Keeping the Commandments of God

The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is to love God with all of our heart. That being said, I feel that it is vital that we know what exactly that means and how we should go about it. I have heard many people give multiple definitions for how we should go about this. However, I am the type of person that believes the Bible will tell us exactly what to do and how to do it. Before I get there I would like to list something that I recently heard from a pastor. This is the very same thing I heard from another pastor a few years ago when I was asking about this same topic. The difference now though is that I have done a lot of my own studying of the bible whereas before I only had the preacher’s words to go on.

“We love God by following what the Spirit tells us to do”.

This was very confusing for me the first time around. I had no idea if what I was hearing was the spirit or if it was my flesh. To be honest, coming from a preacher, this statement is still confusing. I asked for specific scripture that states this but have been given verses that are not directly associated with this statement. In fact, many of the verses only mention the Holy Spirit and do not get too specific about anything. In my last blog I got to the bottom of what the Holy Spirit is here for and it can be exactly what both preachers have stated. However, they both disagree with what the Holy Spirit is here to do. I have given specific examples where the Bible states specifically that the Holy Spirit will cause His people to do His commandments. The prophets tell us this several times, however, these verses are simply disregarded. They say that the Holy Spirit can make up anything it likes, and that each of us have our very own set of personal rules that we must walk by. Basically, every person has different actions that result in sin. For example, one person cannot shave their head, while another can. I find this line of thinking completely ludicrous. I prefer to base my theology on what the Bible says and not what I have been taught by someone that claims they are a theologian. We only need the Holy Spirit to teach us all things. I guess my biggest issue is that both of these men, claim the exact same things, even though they are from different denominational backgrounds.

John 14: 26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

I will come back to these preachers in just a bit, but first I think it is time for a little scripture on how we are supposed to follow the greatest commandment of all. There are many verses to choose from so I will give examples below in order of first appearance in the Bible.

John 14: 15

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 14: 23-24

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

John 15: 10

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.

1 John 2: 4-5

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

1 John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

2 John 1: 6

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

As it seems very clear, to love the Father is to keep, or walk in His commandments. We can see in 1 John 5:3 that the love of God is keeping His commands. There is no better verse to state this idea more clearly than this one. Considering that this is pretty straight forward, I asked the recent preacher why he disagreed with what I was trying to get at. His answer was that it is not the Torah law that is being referred to in this or any of the verses in reference to keeping it, but rather it was the law the Holy Spirit guides us to follow. I have tried multiple time to get a verse that states the law of God is different than what the Holy Spirit guides us to follow, and have not been given a response that works. The verse that I have given is in reference to the New Covenant and the purpose of the Holy Spirit is as follows.

Ezekiel 36:27

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

The only thing left to say is that any other teaching goes against what is stated in the Bible. Basically, the way I see it is, if you have a theory but do not have plain easily understandable scripture that supports that theory then I cannot get behind you in support of that theory. It seems more likely that you are teaching the commandments of men, which are not from God at all.

Mark 7: 6-8

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men —the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

I cannot see any other way to describe what is being done at this point. I have tried to understand this argument. I have asked for scriptural evidence in support of such doctrine. I have searched things out for myself. There is no biblical proof that supports anything other than loving the Father though keeping His commandments.