| Q: What commands
in the Bible does the Christian have to obey and which commands,
such as circumcision in the Old Testament, no longer apply?
A: A closer look at this subject
uncovers deeper insights into the nature of our relationship
with God. Before we get to the specifics of which commands
apply to Christians today, it will be helpful to explore a
few underlying concepts.
The Bible describes an occasion where a Jewish “expert
in the law” asked Jesus, “Teacher, what is  the
greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied that
the greatest commandment is to love God and the second greatest
is to love your neighbor. Jesus went on to say that all the
other commandments are based on these two commandments. (Matthew
22:37-40). Taking it one step further, the two greatest
commandments of loving God and loving your neighbor are based
on God’s love for us. “This is how we know what
love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought
to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1
John 3:16) “We love because He first loved us.”
(1 John 4:19)
God’s love for us is the foundation of our obedience
to Him. God doesn’t want us to obey Him out of fear,
but rather He wants us to obey Him out of thankfulness for
the gift of salvation He has given us. “For you did
not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ’Abba, Father.’"
(Romans 8:15) “For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
OBEDIENCE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The moment we trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
sins, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us. The inner
reality of the Holy Spirit takes obedience to a new level.
Not only does the Holy Spirit empower us to obey God (Romans
8:13), but He also enables us to rest in the security
of our salvation in Jesus Christ. The Bible states that the
Holy Spirit is the “guarantee” of our salvation.
In fact, the English word “guarantee” is used
only three times in the entire Bible (in the New King James
Version), and every time it refers to the Holy Spirit being
the guarantee of our salvation! (Ephesians
1:14, 2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:5). Resting
in God’s faithfulness (2 Timothy
2:13, Philippians 1:6) is critical because not until
we receive new bodies in heaven will we be able to obey God
perfectly. “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for
the hope of righteousness by faith. (Galatians
5:5)
Through the reality of the Holy Spirit obedience is transformed
from a heartless routine to an expression of love for God.
The inner reality of the Holy Spirit transforms our relationship
with God from an impersonal, distant relationship to a personal,
intimate relationship where everything we do in life involves
our relationship with Him – where we see God involved
in everything we do through the eyes of faith. The Bible refers
to this as “faith working through love” (Galatians
5:6) and being “led by the Spirit” (Galatians
5:18, Romans 8:14). This type of obedience is a dynamic
reality that can’t be reduced to a list of do’s
and don’ts. The specific commands of the moral law (i.e.
do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not be drunk...)
are simply a skeleton of the deeper reality of being led by
the Spirit. It is the deeper reality that pleases God. The
Bible speaks of this in various ways... “for whatever
is not from faith is sin.” (Romans
14:23) “It is impossible to please God without
faith.” (Hebrews 11:6)
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