit controls us and therefore our works are of God.  Our works give evidence that our faith is genuine.   So we’re not saved by works, but we are judged by our works.  Keep that balance and you are safe.  James 2:14,17, 18, 24, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Romans 3:28 – Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

These two verses seem to contradict each other.  Faith, the first verse says, without works is dead.  And the other says that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

How does  Romans 6:14-18 help to shed light on this question?  ” For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  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.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

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In every trial there are three phases.  1. The investigation of the evidence.  2. The decision or verdict of the court.  3.  The punishment or reward.  We already discovered that the first part, the “investigation, ” would take place before Jesus comes, because it will be preached “the hour of judgement is come” prior to His coming.  Revelation 14:7, “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Revelation 11:18, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

Now how is this part of the judgement to be done?  We just read in Revelation 20 that “the books” were opened.  There are several books used in the judgement.  The first one is called the Book of Life.  It has the names of all the saved, Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

There is another book called the Book of Remembrance where the saints record.  Malachi 3:16-17, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”   From these and other books, God begins the judgement.  And, the Bible declares that God Himself will judge.  Psalm 50:4-6, “He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.  Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.  And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.”

This is serious business.

When the investigating part of the judgement ends in heaven, the second phase of the judgement begins which is the verdict.  Christ declares it in Revelation 22:11-12,  “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”  In other words, when Jesus comes, every case is already decided. All whose names are in the Book of Life have been reviewed.  And because their lives have been covered by Jesus’s blood and righteousness, they are worthy of eternal life.  This is just before the second coming of Christ.  Now that brings us to the obvious question.  The saints have been judged, they are saved.  Jesus comes at His second coming to take them to heaven.   So, when will the wicked who are not in the book of life be judged?

Revelation 20:4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

The wicked will be judged during the 1,000 years which follows.  Therefore, you and I, if we claim the blood of Jesus and are saved, will be the ones who actually judge the wicked to see if God was fair.

Is that surprising?  Notice 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

We will judge the fallen angels.  Second Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”  God has a reason for doing it this way.  Satan has accused God of not being fair, and God is going to say, “Okay, I wont judge, I will let my people judge.  Those men and women on the earth, under Satan’s program of sin and rebellion.  Those people that went through the temptation and trials of life.  Let them check and see if I was just and fair.”

The last part of the judgement will be the reward or punishment.  The punishment is found in Revelation 20:15.  “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”  The wicked are cast into a lake of fire.

In Canada, we are ideally judge by certain standard. The law.  If I break it and go to court, they will read from the book of the law. By my obedience or disobedience to that law I am guilty or not guilty.  In heaven it’s the same, God’s law will also be the standard by which we are judged. James 2:10-12, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”  This is God’s ten-commandment law.

Why does it seem to surprise people today that God’s Ten Commandment Law is still binding?  Review each Commandment quickly to see that every command of God is reasonable and is based upon love.  Love for God, and love for your neighbor.

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Let’s read another text to establish this thought. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man, For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” God will bring all into judgment.

This brings me to an important subject.   It seems the Law of God, or the Ten Commandments are in question.

It is argued that Jesus gave us different or NEW commandments.  Some say that God’s Law was against us and Jesus came to lift the burden of the law.

Could this be possible?  Did Jesus change God’s Law of Liberty to something else?  Discuss?

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Does this distinction make sense in the context of the many other Bible verses covered?  Discuss:

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Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The moment He does that you are justified and your name is written in the Book Of Life.  And as your name comes up in the judgment, God the Father looks at you and standing before you is His Son Jesus. Jesus says, “My blood covers his sin. I present him faultless before your throne!” First John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

Jesus is our “advocate” our lawyer! Christ longs to represent you! When we look at ourselves we can’t see how we could ever be saved, but when we look at Jesus we can’t see how we could ever be lost!

When the judgment is over, and God comes for you and me, the text of Philippians 2:10-11 will be fulfilled. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Every knee will bow, and all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Today the door of mercy, swinging on the hinges of grace is still open. Jesus lovingly invites us to let Him cover our life of sin, so when our name comes up in judgment, He can confess us before the Father.

The post Prophecy 7 – Judgement Day – Faith and Works appeared first on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.