One only has to briefly look into the Bible, and especially the book of Revelation to quickly discern that the subject of loving obedience to Yahweh the God of heaven is a great issue in the controversy between Christ and Satan.  In fact, the devil is angry with the “remnant” church (the church at the end of time preaching God’s messages) because they “keep the commandments of God,” and they have not been deceived regarding them!  They show their love for Jesus by living for Him.  In fact He lives in them, and therefore they walk in agreement with God’s commandments!

Because the devil is against the law of God, and because he has launched an all out war against God’s law, it is vitally important for us to know the relationship the law of God has to the gospel.

First of all, we must understand two very important principles.  First, when we are in Christ, all the requirements of the law for salvation are met through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.  In 1 Corinthians 6, verse 11, Paul tells believers “ye were washed, ye were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God.”  In Christ we have already been justified, and sanctified, and washed!  Praise God!

1.  What does it say we are in Christ in Colossians 2:10?

Answer:  We are in Him.

Objectively, Jesus has already accomplished everything necessary for sinful men and women, and boys and girls.  When they believe in Christ by faith, they can be declared righteous and candidates for heaven.  Amen and amen!  Christ in us is the hope of glory!  Christ in us means victory over sin, over unrighteous living, over lawlessness!  This is also good news!

The law of God is a mirror that shows us the dirt on our face, but a mirror cannot wash the dirt off.  The blood of Christ is the soap that can wash us clean!  In the born-again Christian, God intends that His law will be obeyed, not to earn any merit whatsoever, but to give glory to God!

2. What is sin according to the Bible?   1 John 3:4.

Answer:  Sin is the of the .


Sin is lawlessness.  It is breaking God’s law!  Christians are to “go and sin no more.”  (See John 8:11.)   In other words, they are to obey God’s law motivated by love and enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit.

3.  What did Jesus say we would do if we “love” Him?   John 14:15.

Answer:  His .


Also in John 14:21 it says: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”  The word translated “loveth” in the above text is the Greek word “agapao.”  It is used to refer to the pure, untainted, unselfish love of God.

Only when we are rooted and grounded in His (Jesus’) agape love will we be able to cast out all fear and serve Him with unselfish motives.  The New Testament writers wrote in Greek, so they used four different words to distinguish God’s love from human love.  These four words they used and their meanings are:

1. Storge - family love, love for one’s kin,
2. Philos -  brotherly, affectionate love,
3. Eros -    Love between the sexes, and
4. Agape - Pure Godly’ love.

When we are under grace and by faith have received the atonement, then and only then can we have this agape love, and when we have this agape love, we will keep the commandments of God!

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love (AGAPE) Me, keep My commandments.”  The one who deliberately breaks God’s commandments is not a born-again Christian.  He or she may say they are, but they are not!

4.  What did John call those who broke the Commandments of God, and yet said they “know” God?   1 John:2:4-6.

Answer: .


Only the born again believer who has been changed from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant could walk as Jesus walked, and the context in the above verses plainly refers to walking in obedience to God’s commandments.  Get Christ in the heart by faith, and then the righteousness of the law will be there also.

5.  If we keep God’s commandments, what shall we “abide” in?    John 15:10.

Answer:  God’s .

Jesus said that abiding in His love (the word agape) means that we will keep God’s commandments.  The abiding in Christ mentioned here by the Savior cannot mean anything other than being “in Christ.”

In the Bible, there were “ceremonial” laws and ordinances that were a “shadow” of the cross.  These ceremonial laws and sabbaths had to do with sacrifices and offerings.  They were done away with -- “nailed to the cross” when Jesus died.  We no longer need to keep ceremonial laws, but the Ten Commandments are not ceremonial.  They are the transcript of God’s character! Circumcision was part of the “ceremonial law,” also called the “law of Moses.”  See Acts 15:1-5.

6.  Did Paul make a distinction between the ceremonial law that included circumcision and the moral law of God?   1 Corinthians 7:19 (read it in a modern version also).

Answer: .

Paul, the greatest gospel teacher of all time, wrote that whether a person is circumcised or not doesn’t really matter, but what DOES matter is whether we keep God’s commandments or not! The reason it matters is because keeping God’s commandments shows that we are in Christ.

