If we love Him, we WILL keep His commandments!

Go ahead: start throwing darts & claim I'm into SDA *works* salvation (I'm not; nor have I ever been). Say I'm legalistic. I'm not. I just believe in honoring the Lord by my lifestyle. I will out & out admit that I have not always done that ~ sometimes on purpose (sowing wild oats in my early '20s) and now SOOO THANKFUL the Lord did not come when I was in my prodigal state ~ and sometimes failing to honor the Lord, not so much on purpose, but by falling by way of temptation. Even so, I have confessed (and continue to confess whenever I stumble & need my feet washed) and the Lord has been faithful & just to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

1 Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments

1 Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

2 Jn 6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

Rev 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

1 John 2: The Test of Knowing Him

³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Some say the 10 Commandments ~ that it is imperative to keep them, while others insist they were tossed out with the New Testament. But it is important to remember that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law ~ but to FULFILL IT!! Matthew 5:17

Interesting that the 10 commandments ~ all of them, are of spoken again in various places in the New Testament. Hmm..... in the New Testament? Some how, that rather tells me they are to be kept then.

Further, not only the 10 commandments but ALL Scripture itself is “instruction in righteousness” ~ (2 Tim 3:16) and the New Testament actually lists the kind of sinners who will not even be allowed into heaven!! Just “believing” in Jesus does NOT give a person a free license to sin!!

The new commandment that Jesus gave us was that we love one another as He has loved us. So the 2 greatest commandments are that we love HIM first & foremost & that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

HOWEVER, and this is just what the church does not *get* today ~ just believing and/or even loving Jesus ~ does NOT give a person the “right” to continue on in an abominable lifestyle. I know of a (fairly popular) actor/singer ~ who will get on stage & sing with a “gospel” group & promote about how they all LOVE JESUS.... and then talk about his *partner* at home (yes, he is homosexual) and ~ well, check out those lists of what will not be allowed into heaven!! In other words: doesn’t matter how much he claims to LOVE Jesus!!

Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. Titus 1:16

To “the MANY” on judgment day whom Jesus turns away & claims, “I never knew you ~ DEPART FROM ME” ~ WHY is it He says that to them? Simple. They continued to practice unrighteousness.

Matt 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil!'"

Whether sleeping around, [before OR after OR during marriage] Fornicators AND adulterers ~ GOD WILL JUDGE!!! Heb. 13:4

See, it’s not just the *BIG SINS* that will send a person to hell! Hey, I’m not making this stuff up!! It’s ALL IN THE BIBLE!!! And I can show you each & every place where the New Testament says that people who live these type of lifestyles are NOT going to heaven.

As for the ones who claim that we “cannot possibly” keep the Lord’s commandments – He Himself says “they are NOT burdensome”!!

It’s like this: you tell a 2 year old child to “stay away from that stove”! You do this ~ not because you are a tyrant & like ordering him around, not because you enjoy slapping his hands or his bottom.... you do this because YOU KNOW (he doesn’t!) but you know that if he fiddles near heat... near fire.... he will get burned!! So while you may not take time to EXPLAIN to him, you merely tell him & expect him to obey. If not, you have a way of making him understand. So when he’s warned again at some point in the future, he KNOWS TO NOT DO WHAT HE IS TOLD NOT TO DO!!

God’s commandments are very much like that. If He tells us to NOT do something, then we are not to do it – simple as that. If He tells us TO do something, we ARE to do it. Again, Jesus says that IF.... if..... IF we love Him, we WILL keep His commandments!

Also He says, ““But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Luke 6:46

I don’t believe God’s commandments were put in place so much for those who DESIRE to please Him ~ as much as they were for the disobedient & unrighteous [Ref: 1 Tim 1:8-10] ~ so they will KNOW *where the boundaries are*!!

1 John 3:7 in NLT: Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

1 Jn 3:8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Again, SCRIPTURE ITSELF says: IF we love Him ~ we WILL keep His commandments!! John 14:15 John 14:21 Luke 6:46