If You Love Me Then Keep My Commandments...

Jesus was pressed; "What is the greatest commandment?" He responded in Matt 22:36-40 that it is the following: "Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". Then he added, "Upon these hang all the law and the prophets"  Do we appreciate what our Lord is saying here?  He is saying we, New Testament believers, are still under the constraints of the law. Wait a minute, I thought the law had passed away? I thought we were no longer under the law but we are under grace?  This is a common misconception because some fail to appreciate it was only the ceremony of the Law that passed away not the morality (the 10 commandments were never repealed). Jesus Himself said I have not come to destroy the law but rather to fulfill it! (See Matt 5:17-19).

Then we can follow that statement up with John 14:15 - "If you love Me then keep my commandments" and we understand that in our worship and service to Him He knows we love Him when we keep His commandments and He further declares in John 14:24 – "He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments..." Also, to further emphasize the point we have John 15:9-10 – in order to abide in his love we must walk in His commandments; those who break His commandments are not abiding in His love. It has been a common practice for many who are not really familiar with the true gospel message to dismiss the morality of Gods law but in reality God is impressed with those who cry out for His commandments to be worked out in their hearts. 

I recently had the priveledge of teaching the book of Romans where it makes it clear that no man shall be justified by the works of the law and so, yes, clearly our salvation is not at all based on our ability to keep His law. This fact does not mean the law never becomes important to us; as we have established if we love Him we will keep His law so there is not a conflicting message here. The message is briefly summarized this way:  We are never justified (born again, saved) by our ability to keep the law but rather we are justified by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ!  That being said, in order to abide in His love we must keep His commandments otherwise the relationship will wither away and die (John 15:9-10)

Hosea 4 - God had a controversy with Israel; what was it?

Hosea 4:1 No mercy towards each other and no truth as they rejected the knowledge of God. Hosea 4:2 It was that His people were breaking His commandments through swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery and violence. In Hosea 4:6 he mde it clear they were not remembering His law "...seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God". They were breaking His commandments in two ways: First of all, In their offending Him through lawless living and idolatry; secondly, they were offending Him in their treatment of each other, no mercy! Many times people use the law to be critical and judge others but in reality the two aspects of the Law from Gods perspective are that it deals with our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. Embracing Mercy and Truth! God is equally offended when either part is omitted, truth or mercy. Some might say, well, I don't really love my brother but at least I am keeping Gods commands but that does not work because loving your brother is part of keeping His commands, remember mercy and truth.

How does God view the breaking of His commandments?

How did God view this situation in Hosea? Their breaking of His laws and mistreatment of each other was to him as the unfaithful bride of Hosea who had treacherously departed from him; it broke Gods heart. You see here is where we must be careful about the true interpretation of the book of Hosea; it is not so much about how low God will reach to save the backslider, It is more about how God viewed Israel’s backsliding, how it greived Him the same way Hosea's wife greived Hosea. God wants a bride who is faithful to keep His commandments and to walk in His ways.

Let me finish this piece with the new covenant; the covenant God desired (as opposed to the old one that no one had the power to keep with its ceremoies and external laws). The New Covenant is neatly sumarized for us in Jer 31:31-33 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  (32)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  (33)  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the 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." This is the new covenant; the law (Truth and Mercy), which was written on tables of stone now are written on the tables of our hearts. Gods desire for us is that we would do by nature those things which delight the heart of God. I think one of the greatest life testimonies in the whole of the Word of God came from the Savior Himself when He testified "I do only those things which please My Father". May God bring each and every one us to this.