COMMANDMENTS

Ever since Darby popularized Dispensationalism, the Church appears to have become totally focused upon the Church Age as the Age of Grace, with little or no emphasis upon obedience to the Commandments of God. It is as though Christians have come to believe God does not expect them to obey His Commandments; that they were given to Moses, and were the heart of the dispensation of Israel. After all, it is called the Dispensation of the Law. However, serious Bible students understand that God's will for mankind was that we would be like Him (Gen. 1:26-27). God is Holy, and in order for man to be like Him, man must also be holy. When Adam sinned, he no longer shared the glory of God; he failed to be like Jesus (Jn. 17:5; Rom. 3:23). From that time on, God began telling man what to do in order to be like Him, and correcting him when he failed. And boy, did he fail! Eventually, the entire Law was codified by Moses, but God commanded holiness of those who believed in Him long before there was an Israel. Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc. were considered righteous by God because they believed in Him. We know they trusted Him because they did what He commanded them to do.

Being considered righteous by God does not mean a person is holy, however, because righteousness is a right-standing with God in the present. Past sins, while covered by the blood of a sacrifice, still require one's death (Rom. 6:23a; Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). When a Jew sinned, an animal was sacrificed to cover his sin. In addition, once a year, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer a blood sacrifice for his and his people's sins (Heb. 9:7). This was a picture of what Christ would do for us, once and for all, on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:12). Christians are considered righteous when their sins are confessed, but that does not make us holy (1 Jn. 1:9; Rev. 15:4). Our being holy will only happen when we become like Jesus (1Jn. 3:2). Until then, when God says for us to be holy as He is holy, He is speaking of our position in Christ (Rom. 3:24; 6:3; 8:1, 39; 12:5; 2 Tim. 1:9; Rev. 20:6; etc.).

So if Christians are saved by faith in the finished work of Christ's death on the cross for us, why do we need to know and obey the commandments of God? Paul wrote it this way: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31). By acknowledging our need of a Savior, and trusting in Him because we are unable to live according to the Law, we are declaring that the Law of God is holy. Paul continued his call to obedience to God's Law by saying, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the Law, but under grace? God forbid" (Rom. 6:16). The Law serves two purposes: it shows us the will of God for our lives, and it shows us that we need a Savior (Col. 4:12; 1 Pet. 4:2; Gal. 3:24).

When Christians obey the Commandments of God, they are acknowledging God's authority over them. The word "command" carries with it a recognition of the authority of the one instructing someone under his command. When we obey His Commandments, we declare Him to be our God, and show Him our desire to please Him. When we don't, the world is quick to call us hypocrites.