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"'. . . that He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.'
For from Zion will go forth the Law
Even the Word of God from Jerusalem."
Micah 4:2
The Argument:
Some Christians say we are not obligated to obey the Laws of the Old Testament, we are
only obligated (no . . . not "obligated," but "it would be better if we
decided to") bring forth the "Fruit of the Spirit" mentioned in Galatians
5. But by refusing to listen to the Words the unchanging Spirit authored before Christ,
the "Fruit of the Spirit" is distorted. The only way to bring forth the Fruit of
the Spirit is to obey God's Law.
All of the Fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 are commanded by the Law of God in the Old Testament. Paul had nothing less in mind than obedience to the Scriptures.
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
If it is wrong to love the things that are evil, would it not also be wrong to be joyful over evil? Certainly. And just as we must never be joyful over unGodly things, we must be joyful when God so commands us. We simply must. But how? "Lord, I believe; help mine unbelief" is the confession of the one whose heart has been changed and now seeks God's Kingdom and righteousness. Through the Holy Spirit, God works in our hearts so that we are conformed more and more to the stature of Christ![57] Just as Christ obeyed the commands of His Father, so we seek His Law.
In Deuteronomy 12, God commands the Israelites to utterly destroy the pagan monuments of idolatry. When they are finished, God commands them to have a party and rejoice![58]
Some 54 verses in Deuteronomy 28 are given to listing the terrible, physical curses that would overtake the nation that "servedst not the LORD with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things."[59]
The Psalmist, under the inSpiration of the Holy Spirit, commands us to be joyful: "Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."[60] In many other Psalms does God's poet, speaking God's Words, command us to rejoice.
Proverbs 5:18, which is not merely "advice," but the inSpired Word of the Sovereign LORD of the universe, commands us to "rejoice with the wife of thy youth." (You see, to refrain from adultery is not loving your wife as commanded by the Seventh Commandment: you must rejoice with her!)
Isaiah the prophet commands, "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her."[61]
We don't really love the LORD with all our heart if we aren't full of joy in the things the LORD rejoices in. "But I don't feel like inviting a homeless person into my home" is the self-centered whine of an unregenerated heart.[62]
Jesus did not come to annul the Law.[63] Shouldn't the Christian be obeying God's Law?[64]
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(57)
Ephesians 4:13.(58) Deuteronomy 12:7,18.
(59) Deuteronomy 28:47.
(62) Unless, of course, this is (a) a confession to God of the brainwashing we have undergone at the hands of a materialistic society based on greed and class war, and (b) a tearful plea for strength and power from the Spirit to become obedient to the "weightier matters of the Law - Justice, Mercy, and Faith" (Matthew 23:23). In such a case, "getting in touch with our feelings" is the first step toward metanoia, i.e., rejecting our own "law" and committing ourselves to follow the alternative Direction of the Law of God ("repentance"). Matthew 25:35; Isaiah 58:7; Luke 14:13; Hebrews 13:2. The emotions of a Godly Man.
(64) The sounds of the overthrow of the Old World Order are not the sounds of clashing swords and exploding bombs, but rather the sounds of obedient joy, in every relationship, in every household, in every area of life.