What the Bible says about Keeping God's Law
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Malachi 1:11-14 Israel profaned God's name by giving offerings in a lying and deceitful attitude, as Ananias and Sapphira did (Acts 5:1-11). They kept the best animals for themselves while offering blemished ones to God. We fear God's name, not only by keeping all of God's law—including the statutes and judgments (Deuteronomy 28:58)—but also by giving God our best effort in doing His will. Martin G. Collins The Third Commandment Related Topics: Ananias and Sapphira | Deceitfulness | Deceitfulness of Heart | Deceitfulness of Sin | Fearing God | Heart, Deceitfulness of | Human Nature, Deceitfulness of | Keeping Commandments | Keeping God's Law | Responsibility of Keeping God's Law | Sacrifice, Blemished | Sacrifice, Unblemished | Sin, Deceitfulness of

Romans 2:21-22 It is clear what law the apostle Paul is referring to. In fact, the New Testament Commentary admits that the law here is at the very least the Ten Commandments. Paul might be talking about the whole Pentateuch, in which the Ten Commandments appear. Paul has at least the Ten Commandments in mind. Since God is impartial in judgment, those in ignorance of the law will still be judged according to what they know. Those who are privileged to know the law—in Paul's time, the Jews, and in our time, us—must never allow themselves to think that knowledge of the law will save them. What it does is make them subject to more severe judgment because they know. "To whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke 12:48). Those who have the law, however, have a tremendous advantage over those who do not, because they have the opportunity to make their lives exceedingly better by following the way of life that God sets out in the law. That is a privilege that God has not given to those who do not yet know the law. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Sixteen) Related Topics: God's Law | Keeping Commandments | Keeping God's Law | Pentateuch | Ten Commandments | To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required

Revelation 1:3 In James 1:22, the apostle admonishes us to be obedient doers, not just hearers, of the Word. One implication of James' comment is clear: When it comes to prophecy, we are to obey the commands so often embedded in the prophetic word. James' command to act, rather than just to hear, is frequently echoed in prophecy, as in Revelation 1:3: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words [logos] of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." The "and" in this verse is very important. God does not say that we are blessed simply if we hear and if we read. This is not to suggest that we should not study God's prophetic word; of course, we should. All Scripture is given for our edification and our inspiration (II Timothy 3:16). It is all inspired for that purpose. However, we are to read or hear and to keep. What do we keep? Do we keep predictions about horsemen and beasts? How does one do that? What we are to keep are those commands that are liberally sprinkled throughout the word of prophecy—in the book of Revelation and in the prophetic sections of the gospels and epistles, as well as in the prophecies of the Old Testament. For instance, the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 contain several commands to repent and repeated commands to overcome. The prophetic word is not just a collection of mind puzzles that we are somehow supposed to unravel. God's prophecies are not that at all, but they are calls for change. They are calls for our growth. Remember, the blessing comes to those who keep, who do what God commands whether or not we understand the details of the prophecy. God is faithful. A Christian reading this passage a thousand years ago, who had no idea of what we know of history or of the technology that we understand now, could receive the blessing through obedience, just as we can. Again, knowing is not the issue, but obedience is. The word "keep" is a command that appears ten times in the book of Revelation. It is the same word that is translated in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." We will notice just a few of its appearances. The first three are written to three of the seven churches: Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, respectively: » Revelation 2:26: ". . . keeps My works until the end. . . ." » Revelation 3:3: ". . . hold fast and repent. . . ." [Here, "hold fast" is the same Greek word as "to keep" in the other examples.] » Revelation 3:8: ". . . have kept My word. . . ." » Revelation 12:17: ". . . who keep the commandments of God. . . ." [This is written to the remnant of the seed, that is, to God's elect.] As we can see, God has sprinkled this command to "keep" all over the prophecies of Revelation. Charles Whitaker To Watch and Keep Related Topics: Change | Change Direction | Churches of Revelation 2-3 | Doers of the Law | Hearers and Doers | Hearers of the Law | Holding Fast | Keep | Keeping Commandments | Keeping God's Commandments | Keeping God's Law | Motivating Power of Prophecy | Motivation | Obedience to God's Law | Prophecy, Motivating Power of | Prophecy, Purpose of | Purpose of Prophecy | Repentance | Repentance, Motivation For | Revelation, Seven Churches of | Seven Churches of Revelation | Spiritual Growth | Steadfastness | Watch

 

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