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How Can I
Live Forever?
Chapter 15
God The Great Motivator
We
should ever bear in mind that despite the fact that God,
in exchange for our faith, "considers the character of
Jesus to be our character," He nevertheless has one
overriding purpose in all of His dealings with us, and
that is the changing of our characters.
`Our
sanctification is God's object in all His dealing with
us. He has chosen us from eternity that we may be holy.'
(3SM202)
This matter is of such consequence
that . . .
`[The]
scheme of restoring the moral image of God in debased
humanity entered into every purpose of the life and
character of Christ.' (FCE408)
We
must conclude, therefore, that even if our works of obedience cannot save us, it
is nevertheless God's cherished dream to make obedient
children of every one of us. As such, it is vitally
important that we understand the nature of true obedience -
and, of course, that we understand the nature of the law
that we are expected to obey.
The
Nature of God's Law
In
seeking to understand the character of God's law, we
need to first of all understand that the law is not just
a list of do's and don'ts. There is in fact a very deep
spirituality attached to His law.
`Christ
had repeatedly shown that His Father's law contained
something deeper than mere authoritative commands.'
(DA608)
In
reality, God's law is the code of rule that governs the
entire universe. It is, in fact, a perfect
representation of the character of God.
`The
law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an
embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is
the foundation of His government in heaven and earth.'
(SC60)
`God's
law . . . is a code of principles
expressing mercy, goodness and love. It presents to
fallen humanity the character of God, and states plainly
the whole duty of man.' (19MR182)
When the Ten Commandment `law is presented as it should be, it reveals
the love of God.' (GW157)
It simply
cannot be otherwise for, if the law represents God's
character, and God is love, then His law must be a
perfect word representation of love.
`God is love. His nature, His law, is love.' (PP33)
This
is why Paul tells us that . . .
`The
goal of this command is love.' (1 Timothy 1:5)
In
other words, the very intent and purpose of the law is
the fostering and maintenance of love throughout the
universe.
Paul also tells us that . . .
`Love
is the fulfillment of the law.' (Romans 13:10)
Thus
we must conclude that only genuine love can meet the sacred
demands of God's law, and this is why Jesus' ultimate
act of love was able to fulfill, or to fully satisfy,
the ultimate code of love - once, for all, and for all
time.
`In
giving His only-begotten Son to die for sinners, God has
manifested to fallen man love that is without a
parallel. By the suffering and death of Christ is proven
His boundless love to man.' (1SM309, 325)
In summary,
therefore, love is the subject and the purpose of the law
and, as such, only perfect love can satisfy the demands
of this perfect law of love.
The
Nature of Obedience
The
above thoughts lead us to a very crucial and yet a very
logical deduction. If the law of God is the code of
love, it surely follows that true obedience to the law of God
is nothing other than love. John confirms this thought
when he tells us that . . .
`This
is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands.' (2
John 1:6).
In
simple terms, therefore, . . .
`Love
is expressed in obedience.' (SD51)
This
being the case, . . .
`Those
who love Him will show their love by obedience.'
(DA 668)
This
is why Scripture tells us that we will be able to
identify truly obedient Christians by the fruits of
their characters. In other words, a Christian will be
known for His love, as expressed in his `joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control.' (Galatians 5:22)
`The
fragrance of the life, the loveliness of the character,
reveal to the world the fact that they are children of
God.' (HP35)
Thus
the obedience that God seeks to bring about in our lives
is a spiritual obedience, it is not simply a matter of
hands and feet doing what God desires, but a matter of a heart and
a mind that are in harmony with the principles of love -
a heart and a mind that love God, delight to do His
will, and that thus direct the hands and feet
accordingly.
`Obedience
is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of
love.' (SC60)
Speaking
of one who is righteous, the psalmist tells us
that . . .
`The
law of God is in his heart.' (Psalm 37:31)
In
other words, the law of God is to become a part of the
character - which means that obedience to the law of love
is an active principle - it is a reflection of the state of
the heart, and not just a passive, intellectual
endorsement of a code of rule.
Jesus was living proof of
this fact because . . .
He `served all, ministered to all. Thus He lived the law of
God, and by His example showed how we are to obey it.'
(DA649)
`As
He went about doing good, and healing all who were
afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character
of God's law and the nature of His service.' (DA24)
Thus
it is that Jesus came to show us that obedience is
represented by the cross - the vertical bar being a
symbolic representation of our praise and loving service
to God - as presented in the first four commandments; the horizontal bar representing our loving
service and unselfish ministry to others - as presented
in the last six commandments. This, after
all, is what true love is all about.
True
obedience to the law of love therefore embraces so much
more than just what we eat or drink, so much more than
mere do's and don'ts, so much more, for that matter,
than the hollow observance of `a religious festival, new
moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.' (Colossians 2:16)
Clearly,
obedience to God's law is first of all a matter of what
the heart is, and not just a matter of what the hand
does. In other words, obedience is more a matter of what
we are than a matter of what we do or do not do. This is
obvious, for it is always and only the state of the heart that
determines the action of the hand.
`God
has given us the rule of conduct which every one of His
servants must follow. It is obedience to His law, not
merely a legal obedience, but an obedience which enters
into the life, and is exemplified in the character.'
(DA523)
This,
in fact, was the burden of Jesus' instruction to His
disciples . . .
`He
taught them that if they would keep God's commandments,
love for God and for their fellow men must be manifested
in their daily life.' (RC61)
The
need of the disobedient, therefore, and that includes
all of us, is not merely a change of action, or a change
in our eating habits, or a change in our style of dress,
or a change of the special day on which we worship God -
as important as these things may be -
but a change of character. God's great goal for
humanity is to change what we are because He knows all
too well that . . .
`You
must be good before you can do good.' (MB128)
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`Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.' (Isaiah 40:31) |
When
our characters are changed, we will refrain from evil,
not as a result of our painful struggles against human
desire, but because, by God's grace, we are no longer
swayed by human desire. The heart that once yearned to do
wrong will now have an even stronger yearning to do
right - and this yearning is what lies at the very heart
of true obedience.
Looking
down to the end of time, John identifies God's children
as . . . `those who obey God's
commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.'
(Revelation 12:17)
In
a wicked and degenerate world, these commandment-keeping people will stand out, not just because they
worship on an unusual day, or because they do not commit
adultery, or because they do not take the Lord's name in
vain. They certainly will be noted for these things, but
the one thing that will stand out above all others will
be their outstanding characters. They will stand out
because of their love, a love that will find expression
in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This will be a love that
will delight in praising God and giving glory to Him; it
will be a
love that will find its greatest joy in bringing comfort
and peace to others - and especially to the downtrodden
of earth. This, after all, is the ultimate experience
that God desires for His children, for He knows all too well
that . . .
`When
we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His
mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for
we have heaven in our hearts.' (DA641)
`"O,"
you may say, "I do keep the commandments." Do
you? . . . Do you carry out the principles of God's
commandments in your home, in your family? Do you never
manifest rudeness, unkindness, and impoliteness in the
family circle? If you do manifest unkindness at your
home, no matter how high may be your profession, you are
breaking God's commandments. No matter how much you may
preach the commandments to others, if you fail to
manifest the love of Christ in your home life, you are a
transgressor of the law.' (RH 03-29-92)
In
the light of this chapter, the reader is referred to the
article A Brand New You. We
cannot change our own hearts, but God has a simple plan
whereby our hearts may be changed.
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