UnDisfellowshiped,
No my friend we do have an obediece to the 10 commandments including the sabbath or Lords day observance. Not to be saved but because that we are already saved and live our obedience to His commandments out of gratitude for recieving salvation.
John 14:15
John 14 15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
What are those commandments?
Matt 22:36-40 Tells us.
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And He said to him, " YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
40 " On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
You see the first table of the law or the first 4 commandments you see in Ex 20 is how we love God and the second table or commandments 5-10 is how we love our neighbor.
Not to earn salvation but because we have already recieved salvation and this is how we live out our new Identity in Christ. This is the way of the new covenant by grace alone and surprisingly enough this was the way in the old covenant by grace alone.
please look at the 1st part of Ex 20 and I'll explain.
Ex20:1-2
1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Notice the Historical indicitive, that is what God has graciously done for his people in verce 2.
You have the facts of redemption, note not the full redemtion in Christ but a picture of redemtion that looks forward to Christ but none the less a pronouncement of redemption what God has done for his people . As a result God gives imparitives to his people who he has already saved.
Indidcitive - What God has done for us
Imparitive - What God has commanded his people to do.
Notice it is God who delivers and save first "Indicitive" and not our obediece to God's commands that obligate God to save us. God's imparitives do not save us. It is the indicatives what God has done that saves us. Look at that the same historic indicative language speeking of Abraham is used in Gen 15:7 as in Ex 20:1-2
Gen 15:7
7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
and yet acourding to Romans 4:9-22 we know Abraham was save by Faith Alone through Grace Alone.
Romans 4:9-22
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
The Promise Granted Through Faith
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
It is part of our covenantal identity of God's people to obey God's lay but this is done by grace alone....
sola fide,
jr
Edited by - clash_city_rockers on 14 December 2002 8:23:50