IF YOU THINK THE WHOLE BIBLE IS WRITTEN TO YOU TO OBEY:
Then you would need to do all of the following:
- Keep the law Deuteronomy 6:24-25, Matt 19:17
- Do animal sacrifices as Jesus commanded Matthew 1:4, Mark 1:44
- Sell all you have (have you done this one? Luke 12:32, 18:22; Acts 2, 4, 5
- Not eat certain foods
- Follow Moses and Paul (which is impossible)
- Follow Jesus' earthly ministry to Israel under the law
- Look for the earthly kingdom God promised to Israel - Gen 12
- Confess your sins Jesus already forgave and died for. - I John 1:9
- Maybe build an Ark - Genesis 6:14, 22
- Kill your enemies - Deuteronomy 7:2
- Stone those who commit adultery - Leviticus 20:10
- Talk to only Jews - Matthew 15:23
- Not keeping company with anyone but a Jew - Acts 10:28
- Keep the Sabbath day holy. Exodus 20:8
- Keep the commandments to be saved. Matt 19:17
- Be water baptized to be saved. Mark 16:16
- The list goes on...
If we are biblically honest, we would have to say we are not doing ALL of these things mentioned. But yet they are ALL in the bible and were a requirement at one time. The only way to dispel the confusion here is to do what God said in II Tim 2:15 – rightly divide the word of truth. We do this by understanding the difference between what was written TO US and ABOUT US in Paul's epistles and what was written TO ISRAEL and ABOUT ISRAEL under the law. We do this by understanding the correct divisions in our bible:
Law from grace,
Mystery from prophecy,
Jew from Gentile,
The gospel of the kingdom from the gospel of the grace of God,
Jesus' earthly ministry to the Jews from His Heavenly ministry to Paul, for the body of Christ,
Believers from unbelievers
What’s needed to be saved from what’s needed to live a proper Christian life.
If one believes that we should be doing everything the bible says or even just the whole new testament, then I would like to ask if you are doing all of the above to be true to your belief and God’s word?
Things Jesus taught and believed:
The Law –
Matt 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matt 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luke 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Selling all you have:
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
The 12 apostles did this.
Luke 18:28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
And they continued this practice of obedience in Acts chapters 2, 4 and 5.
Conditional forgiveness:
Matt 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Conclusion: We must listen to what Jesus said. But we must determine what and when was He talking to us. If we think it was in the 4 gospels, we will get salvation and how to live properly as a Christian, wrong. What we should be listening to from Jesus is what He gave Paul to write to believers today - the body of Christ