Brother Michel Lankford
es, there are many scripture verses on obeying YHWH Almighty God. Almost everyone knows that the Greatest Commandment is that believers are supposed to love YHWH Almighty God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, and secondly, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, (Matthew 22:36-40; Matthew 7:12).
Obeying His Commandments is HOW We Love God
What so many people forget or neglect; (even among many Christians), is that the WAY that we show, prove, and demonstrate that we truly love God and love our neighbor, is by KEEPING God’s Commandments.
As It Is Written:
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NASB95)
So, you see, even in the New Testament the definition of loving God, is KEEPING His Commandments.
Obeying God is so closely linked to loving God that 18 times throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture, God directly links and connects Loving Him with KEEPING His Commandments. In fact, throughout the Whole Testament of Scripture, there is NOT a single passage that teaches that the WAY that a person can show God that they love Him is by BREAKING His Commandments:
Loving God Requires Keeping His Commandments
Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 7:9; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 19:9; Deuteronomy 30:16; Joshua 22:5; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalm 119:127; Daniel 9:4; John 14:15; John 14:21; John 15:10; 1 John 5:2;1 John 5:3; 2 John 6).
Loving Other People Requires Keeping His Commandments
As It Is Written:
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. (1 John 5:2 NKJV)
Again, the WAY that we show, prove, and demonstrate that we truly love other people is by keeping God’s Commandments in the way that we deal with and treat other people. That’s because KEEPING God’s Commandments is meant to give us the mechanics for HOW-TO love God, and HOW-TO love other people. That’s one of the functions of the Commandments is to teach us HOW to love in a real concrete and provable way. Whenever I obey the commandments correctly in the way that I treat you, then I am in fact truthfully LOVING you CORRECTLY, according to God’s definition of the term. Whenever I don’t obey God’s Commandments correctly in my interaction with you, then I am NOT LOVING you, according to how God and His Word defines that idea.
Keeping God’s Commandments is PROOF that I Truly KNOW God
Jesus the Messiah gives us the definition of Eternal Life in (John 17:3).
As It Is Written:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3 NKJV)
According to Jesus the Messiah, the definition of Eternal Life is KNOWING YHWH Almighty God, and KNOWING Jesus the Messiah. Here is the critical principle though. The PROOF that I truly KNOW YHWH, is KEEPING His Commandments. The PROOF that I truly KNOW Messiah, is in KEEPING Messiah’s Commandments:
As It Is Written:
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. (1 John 2:3 NKJV)
So, the proof that you really know YHWH Almighty, and that you really know the Messiah is by KEEPING His Commandments. In case there is any doubt, he repeats it:
As It Is Written:
“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4 NKJV)
So, if a person claims that they know YHWH, and that they know Messiah, but they refuse to keep His Commandments, even the New Testament says that such a person is a LIAR. Now, to be considered a liar in God’s eyes is deadly serious business, (Revelation 21:7-8; Revelation 22:14-15).
As It Is Written:
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14–15 NKJV)
Keeping His Commandments PROVES that we are growing and being perfected in His Love:
As It Is Written:
“but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: (1 John 2:5 NASB95)
Part of being Born Again, and the Holy Spirit’s work within us is to CAUSE us to KEEP God’s Commandments, (NOT to BREAK them).
Notice that part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to cause people who are transformed by God to KEEP His Commandments.
As It Is Written:
“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19–20 NASB95)
Did you notice that obeying the Heavenly Father is part of what defines us as being His People, (Ezekiel 11:20)? Please don’t miss that critical point. Whoever, and what ever we obey is proof of Who we truly belong to, (Romans 6:15-16). If we obey our sinful nature, then we belong to sin. If we obey YHWH and Messiah, then we belong to God. It’s pretty straightforward.
As It Is Written:
““Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:25–27 NASB95)
As It Is Written:
“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13 NASB95)
Notice that when God is working within us, He works in us both to DO and to WILL after His, “Good Pleasure.” Now we know that YHWH Almighty is Perfect, (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30; Psalm 19:7–14). There is NO WAY that it can ever possibly be His, “Good Pleasure,” that we should disobey, break, or do the OPPOSITE of what His Commands and Instructions tells people to do. Let us not deceive ourselves.
God Wants our Obedience, MORE than He Wants our Sacrifices
As It Is Written:
“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22–23 NKJV)
God Gives Greater Knowledge, Understanding, and Revelation to Those Who are Obedient
God only reveals more of Messiah to those who are determined to be obedient to Messiah’s Commandments first. In the Kingdom, first we obey, and then we receive more revelation and understanding after we obey, (John 14:21). The reason that most people lack some revelation or understanding that they wish they had, is because they are not practicing being obedient people. If you can’t be obedient to the straightforward Commandments that you already understand, why would he give you any more revelation or understanding which you would only disobey, because of your rebellious attitude? If you are rebellious and disobedient to what you already know, why would God give you more knowledge to be disobedient with? That only would force Him to have to judge you harder. That’s because the more you know, the more responsible and accountable you are, (Luke 16:10-12; Luke 12:35-48).
As It Is Written:
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:10 NKJV)
As It Is Written:
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6 NKJV)
Obeying God’s Commandments is NOT about EARNING our salvation. Jesus the Messiah already purchased that for us through His death burial and Resurrection. Our adoption is bought and paid for through Messiah’s sacrifice. No, obeying God’s Commandments is about GROWING UP after we are members of His family. It’s about learning to love the Father in the SAME way that Messiah PROVED that He Loved the Father, (John 15:10). It’s about learning HOW to WALK the SAME way that Messiah walked. That’s WHY believers should practice keeping the Commandments, (1 John 2:6). Think about it this way. You don’t push kids to obey you if they’re not your kids. However, when you adopt the kids and they are already yours, then you make rules for them and push them to obey you, so that they can grow up. So that they can learn to be healthy and responsible people who make good choices and become an asset to their community and not a drain. The same principle is true for God’s people in God’s Kingdom. First He adopts us through Christ and transforms us by the Holy Spirit, then He expects us to obey because we ARE His Children, and future citizens of His Eternal Kingdom.
As It Is Written:
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
(John 15:10 NKJV)