Teaching Them to Obey

Friday, September 09, 2011, 9:00 a.m. – The song, “Jesus Paid it All,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning, as was a new song the Lord Jesus gave me to write last night, “The Ransom.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 15 (vv. 1-21):

The Council at Jerusalem
1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 “‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’
18 that have been known for ages.

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

My Understanding: The apostles, in addition to facing much persecution from those who would not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, also faced this situation of Jews, or those who they often called Judaizers, teaching or trying to convince Gentile believers that they had to be circumcised and that they had to obey Old Testament regulations. Under the New Covenant of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, believers in Jesus Christ were not required to be circumcised or to obey Old Testament and Old Covenant regulations. They were now under the law of grace and the law of love, as Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the law. Yet, this did not and does not mean that nothing is required of us to truly believe in Jesus Christ and to have salvation. Just as there were those who would bring people under the yoke of the Old Covenant relationship with God who were now under the New Covenant of grace, we have those today who would remove all requirements for faith in Jesus Christ.

I love that old hymn, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe…” All throughout Jesus earthly ministry as well as throughout the teachings of the New Testament on the gospel of salvation we learn that one must repent (turn from) sin and must turn to God in obedience if one is to be in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. In yesterday’s passage in Acts 14, Paul said this concerning the gospel message of salvation:

We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

Beginning with the gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus also preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” and, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Jesus denounced cities where he performed his miracles because they did not repent. The disciples were sent out by Jesus to preach that people should repent. Jesus said that he did not call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Luke 13:5). After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47). And, the list goes on and on and on. If we want to have eternal life with God via faith in Jesus Christ, we must repent (turn from our sin).

When Jesus got ready to leave this earth, he gave his disciples these instructions found in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are to teach those who would be disciples of Jesus Christ to obey everything Jesus commanded us in his teachings when he was on the earth. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey what he commands and his teaching. The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Jesus. Paul said that Jesus and his salvation were revealed so that all nations might believe and obey the Lord. The writer of Hebrews told us that Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. In I John we learn that we know that we have come to know Jesus if we obey his commands. We also learn in I John that those who obey Jesus live in him and he in them, that love for God is to obey his commands, and that if we obey God’s word, God’s love is truly made complete in us. The writer of Revelation, John, told us that we should remember what we have received and heard; obey it, and repent. As well, he told us that the dragon (Satan) makes war against believers in Jesus – “those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17). And, in Revelation 14 we learn that patient endurance is called for on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. And, this is not an exhaustive list.

So, even though we are not required to be circumcised nor are we required to follow all the Old Testament commands and regulations, as Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, as well as he summed up all the law and the prophets into these two commands: Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love others as you love yourselves, this does not mean that nothing is required of us for salvation. Jesus paid it all. We don’t have to die for our sins if we come to faith in Jesus. We don’t earn our salvation via good works and works of the flesh or by following a set of rules or even by our best efforts to keep the 10 commandments. It is by grace we are saved through faith, and this does not originate nor is it of ourselves that we receive the gift of eternal life. Yet faith cannot be separated from repentance and obedience, as they are taught hand-in-hand all throughout Jesus’ teaching and throughout the teachings of the apostles and the New Testament writers.

So, today a problem opposite of what the apostles faced faces us and is a serious problem in today’s church and that is the watering down of the gospel message to exclude the necessity of repentance and obedience, which thus gives people a false hope of eternal life. In other words, those who teach salvation absent of repentance and obedience to Christ are not only giving people a false hope but they are sending people straight to hell while promising them eternal life with God and the hope of heaven. Many, many people are going to come before God on the day of judgment and are going to hear the words “I never knew you,” because they were given a false hope and were taught a false gospel message, unless their eyes are opened to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and unless they turn from their sins and turn to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. So, if you have been trusting in a false hope, I pray that today you will humble yourselves before God in true repentance and make it your choice of your will to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience by making him truly the Lord and master of your lives.

The Ransom / An Original Work / September 8, 2011

Jesus paid the ransom, so we’d be forgiven;
Purified from our sin, so we’d be set free.
Crucified on a tree; took on him our sin.
Buried our sin with Him; rose in victory.
Jesus calls us to Him; asks that we flee from sin;
Obey His commandments; live eternally.

God our Father loves us, which is why He gave us
His Son to die for us on a cruel tree.
God created us to walk in fellowship
With Him, daily trusting in His righteousness.
He has a plan for us to abide in His grace;
Be transformed in our hearts; live for him always.

Won’t you trust in Jesus? Be your Lord and Master?
He wants to forgive you; give you victory
Over sin and yourself; Jesus set you free.
Daily walking with Him, live victoriously.
Invite Him in your heart. He’ll give you a new start.
Your old life behind you, a new creature be.

Song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/the-ransom

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8itooCN1I3k
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1175/The-Ransom

Jesus Paid It All / Elvina M. Hall / John T. Grape
… your sins… they shall be as white as snow… Isaiah 1:18

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots and melt the heart of stone.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down all down at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.