The Testimony of the Lord is Sure

“The law of the Lord is perfect,

    reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

    making wise the simple;

the precepts 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 rules of the Lord are true,

    and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

    even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

    and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

    in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalms 19:7-11 ESV)

Under the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel, the “law of the Lord” included ceremonial, liturgical, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, including the requirement for the circumcision of all males. But once Jesus Christ died on that cross for our sins, and was resurrected from the dead, he destroyed the barrier between Jew and Gentile, and he made us both one people by faith in Jesus Christ, under the New Covenant, which does not require those Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws. 

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; John 8:18-19,38-47; Jude 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Yet under the New Covenant that we (both Jew and Gentile) now have with God, via God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we still have commandments of God to obey, which are the gospel of Christ and God’s moral laws. So we are still under the law of the Lord under the New Covenant, just not in all the same ways in which the Jews of the Old Covenant were. And the teachings (instructions) mainly for us are found in the New Testament, but the New Testament repeats much of what is taught in the Old Testament.

So, for us today, the law of the Lord is the gospel of Christ and God’s moral laws which teach us that faith in Jesus Christ requires that we die with Christ to sin, and that we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, we are not to let sin be our practice, to obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and its end is eternal life with God.

So, when we do obey the law of the Lord – the Word of God, the gospel of Christ, God’s moral laws – it does revive our souls, and it does make us wise in the ways of the Lord, when we obey our Lord’s commandments. And our hearts should rejoice in the words of the Lord and in the teachings of the Scriptures and in our Lord’s commandments, for they enlighten our eyes to the requirements of the Lord for our lives and to the benefits of obedience to his commands, and to the consequences of disobedience, too.  

And the fear of the Lord is to honor, respect, reverence, and obey our Lord and his commands. It is to walk in obedience to his commands, and no longer in sin, and it is to walk in righteousness, holiness, godliness, moral purity, uprightness, honesty, integrity, and faithfulness, all by the grace of God, and in the power of God. And it is to take God and his word seriously, to believe what it says, and to live accordingly, which also includes believing its warnings, and thus forsaking our sins and now living to obey our Lord.

So wonderful are God’s words to us, even the hard teachings that are not real comfortable, that they are to be desired by us more than we desire the riches and the things and the treasures of this world. So the Scriptures are not to be something that we just read routinely once a day so that we can say that we had our times of devotions. They are to be something that we read and digest and take into our minds and hearts throughout the day and that we then, by the grace of God, put into practice in our daily lives.

For, the word of God is not just filled with promises, and even all those promises have stipulations and requirements. So those promises are not for everyone who gives lip service to the Lord. They are for those who are listening to the Lord and who are obeying his teachings and who are walking in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, and who are no longer walking (in conduct, in practice) in sin. For if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, even if we profess Christ.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Only in Him  

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face. 

https://vimeo.com/87181019