Let’s carefully examine two very similar statements of Paul.  In Galatians 5:6, Paul wrote: “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but faith working through love.”  This verse is very similar to 1 Corinthians 7:19.  A third similar verse is Galatians 6:15.  “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

The first part of all three of these verses relates to the Old Covenant idea of obey God and live, disobey or die, or righteousness by works.  The second part of all three of these verses relates to those who are in Christ.  Those that are in Christ will have a faith that works.  Those that are in Christ will be a new creation.  Those that are in Christ will keep God’s commandments motivated by agape love!

In the Old Testament, Abraham was given the free promise that he received by faith, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.  Genesis 15:6.  Later God “tested” Abraham with a commandment to slay his son (obey).  Abraham’s test of obedience came after the free promise, and after he was declared righteous by faith.

7.  What did James say about “faith” without “works” of obedience?   James 2:18-22.

Answer:  It is .

In Genesis 26 verse 5, Yahweh, our heavenly Father, explains why He could give Abraham the free promise He had made to him. The Lord said, “because Abraham obeyed My voice, kept My charge, and My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”

There are many that fail to understand the relationship of faith and works.  For this reason, the devil has deceived much of the Christian world into believing that God’s law is no longer necessary for Christians to observe.  They say, “Only believe in Christ, and you are safe.  You have nothing to do with keeping the law.”  But genuine faith will be manifest in obedience.  Said Christ to the unbelieving Jews, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”  John 8:39.  Abraham OBEYED God because He loved the Lord!

8.  What is the "love" of God?   1 John 5:3.

Answer:  That we His .

9.  How does the devil feel about those who “keep the commandments” of God in the last days of earth’s history?   Revelation 12:17.

Answer:  He is with them.

The devil is angry with those who obey God’s commandments. Now let’s think a little.  If they are obeying the commandments out of fear, or in order to save themselves, or to get merit, the devil wouldn’t be angry with them!  He would be happy because every pagan religion has at its core the idea of earning salvation. He wouldn’t be angry with those keeping the commandments out of the principle of the Old Covenant.  No!  He is angry because they are keeping the commandments of God because they are filled with agape love!  They have been to the cross, and now they love God, and they keep His commandments because Christ dwells in their hearts through faith, and they are rooted and grounded in love!  This gets the devil crazy with anger!

10.  In the New Covenant under grace, where will the “law” be written?   Hebrews 10:16.

Answer:  In our and .

Under grace in the New Covenant the believer does not keep the law to be saved, or for merit or out of fear!  Instead, his heart is filled with agape love, and he delights to do God’s will because the law is in his heart!  This is the same way Jesus obeyed His Father.  This is the same reason why the angels obey God’s commandments!

Lucifer rebelled against obedience in heaven, and today he fights an insidious battle against those who love God and want to keep His commandments.

11.  After warning about the “Mark of the beast” in Revelation 14:9-11, what does the Lord say about the “saints”?   Revelation 14:12.

Answer:  They the of .

The saints have patience.  That is one of the fruits of the gospel, the fruits of the spirit!  They keep the commandments!  This verse is found right after the warning about the beast and his mark.  This indicates by the way that the mark of the beast must involve disobedience to God’s law!  These that the Lord points to with His blessing must be keeping God’s law out of agape love! Surely He would not point to them and say, “Here are they that keep the commandments” if they were doing it from selfish motives to work their way to heaven!  No, He says it with Godly joy because here are His separated ones -- His sanctified ones, and they are keeping the commandments of God because they are under the principle of agape love!

12.  Who will have the right to enter into the New Jerusalem, and to eat of the "tree of life"?   Revelation 22:14.

Answer: Those who .

Here God says that those who keep His commandments are blessed, and like Abraham they can obtain the promise given by grace because they are converted, they not only received the atonement by faith, they are keeping the commandments of God because Christ lives in them.  These matters we have discussed in this lesson will become more important when you study the next guide!

By God’s grace you will be in that number when the saints go marching in!  But you need to first have accepted the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Remember that His perfect obedience has fulfilled the requirements of the law for salvation for you.  When He was crucified, it was for you, and if you believe the gospel you were crucified in Him and when He was resurrected, you came up with Him to walk in newness of life!  He gives you a new heart, and that new heart will have the law of God written in it and you will walk as Jesus walked!  You will love the Lord, and love to keep His holy laws!

It is estimated that there have been over 40 million laws to control human behavior, but the Almighty has given us just Ten Commands!

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