"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
If sin is falling short of the glory of God, then obedience is how we glorify God.
If we look at the Bible as just a repository of God's commands or instructions to us, then we have missed the bigger picture; for the Bible is not about us, it is about God.
And if we look at God's commandments as just a list of Do's and Don'ts by which we judge one another, then again we have missed something vitally important.
We have missed that God, and God alone, deserves glory! Whether we are obedient or not, isn't as much about us as it is about what our actions say about God to the world around us. Are we bringing glory or blasphemy to the name of the Lord? It can only be one or the other...there can be no gray areas concerning the glory of God!
The Law was provided to the Jews (and through them to us) for one purpose: to make them a people of God living according to the order of God and thus revealing the light of God to a fallen world:
"For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cling unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord, that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not hear." (Jeremiah 13:11)
As they lived according to God's way instead of their own, God was glorified through them. Their actions, ordained by God, demonstrated to the world around them the divine order of the Creator of the world (and all that is in it.) They demonstrated life as God desired it to be lived by His most glorious creation: mankind. And in their obedience, God was glorified.
The lesser question is whether we are following all the commandments of God to the letter. The larger and more important question is "Am I bringing glory to God in EVERYTHING that I do?"
In other words, "Am I loving God with ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength?"
That's why Jesus said it was the FIRST or GREATEST commandment. When we love God that way, then everything we do (as HIS creation) brings glory to God (Who created us.)
What is God's "glory" exactly?
It is described by the Word of God this way:
"And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which, when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.." (Leviticus 9:23-24)
"And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." (Exodus 24:17)
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face..." (Ezekiel 1:28)
"Then I arose and went forth into the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there...and I fell on my face." (Ezekiel 3:23)
God's glory is that which, when observed, causes mankind to fall on their knees before God.
Are our lives bringing glory to God?
Or is the world too busy applauding our own good works to spend time falling on their faces before God?
One thing must always be remembered in terms of the commandments of God:
If we practice obedience to God without Jesus Christ, then we are works-oriented. WE are practicing righteousness in our own ways, rather than God's way. We are self-righteous!
When, however, we practice obedience to God THROUGH or IN Jesus, then our efforts become grace-driven rather than self-driven.
The difference is seen in who receives the glory: us or God.
If our efforts are not birthed out of a very real and intimate relationship with Jesus as both our Savior and our Lord, then our efforts are not of God, but of ourselves. If Jesus is not a part of it, then we can become so self-deluded that we are not able to see the difference, but the world will know.
We will either look like the world (self-driven) and they will applaud us; or we will look like something they have never known before and they will want to know what it is.
And if their hearts are ready to respond to God, in other words if the Holy Spirit is drawing them, then they will recognize God and will follow us directly to the cross of Jesus Christ.
But if their hearts are still cold towards God, they will be repelled and even threatened by this thing, this way of life that looks different than themselves; and they will revile and mock us.
Whatever their response, we will have our answer as to whether or not we are being grace-driven. And as long as Jesus is providing the grace for our efforts in everything that we do and do not do, then God is being glorified by His creation...US!
That is why we encourage one another in obedience....so that God will be glorified and the world through Jesus Christ will be saved.
It's really not about us at all!
If sin is falling short of the glory of God, then obedience is how we glorify God.
If we look at the Bible as just a repository of God's commands or instructions to us, then we have missed the bigger picture; for the Bible is not about us, it is about God.
And if we look at God's commandments as just a list of Do's and Don'ts by which we judge one another, then again we have missed something vitally important.
We have missed that God, and God alone, deserves glory! Whether we are obedient or not, isn't as much about us as it is about what our actions say about God to the world around us. Are we bringing glory or blasphemy to the name of the Lord? It can only be one or the other...there can be no gray areas concerning the glory of God!
The Law was provided to the Jews (and through them to us) for one purpose: to make them a people of God living according to the order of God and thus revealing the light of God to a fallen world:
"For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cling unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord, that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not hear." (Jeremiah 13:11)
As they lived according to God's way instead of their own, God was glorified through them. Their actions, ordained by God, demonstrated to the world around them the divine order of the Creator of the world (and all that is in it.) They demonstrated life as God desired it to be lived by His most glorious creation: mankind. And in their obedience, God was glorified.
The lesser question is whether we are following all the commandments of God to the letter. The larger and more important question is "Am I bringing glory to God in EVERYTHING that I do?"
In other words, "Am I loving God with ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength?"
That's why Jesus said it was the FIRST or GREATEST commandment. When we love God that way, then everything we do (as HIS creation) brings glory to God (Who created us.)
What is God's "glory" exactly?
It is described by the Word of God this way:
"And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which, when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.." (Leviticus 9:23-24)
"And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." (Exodus 24:17)
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face..." (Ezekiel 1:28)
"Then I arose and went forth into the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there...and I fell on my face." (Ezekiel 3:23)
God's glory is that which, when observed, causes mankind to fall on their knees before God.
Are our lives bringing glory to God?
Or is the world too busy applauding our own good works to spend time falling on their faces before God?
One thing must always be remembered in terms of the commandments of God:
If we practice obedience to God without Jesus Christ, then we are works-oriented. WE are practicing righteousness in our own ways, rather than God's way. We are self-righteous!
When, however, we practice obedience to God THROUGH or IN Jesus, then our efforts become grace-driven rather than self-driven.
The difference is seen in who receives the glory: us or God.
If our efforts are not birthed out of a very real and intimate relationship with Jesus as both our Savior and our Lord, then our efforts are not of God, but of ourselves. If Jesus is not a part of it, then we can become so self-deluded that we are not able to see the difference, but the world will know.
We will either look like the world (self-driven) and they will applaud us; or we will look like something they have never known before and they will want to know what it is.
And if their hearts are ready to respond to God, in other words if the Holy Spirit is drawing them, then they will recognize God and will follow us directly to the cross of Jesus Christ.
But if their hearts are still cold towards God, they will be repelled and even threatened by this thing, this way of life that looks different than themselves; and they will revile and mock us.
Whatever their response, we will have our answer as to whether or not we are being grace-driven. And as long as Jesus is providing the grace for our efforts in everything that we do and do not do, then God is being glorified by His creation...US!
That is why we encourage one another in obedience....so that God will be glorified and the world through Jesus Christ will be saved.
It's really not about us at all!
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