Why So Many Commandments?
"And [Jesus] said unto them, 'The sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27)
If we were made for God's commandments, we would grudgingly obey them out of obligation. We would submit to each commandment as it lord's itself over us. Investing ourselves into honesty, forgiveness, love, and prayer, while avoiding lust, gossip, bitterness, and fear would make us servants to God's non-negotiable absolutes.
But, if God's commandments were made for us, we would willingly obey them out of privilege. We would invest ourselves into honesty, forgiveness, love, and prayer, and avoid lust, gossip, bitterness, and fear because these commands are in our best interest.
In other words, God did not create commandments for the purpose of man serving them. Ratherm he created commandments in order that they might serve man.
You see, being honest (obeying a commandment) serves me well because it keeps me in good standing with myself, most other people, and most definitely God.
God created commandments for our best interest--they serve us well. This is the spirit of the law, as opposed to the letter of the law. It is easier to obey God when I understand that His requirements are in my best interest, rather than obeying Him simple because He said so.
What do you think?
