Love and Law

 We can get the wrong idea about what God expected from people in the Old Testament times. There are some people who even believe that people were saved in a different way under the Old Covenant than we are saved now under the New Covenant. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Salvation has never been by works. If it was, none of us could be saved from our sins. It has always been about relationship.

God told Israel what He expected from them. (Deuteronomy 11:22,23) He wanted them to carefully obey His commandments to love Him, to walk in His ways, and to hold fast to Him. Then, He would give them victory over their enemies, so they could possess the land. God has always wanted us to have a close, personal relationship with Him. Keeping commands is just a part of our relationship.

God's first commandment in the Old Testament and in the New Testament is that we love Him with all of our heart and soul. He loves us so much, and He desires for us to love Him back, putting Him first in all we do. Of course, we will walk in His ways if we love Him fully. We will hold fast to Him having a daily walk with our Lord. Then, we keep His commands out of love, not as working for our salvation.

God, the Father, revealed Himself to those under the Old Covenant and expected them to love Him and keep His commandments. Then, Jesus came to earth, as the full revelation of God, and He died for our sins. Now, we have a close, personal relationship with Him, as we trust Him as our Lord and Savior. Then, we keep all of the commands of God out of our love for Jesus, so we can walk with Him each day.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 12-14.