True Fellowship Holiness Church

Bible Study
Living our Lives the Bible Way

There is a necessity disclosed in the Scriptures, of believers continuing in "the daily

practice of all things commanded by Christ." The worldly churches, which has gone
astray from the doctrines, has also forsaken the commandments of Christ, if ever it
made them a rule of life. It has probably left the commandments as the result of losing
the doctrines; for the force of the commandments can only be felt by those who
recognize that salvation is dependent on their obedience. Popular theology has reduced
them to a practical nullity. It has totally obscured the principle of obedience as the basis
of our acceptance with God in Christ, by its doctrine of "justification by faith alone."

It is part of the modern restitution of primitive apostolic ways, to recognize distinctly, that
while faith turns a sinner into a saint, obedience only will secure a saint's acceptance at
the judgment seat of Christ; and that a disobedient saint will be rejected more decisively
than even an unjustified sinner.

The rule or standard of obedience is to be found in the commandments of Christ.

Christ speaks very plainly on this subject:

"Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not
servants but I have called you friends" (John 15:14).

"Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded" (Matthew 28:20).

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them " John 13:17).

"Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom, but he that
doeth the will of my Father" (Matthew 7:21).

"Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James
1:22).

"He that saith 'I know him,' and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar" (1 John 2:4).

These statements are summed up in the saying of Christ, "If ye keep my

commandments, ye shall abide in my love" (John 15:10).

We shall look at these commandments with the result of seeing that they are neutralized
by the traditions and practices of so called Christians of the modern era. But let us first
realize that the commandments of the Apostles are included in the commandments of
Christ. It is common to make a distinction. You will hear it said sometimes that while the
commandments of Christ are all that is estimable and binding, the commandments of
the apostles are marred by the weaknesses of the men who communicated them, and
are by no means to be placed on a level with the precepts of their Master, who was
without flaw. This plausible distinction is not founded on truth. The commandments
delivered by the apostles were not of their authorship. They were as definitely divine as
those that came from the mouth of the Lord. Paul distinctly claims this:

"If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things
that I write unto you ARE THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD" (1 Corinthians
14:37).

This claim is only in harmony with what the Lord Jesus himself said on the subject. In
sending his apostles forth to teach his doctrine after he should have departed from the
earth, he did not leave them to their own resources as natural men for the execution of
the work. He made specific promise of supernatural wisdom and guidance. This
promise occurs in various forms, e.g.:

"I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to
gainsay nor resist" (Luke 21:15).

"If I depart, I will send him the comforter, . . . which is the HOLY SPIRIT, whom the
Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you" John 16:7: 14:26).

"When they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be
given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the
Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you" (Matthew 10:19-20).

The promise of Christ that he should send the Spirit to the apostles was fulfilled on the
Day of Pentecost. Jesus told them not to begin their apostolic labors until the Spirit
should come (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4). They were to "tarry at Jerusalem" till the promised
"power from on high" came, by which they were enabled to give an effective testimony
to the word. They had not long to wait. In ten days, while they were all assembled (the
apostles and disciples to the number of 120), the Spirit came with sound of a rushing
mighty wind, and filled all the place where they were, crowning each apostle with a
visible wreath of flame, and manifesting its intelligent power in imparting to the apostles
the power of extemporizing the word in all the spoken languages of the day (Acts 2:1-
13).

When Jesus sent forth his apostles, he not only commanded them to preach the gospel, but he
said, "Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). It
must be obvious that this extends the obligatory of the commandments delivered to the
apostles, to all believers as well and this not merely in the sense of seemliness or suitability, but
in the sense of imperative obligation. That is, the obedience of these commandments is
essential to the believers. Christ said this plainly in concluding what is called his "sermon on the
mount," which is nothing else than a long series of these very commandments - in fact, the most
methodical and extensive collection of them to be found in the whole course of his recorded
teaching. He said, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him
unto A WISE MAN which built his house upon a rock; and every one that heareth these sayings
of mine and DOETH THEM NOT, shall be likened unto A FOOLISH MAN which built his house
upon the sand, and the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon
that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 8:24-26
In no plainer way could Christ tell us that our ultimate acceptance with him will depend upon our
doing of the things he has commanded. If he did say it more plainly, it was when he said, "Not
everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but HE THAT
DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER, which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).