From the Word: Blessings of obedience … and then there’s grace
A life without Godly obedience can end in a mess. It doesn't have to.
Blessings for Obedience
Deuteronomy chapter 28 vs 1: If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.
THIS was written to the Israelites many centuries ago, and was followed by a series of commandments and blessings.
Scarily, it was also followed by a long list of curses if the commandments were not obeyed.
Fortunately, between then and now, Jesus Christ came to the Earth, where He laid down His life, was crucified, and was raised to life again after three days.
So, the modern day Christian is under grace. What a relief.
The Bible indicates that we are saved by grace through repentance of sin and belief in Christ, and not by works.
In other words, there’s no way we can be made righteous through any work of our own.
In the Old Testament there are numerous laws which had to be strictly obeyed by the priests and the people.
To be quite honest, the mind boggles a bit. It was extremely strict. But there was a reason for it: God’s holiness.
No sin or impurity could come anywhere near it. If it did, that person would die.
I don’t think our finite minds can comprehend the scope or extent of God’s purity, His holiness and His general awesomeness in the proper conext of the word.
Jesus became our righteousness when He died on the cross. He fulfilled all these complicated rituals and statutes.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: From the Word: Get wisdom at all costs … and keep it
So, there’s no more fear. In fact, the Bible says that perfect love casts out fear. We can draw near to God. Fancy that.
On another note, God had a plan for Israel back then (He still does). According to this scripture it was to set Israel high above all the nations of the earth.
But Israel veered off the path, did its own thing, and came nowhere near fully obeying God.
At times they came close, and God blessed them.
For Christians now, it’s more a case of returning the love that God has first shown us, by sending Christ to the Earth to redeem us from this fallen world.
For our country, if it would fully obey God, it would rise and the people would benefit.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on BBM 58F3D7A7 or WhatsApp 082 421 6033
