Grafted-In Ministries
Circling or Keeping the Commandments
| Written by Mark Huey |
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In this first passage, the beloved John is simply trying to explain to his readers that truly knowing the Risen Savior will be evidenced by keeping commandments:
The crux of these statements regarding keeping the commandments is whether one truly knows God, or does not truly know God. If a person knows God, or has come to know God but does not keep His commandments, then one of two things is missing. Either the person (1) does not really know God, or (2) he or she does not know the commandments. Consequently, if a person claims to know God, but does not keep His commandments, then John’s conclusions is that the person is a liar and the truth is not in him. But is this a reflection on people who are ignorant of God’s commandments, and do not have a fuller picture of them—or people who claim to know God but have no desire to obey Him? John’s conclusion could be a very strong indictment against those who simply believe that keeping God’s commandments begins and ends with love for Him and neighbor. Yeshua did list these as the greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22:35-39). This is not in dispute. But few really try to comprehend what He means by “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Many faithful Christians believe that they are keeping God’s Law, because they love Him and strive to love their neighbors. This is good. The problem is that too many preachers and teachers have told them over the years that these are the only two commandments that matter. Too few are aware of how they are derived directly from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18), and not enough try to understand them as they were originally given to Ancient Israel. When asked more specifically what that love entails, the answers one might hear from today’s Christians can be somewhat nebulous, theoretical, or downright superficial. After all, how does one define love for an intangible, unseen Creator? Is it a fervent prayer life? Is it reading His Word? Or could it possibly be seen by obeying Him? Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) taught:
Once again, the willingness to keep God’s commandments is strong evidence that someone loves Him. Yet it is improper to assume that keeping God’s commandments is just all about “love.” Many people need to be liberated from a circular thinking that you love God, which in turn means that you have just kept all of His commandments, which then means that you have fulfilled the Law. Something or someone has to wake up many of today’s Christians from the stupor of believing that “love” for God is all that is required to obey Him. Just vaguely “loving God,” with what can be perceived as no concrete responsibilities, has not at all aided today’s Christian Church—which is rife with moral and ethical problems. A return to actually knowing and implementing God’s commandments in one’s life is definitely in order. When you consider the essence of what it means to truly commit all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of you mind to the Lord—you should soon realize that it is much more than a token, seemingly heartfelt statement of commitment. If you are really serious about loving God then you will look into His Word and discover those other passages which amplify what it means to love God with all of your being. The command to love is an essential part of the Shema, which declares the Lord as the supreme object of one’s devotion, worship, and obedience:
Later in Deuteronomy, Moses teaches how the love God’s people are to display toward Him is evidenced by keeping His commandments:
As you seek out more about what it means to love God, you read further in Deuteronomy 11:1, 13, 22; 30:6, 16. God’s people are admonished to love Him, often with the reminder that those who love Him keep His commandments. The Apostle John’s words, seen in 1 John, are very consistent with the message of Deuteronomy, and what is required of an obedient disciple of Yeshua. Consider these two passages and notice the obvious parallels:
If you analyze what it means to really love your neighbor as yourself, you might be able to think of some tangible actions, beginning with how you show basic courtesy to others. The Golden Rule, doing to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31), surely comes to mind. While this is an excellent rule to follow, where does this axiom originate? It actually comes from a series of commands that deal with those you live in close proximity to—your neighbors—as outlined in Leviticus 19:9-18:
When you begin to study out the concept of loving the Lord and your neighbor, you are certain to find that what is stated throughout Scripture defines and clarifies what God’s commandments truly are. Love for God is not an intangible concept, but does manifest itself in specific actions. A serious, sober minded escape, from some of the circular thinking that often prevails in our generation, allows you to realize that the mission of the Messiah was not to abolish the Torah, but rather show His followers how to live it out properly. Fulfilling the Torah by no means implies doing away with it!
Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah, but fill it up with understanding. The commandments of God the Father were upheld by the Messiah, and compose the Messiah’s instructions for living a life of love. Of course, discovering what those commandments actually are requires time and study. It requires us to mature in our faith, perhaps retrain some of our thinking, and for us to sincerely desire a heart and mind that is focused on serving the Lord—not just lip-service. Once you have the dots connected for you, in your desire to love the Lord and your neighbor as yourself—you could find yourself positioned between the Rock and a hard place. You can either ignore the words of Yeshua, Moses, and John—or you can begin evidencing your love for God by keeping His commandments. This starts by actually learning how you can truly love your neighbor. If you have a problem with demonstrating God’s love via obedience, then you just might check to see if you truly know Him. Inevitably, it always circles back to how we show we are His people via our actions in the world! Until the restoration of all things… |
