Considering Proverbs 7:1-5
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
Again, we have a call towards keeping the words, commandments, and law of God. What is the difference between commandment and law? We have the general commandments of Jesus, instructing us to love our God, our brethren, and our neighbor (John 13:34, John 15:12). The law instructs us in the details of this commandment, so that we can know what it means to perform this.
We find hints of this law throughout the scripture, but as the New Covenant promises, the best way to know this law is to have it written on the tables of the heart by the Spirit of God.
Jesus said:
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:12-18).
If we sincerely want to keep the commandments of Jesus, the Spirit of Truth will come and teach us the law of Christ. The Spirit will write these laws on our hearts, filling us with sincere desire to do what is pleasing to God and changing our nature so that we can perform His will.
This is the New Covenant that was bought with the blood of the Son of God. Our sins were forgiven, our debt paid, and the way made plain before us through the power of His Spirit and the promise of His resurrection.
When we enter His Covenant, we enter His service. We enter His Kingdom through His Spirit. Our hearts are “quickened” (resurrected) by His Word, and when Jesus returns with a shout at the last trumpet, the Word will raise us bodily and gather us to His Kingdom eternally.
If we take the forgiveness only and neglect the rest, then we are as those who “have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.” If we deny the power of Jesus, should we expect to receive it? Should we expect resurrection, either presently in heart or at His coming?
Paul the Apostle wrote of this generation:
3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
It is a sad thing, but if I am honest with that which I have observed of Christianity in this nation, it would be impossible to keep this teaching of Paul without turning away from most people I know who call themselves Christian.
However, this was also true for me, and Jesus is still working on me so I do not think it is fitting that I should consider myself to be any better. That is why, when I write of the issues we face as a Christian nation, I say “we.”
Jesus still hears His people and He is calling His faithful servants to Him, but the separation of the “wheat and chaff” or “sheep and goats” is not full until the final betrayal of His church when they go after the false Christ (at least, that is my understanding). Until that time, I say “we.”
Let us do better. Jesus provided us with everything we need to glorify Him through our lives as we are created again in His image. If we seek to keep His commandments, He will send His Spirit to live in our hearts. He will change us. This is His work. He is faithful to perform it. He will free us from the bonds of sin that destroy ourselves and our world. Why would we neglect so great a salvation as this?
Paul the Apostle wrote:
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:1-4).
If we neglect so great salvation as this, then we are welcoming the ways of the “strange woman.” Jesus gives us His commandment by His word which we have received through His testimony as shared in the scripture. He gives us His law through the Spirit we receive. He provides us with all wisdom necessary to stand faithfully with Him during times of great deception—even that time of the Great Whore of Mystery Babylon and the false Christ.
If we already love Christian teachings, media, and churches of flattery and deceit, how will we stand in that day? I tell you, we will be completely deceived and consumed by it.
There is much flattery and deceit in the church, especially among big television churches that neglect the cross of Jesus and the sinful state of mankind. However, these are extreme cases.
This spirit is in small churches too, rejecting the Spirit who will make them free or turning the Spirit into legalism and shows of flashy signs and wonders that are hard to be understood.
Many reject the Spirit because they do not desire to keep the commandments of Jesus. Instead, they desire to sin without punishment, so they abuse His grace. Many abuse His blood and they abuse each other. They accuse, slander, and make righteousness into hypocrisy.
It is a shame, and will Jesus not avenge it? Will He not avenge the “little ones” who are ensnared, starving, dying, and laying the streets? (Proverbially, but no less true.)
If we continue to neglect this Covenant that was paid with the blood of Jesus, do we think that we will escape the wrath of God, or at least experience some form of chastisement?
Be reasonable. I do not judge you, but the Word does judge us all.
His word has said it would be so. Why then do many deny it? Why do many hate the things I teach? Is the love of God in this nation? I pray so. I know of a few who are sincere, and I know Jesus is merciful towards much negligence. I also know His patience will run out, and few will stand in that day. Few indeed.
As for the New Covenant which writes His law in our hearts, you can read these scriptures. I highly recommend reading these chapters in entirety. They speak volumes to our generation:
Ezekiel 11:17-21
17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 36:20-28
20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land.
21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Hebrews 10:12-17
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Considering the destruction to come for this generation makes me very depressed, but I know the judgement and mercy of God is righteous. I know He is faithful, and though many will “lose what they seemed to have,” He will not allow anyone to take His away from Him. Nothing can separate us from Him. His grace is true, and it is by His grace alone that any of us can stand before Him without sin.
What about myself? I am thankful that Jesus will remember our sins no more if we trust in Him with a sincere heart. I am thankful that Jesus imputes His righteousness to those who love Him instead of imputing sin onto them. I am thankful that Jesus has dealt very mercifully and patiently with me, and I do not deserve it. I deserve to be given fully over to the “fruit of my doings.”
Even now, knowing what I know of the Lord I continue to struggle against sin, and I know the power to overcome was given to me. I need to do better too. I need to pray more and escape temptation, and if I perform a sin because I wanted to, then I should weep sorrowfully so that my heart is changed. I have seen the results of His work, and I need to see more of His work done.
I expect that if I were to lay hold of what He has given me more earnestly, I would. As upset as I get about the state of the church, my own state is the greatest torment. However, I trust in the Lord. I trust in His mercy, both to forgive and to deliver from sin.
