Thursday: One Faith Shared in Love
In John 17:3, Jesus said that eternal life is to know God. Read 1 John 2:3-6. What does it mean to know God? How do we demonstrate our knowledge of God in our daily lives?
Generally, while people in society today wish to call themselves law-abiding citizens, these same people often will downplay the biblical obligation to keep the commandments of God.
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Some even argue that God’s grace does away with God’s commandments. But that is not the biblical teaching: “Keeping the commandments is not a condition for knowing God but a sign that we know God/Jesus and love Him. Therefore, knowledge of God is not just theoretical knowledge but leads to action.” – Ekkehardt Mueller, The Letters of John (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press, 2009), p. 39. Jesus Himself emphasized: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:15, John 14:21, NKJV). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3, NKJV).
Read John 13:34-35. What new commandment did Jesus give His disciples, and how does this relate to the idea of unity among Jesus’ followers?
The command to love one’s neighbor was not new in itself; it can be found in the instructions God gave Moses (Lev. 19:18). What is new is Jesus’ command for His disciples to love one another as He has loved them. Jesus’ example of self-sacrificial love is the new ethic for the Christian community.
What a wonderful standard has been set before us! Jesus’ life had been a practical demonstration of love in action. The whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacrificing effort. We can imagine that Christ’s life was an unceasing manifestation of love and self-sacrifice for the good of others. The principle that actuated Christ should actuate His people in all their dealing with one another. What a powerful witness such love would be to the world. And what a powerful force for unity among us such love would provide, as well.
| How can we learn to reveal the kind of self-sacrificing love for others that Jesus had revealed? |
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THE GREATEST COUNTERFEITER WHO EVER LIVED:
He often employs a mixture of good and evil to accomplish his ends. He doesn't even mind utilizing the scriptures if it can serve to achieve an altimate end. He didn't write the Bible but he was looking over the shoulders of those who wrote, memorizing every bit of it and has often quoted texts.
His clever ploy of distorting scriptures forms the basis of the two special tricks which he uses to make us disobey God's law.
1. Since " blessed are they that do his commandments, that they have right to the tree of life. Rev 22:14."
The arch-deceiver tricks us that we can make ourselves good enough to deserve salvation.
Such a doctrine is rank legalism, the very antithesis of God's way of being saved. It is the foundation of every non-Christian religion and has deceived millions of professed followers of Christ into a fatal delusion.
2. " No-one can be saved by keeping the law. We are not justified by works but by grace through faith. We are not under the law but under the grace. Keeping the commandments is not necessarily as long as we love Jesus."
The devil has cunningly counterfeited "righteousness " into legalism and "faith" into a cheap substitute that does not even produce obedience.
The truth is that none can obey who has not been converted and none will deliberately refuse to obey who has been converted.
True faith always produces the good works of obedience.
We keep the commandments not to be saved but because we are saved. We do the good works not to be saved but because we are saved.
Wrong question! "How can we learn to reveal the kind of self-sacrificing love for others that Jesus had revealed?" The lesson is about "to know God" and then this question is "how do we do" which is just the opposite!!!
The question should be how do we develop a closer relationship with the LORD so that He can change our hearts and minds to be like His?
Suggestion - a MAP to a closer walk with Jesus?
daily Meditation and Prayer
When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness CoL 312
Here is the true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings, our thoughts, our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the precepts of His holy law. STC 61
The righteousness of Christ ... is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven. DoA 555,556
DoA pg 668
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.
As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. But we are not to place the responsibility of our duty upon others, and wait for them to tell us what to do. We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised. Whatever was given to Christ--the "all things" to supply the need of fallen men--was given to Him as the head and representative of humanity. And "whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:22.
I just had a little thought. The answer to your question is wounderful. Wounderful quote from the message God gave Ellen White. However, seems to me that your question is really the answer to the authors question. If we are to learn the best way to reveal the kind of self sacrificing love that Jesus had for others that He so perfectly revealed, we will sit at the feet of Jesus, developing a closer relationship with Christ, thus allowing Him to change us. Our prayer will be: “Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.” COL p. 159. It does help to spend a thoughtful hour in the life of Christ. DA page 85. We must follow the pattern of asking for the mind of Jesus, asking Him to make us Holy as He is. Thus we can prove we have been with Jesus who is all our righteousness to the end or as we hope, until look up an say low this our Lord anew star rising to meet Him in the air. “It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed. All our good works are dependent on a power outside of ourselves. Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out of the heart after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the soul before Him. Only by constant renunciation of self and dependence on Christ can we walk safely.” COL p. 159.
how does a human being receive Eternal Life?? by Faith in the LORD Jesus Christ...how does a human being have Faith in the LORD Jesus Christ?...by knowing Him, by having a personal relationship with Him thru reading of His Word, the Bible, and thru the Holy Spirit...how does a human being know the LORD?...by being obedient and keeping/honoring/teaching His commandments?...What are His Commandments? the Ten Commandments.
Yet, EGW, (And I fully believe she was right on with this thought) says that "Sanctification is the work of a life time," and that "We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus for our shortcomings and mistakes," and that "We shall often fail in our efforts to COPY THE DIVINE PATTERN." these thoughts of EGW go right along with what King David wrote in Psalm 40:11, 12 "Withold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let they loving kindness and thy truth continually ;preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart faileth me."
Yes God wants us to KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. But I believe that it will not be until HE gives us GLORIFIED BODIES that we will keep them FLAWLESSLY but till then, it has to be that JESUS HIMSELF has to ABIDE IN US BY FAITH and via His Holy Spirit so that GOD sees JESUS IN US and not US AND OUR SINFUL SELVES.
Good evening admin (Cc Inge). Just to kindly remind you that we are no longer getting the daily postings on this blog since Tuesday last week. Any update on how far you have gone in finding solution on this? We really yearn to enjoy the oneness we have always had with the rest. May God help.
I now know this much, Benard: Our RSS feed is functioning fine. See https://ssnet.org/feed/. But the Google Feedburner that has all the subscribed addresses seems to be refusing to publish our feed, and I cannot see why. Please pray for a resolution.
In the meantime, you could subscribe directly to any of our feeds:
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