Book 4 of Musings God’s Will and God’s Commandments

There are many commandments in both the Old and New Testaments.

The commandments set forth in the New Testament are to be kept, and the Holy Spirit helps us keep them. There also is the issue of God's revealed will.

My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.

Here is a topic that may interest you. The topic is the difference between keeping God's commandments, and obeying the personal guidance of the Lord. Both ways of serving the Lord are absolutely necessary if we are to please God.

There are many accounts in the Old Testament of personal guidance, and also of keeping God's commandments.

Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the Prophets of Israel are examples of personal guidance.

The account in the Book of Ezra is a good illustration of the importance of keeping God's commandments.

The Law of Moses is based, not so much on personal guidance as on doing what is written. Yet the Law was given to Moses, as well as the directions for building the Tabernacle of the Congregation, by personal guidance.

How about under the new covenant?

Under the new covenant we have commandments that are to be kept, as set forth in the New Testament; and in the Book of Acts we have accounts of personal guidance.

How are these two ways of serving the Lord related? Is one superior to the other?

Personal guidance is superior. Keeping the commandments that are written is absolutely necessary until we are mature enough to be certain what the Lord is saying. Even then we have to be exceedingly cautious, because Satan is a master of deception and can imitate the Lord's prompting until we hardly can tell the difference-even after many years of living as a disciple.

Peter tells us that we are to pay attention to the Scriptures until the Day Star arises in our heart. This is to say we are to obey what the Bible says until Christ has come to maturity in us. When Christ comes to maturity in us we know what God desires, and we have the will and the strength to do God's will.

Nothing-absolutely nothing in the universe-is as important as doing God's will, whether by obeying the commandments found in the New Testament, or by being led by the Spirit to do God's will.

The Lord Jesus Christ does God's will by nature because of what He is. He is the Word of God made flesh. As we obey God, we become the flesh being made the Word of God.

One of the greatest of the lies that Satan has been able to inject into Christian thinking is that we are not obligated to do what the New Testament commands. The promises that the Lord made to us, including that of the coming of the Father and the Son to make Their eternal abode in us, depend on our keeping His Word, especially what He taught us, and also the Word given to us personally.

I think one probably leads to the others. As we are faithful in doing what the Lord and His Apostles commanded, the day will come when we are certain of the Lord's will. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

However, if we adopt the current attitude that we are saved by grace and therefore whether or not we do what Christ and His Apostles commanded is not critically important in our salvation, we will most certainly lose the good fight of faith. We will never grow in eternal life, in the ability to distinguish between good and evil and have the willingness and strength to embrace the good and totally abhor and reject that which is evil. This is what it means to grow in Christ.

Jesus said: "I come to do Your will, of God. Yes, Your law is in My heart." When we can say this we are approaching maturity.

Let me repeat: there is nothing-absolutely nothing in the entire creation-as important as stern obedience to the Father. Let us therefore be careful to obey the Words of Christ and His Apostles, and always be listening to the Holy Spirit so we can obey the immediate guidance of the Lord.

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (John 4:34)