On these two, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself, hang the law and the prophets’. Jesus qualifies it and goes even further. In Matthew 10:37 Jesus says:
“He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”
My goodness, many would say that is the most selfish statement that one could possibly read from any individual. If you don’t love me more then you love your own spouse or your own child, then you are damned. Hmmm. But, what if we turn it around and say – if you don’t love me more than your father and your mother eventually you are going to go down the slippery slope of sin. What is being said is, if you love Me you will love your mother and your father and your brother and your sister, and your neighbor, and even your enemy. You will be able to love them no matter what.
We will be able to discern what is right and what is wrong, because God will give us the capacity. It is paramount that we put God first so that we can love our father, so that we can love our mother, so that we can love children, so that we can love our neighbor, and so that we can even love our enemy. We love, even if our children go astray, if our neighbor is hateful, if our enemy tries to tear us down…that is it the true meaning of love. It will come through like a shining light, if we do the first part in loving God.
A person can interpret any one of these verses and come to the conclusion that God is the most selfish being in the universe, or they can come to the conclusion that if you do not put God first – then they are going to be doomed to sit with the consequences of sin.
John 14:15 says, “If you love me then you will keep my commandments.”
1 John 2:3, He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verifly is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
We have used these verses many times, but this is how deceiving sin is. If we do not love God, we cannot keep His commandments. One might have rules that they enforce, but they cannot keep them because if we love God even our mind you will be guarded. So, one can have rules that such as do not murder, but in our mind we can still do it.
We are not going to enter into some gray areas, because we do not choose to get on soap boxes. Take any activity that deviates from God’s original plan and try to excuse it by saying:
I was born this way.
I cannot help the way I think.
This way of thinking is highly problematic. But, if we make God first, then all things can come back into harmony with His principles. Let’s go back even further. Why does God have the right to tell us these things?
The Lord’s claim, Isaiah 45:18:
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he had established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is none else.
This is a part of the first Angel’s message. This message tells us to worship Him who made… This is a very powerful statement.
What is very important is that He is the Creator God. He is our Creator. God created this world, and He created it not for nothing but rather to be inhabited by us. So, what does he want? He wants a relationship. On who’s terms? His terms. Why? Because He’s got the right to say that and because He knows best. Obviously, He has thought this thing through.
If we look at nature we see: its finesses and magnificent beauty, the interplay that exists, and the codependence that is established. What does this tell us about God? It tells us that He knows best he knows best. He created it to be inhabited and He laid the groundwork and set the rules as to how it shall be. God gives us the freedom that if we do not like it we are free to opt out…that choice results in oblivion.
Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
God doesn’t only command that we love him, but He also says that he loves us; and that he will establish our love for Him. It is a very reciprocal relationship. So, He created us for a reason. He wanted the Earth to be inhabited as a relationship, and this relationship is love. We have to define that. Eternal life therefore is conditional.
Deuteronomy 30:19, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
The bottom line in the Lord’s claim, He is telling us that he created the earth, He created all things, He created us, He wants to have a relationship with us, He loves us; but there are certain things that you have to do in order to inherit eternal life within this realm…in order to make this relationship work. Again, He allows any who does not desire or like it to return back to where we were which is oblivion. This is the Lord’s claim…take it or leave it.
Now, God could be a monster and one might want to leave it but God could actually be the most magnificent, the most wonderful, the most loving, the most compassionate being in the entire universe – AND if that is the case our joy is just unspeakable if we embrace it. The truth of the matter is that He is the most magnificent! Why would anybody want to give it up?
How do we acknowledge the Lord’s claim? The Lord makes a claim and he says this is this is the status quo:
I have created you,
I have given you a beautiful home,
I want a relationship with you and that relationship has to be built on trust, respect and love; and
here are the rules.
Isaiah 56:6-8:
6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Emphasis added.
This is fascinating. So, all people must get to know this God and they must join themselves to God and when they do that they must love the name of the Lord. Previously it says, “You must love God”. Now it says, “You must love the name of the Lord as his character”. What does this mean? We must make a study of the character of God and then we must decide if we want what He is offering. If we do, then we must love His character and then we must want to be His servant. Remember, Jesus said the he no longer calls us servants, but friends, brothers and sisters. (John 15:15-17, Matt. 12:46-50, Luke 8:19-21). Amazing!
Why is the sabbath in verse 6? It is there because that is the mark of His relationship. The Covenant is a legal document. It is a document where two parties decide to keep to a particular regime. The conditions for staying within the confines of the Covenant are clearly outlined, as well as the conditions to exclude oneself from the covenant. So, we can opt in or opt out plain and simple. Again, God has made it quite plain for he tells us that he is our Creator, here are the rules, this is where we are going to live, this is the relationship we are going to have, and if we choose not to have this relationship then He gives us the freedom to opt out. He outlines the results of opting in and opting out so we can make an informed decision. He does not desire for any to opt out, but He respects the freedom of choice. Is this unfair as the Creator? No, for it is a righteous, holy offer to the whole of mankind.
What has the Sabbath got to do with our decision to come into a covenant relationship and a love relationship with God? It is an acknowledgment that He is the One that we
want to be in a relationship with; therefore He made the Sabbath a sign (Ezekiel 20:12; Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 20:7-8,26; Leviticus 22:31-33). In other words He is saying, I am the Lord that helps you in your mind to hate evil. The sabbath is the external sign that you have accepted the authority of God; because we just read that he created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water – which we find in the first angel’s message in Revelation 14 (cf. Ex. 20:8-11). The sabbath commandment cannot be separated from the first angel’s message. What day is the Sabbath? The seventh-day. If we say ‘yes’ to His commandments which includes the sabbath; then we are saying that His authority is paramount to us and we will accept it.
The climbs into the tree and whispers that the sabbath has been changed it to Sunday, and invites us to come and keep it. And, we will still be sanctify, in fact, he tells us that he will give us ceremonies and sacraments and that he will ensure that we get eternal life. Can we truly believe that? No. Just think of what he told Eve, ‘You will not surely die’. Did that hold true? Certainly not.
Now, if one keeps the Sabbath in order to be saved they have missed the point and it will not work. The relationship with Him comes first. For people who are ignorant about these matters, the Bible tells us that God winks at their ignorance.
7 Even them (you and me) will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. Comment added.
8 The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
In verses 7-8, we can see that this universally applies to the whole of humanity irrespective of where we come from. The sabbath is an issue of authority and allegiance.
In the next post we will clarify what is love.