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What is the real purpose of living by God’s laws? - Part 2
Written by Ken Murray
This is the second part of a series of blogs about the purpose of God's law.
In the first part of this series, we considered what God's law is in conjunction with His Word. We also looked at how these laws will be taught in the future Kingdom of God.
In this blog post, we will explore how the love of God is expressed through obedience of God's laws, how the keeping of God's laws helps us to know and be like Christ, and how God's law is to be our guide to conversion.
1. God's law shows how God loves us and how we should love God and others.
One of the most important purposes of keeping God's commandments is because it is a way to show God that we love and respect Him, and also that we love our neighbour; our neighbour being all the people in the world.
1 John 5: 2-3, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous."
Of course, this is in keeping with the first and greatest commandment of all of God's great commandments and other laws:
Matthew 22:37-39, "Jesus said unto him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself."
Living by God's commandments is a sign that we are part of God's family, because we are developing an understanding of who God is (and taking on his characteristics in our own life).
This is something we can't do if we don't keep and understand the real purpose of living by God's laws.
When we keep God's laws they become a part of us, written in our hearts and minds, as true sons and daughters of God, in God's family.
2. God's laws help us to know and be like Christ.
Some people who claim to be 'New Testament Christians' sometimes say to me, "But we don't need to obey God's law. All we need is to know the Lord. Do you know the Lord?"
Naturally I say in return, "Yes, and do you know the Lord as well?"
They respond, "Of course I do!"
And then I ask them, "How can you truly 'know the Lord' but not keep His commandments? Can you please explain from 1 John 2:3–4, how you can possibly do that?"
1 John 2: 3-4, "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
I then ask them, "And how do you understand 1 John 5:2-3, which is also written in the New Testament?"
1 John 5: 2-3, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous."
They choke on the words of their own self condemnation, before God.
3. The Purpose of God's Law is to be our Guide to Conversion.
Is it possible for a Christian to become converted, outside of keeping God's law? No.
Those who think and teach that they are 'born again' and don't believe in keeping God's law are simply fooling themselves.
Think about this: "You can call a rabbit a lion, but it is a rabbit nevertheless."
A human calling something Christian does not make it Christian in God's eyes. It's just another human philosophy. It's a phony rabbit and NOT a true lion.
Now let's read in Psalm 19 what God says is the purpose of requiring us to live by His laws:
Psalm 19: 7-10, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes [e.g. holy days, tithing, clean and unclean foods] of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
Did you notice it? Did you notice what the number one reason and purpose of God's law is, in Psalm 19:7?
The number one reason or purpose for us living by God's law is that God's Law is a guidance system for us to become converted and have the mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5).
What did the Apostle Peter say about how we must repent of breaking God's laws, and how we should keep God's laws to become converted? See here:
Acts 3: 19, "Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins [transgression of God's law - 1 John 3:4] may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."
In addition, Proverbs 11:19, "As righteousness [keeping God's laws] tends to life: so he that pursues evil [transgressing God's laws in sin] pursues it to his own death."
Over the next couple of weeks this series of blogs on what is God's purpose for us to live by God's Laws will continue. Future blogs will explore other various aspects of God's law such as:
* We can find great peace of mind when we keep God's laws.
* We can also find wisdom and understanding when we keep God's laws.
* God's laws give good sound solid judgement.
* The purpose of God's law is to be our guide to conversion.
* God's laws were given for us in order to prevent sin.
* God's law has the purpose of showing us what is right and wrong - reward or failure.
* Keeping God's laws saves us from being ashamed.
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About the Author
Ken Murray