I have heard it said we live in a society that is free from the restrictions of religion.  Interestingly, those who take this viewpoint also say mankind is sufficiently mature and advanced to recognize that the state and religion are separate entities.  Therefore, they claim, there is no need for us to adhere or even reflect upon the laws that come to us from the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments.  Really?

As I observe the world today, I find very little evidence of this maturity or the ethical/moral advancement that should free us of the need for a higher set of guiding principles.  King David’s words in Psalm 15 ring particularly true today:

            O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbour,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honours those who fear the Lord;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

How many of us can call ourselves blameless?  How many of us dare to say we do not sin?  Indeed, as Yochanan (John), the Apostle of Love, shares with us:  “If we claim not to have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Even as we proclaim Messiah and His grace, through His sacrifice on our behalf on Mount Calvary, we sin.  And, as we sin, we need the guidance, support and direction of Adonai Elohim’s Life Instructions in our lives to maintain our walk on the narrow path. 

My issue, then, is why should we follow His Life Instructions as found in the Scriptures?

The easy answer to this question is – because He commanded us to do so.  We read this imperative when Adonai Yeshua (Jesus) tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15).  The conditional relationship of this covenant indicates His understanding of our free choice.  If you love me is a very clear indication of His relationship with us.  He loves us with an unfathomable depth.  Remember, God gave His own life for us so we would be freed from the grip of sin and of death.  Within His promise is the understanding we are the ones loved by Adonai Yeshua, the Lord Jesus.  Beloved, this is not love as the world knows love; this is love of such magnitude, its blessings are unimaginable.

In 1 John, we read the words, “The way we can be sure we know him is if we are obeying his commands” (1 John 2:3).  Beloved, this is a call to obedience.  If we know Him (that is, we have an intimate relationship with Him, we are in Him and He is in us) then, following His Life Instructions will be an authentic expression of the covenantal relationship, the kinship relationship we have with the Lover of our souls. 

Think of the opposite, the situation where there is no expectation of being obedient to Him; if there were no call to obedience, then anything would be tolerated.  It would not matter whom we loved as god, because love for any god would be tolerated.  It would not matter what we believed to be truth, because any subjective truth would be tolerated.  Thus, my truth would be my truth and your truth would be your truth; there would be no universal, over-arching, life-generating Truth.  In other words, a man would simply do whatever he thought was right (Judges 21:25).  Without universal Truth, there would be no sin.  Even infringing upon other people or property would be justified as falling under my truth; there would be no right or wrong. 

If there were no universal Truth, there would be no need for forgiveness for nothing wrong would ever happen.  Each person would feel vindicated for doing what he chose to do in the name of his truth.  Can you imagine living in world like that, dear ones?

Now, what are some of the benefits and blessings that come from developing an understanding of Scripture and following Adonai’s Life Instructions?  Let’s look at Proverbs: “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister’; call understanding your kinswoman” (Proverbs 7:4).  When we call wisdom our sister, there is the understanding of a deep and personal relationship with this gift from Adonai Elohim.  There is also an understanding that wisdom is a defining element of Adonai Yeshua, such that, when we understand and follow His commands, we gain wisdom through the Holy Spirit and Adonai Yeshua lives in us and we in Him.

Although study of the teaching of Messiah from Genesis to Revelation will allow us to gain knowledge and wisdom, it does not give us salvation nor does it create a better righteousness for us.  It does, however, draw us closer to our beloved Abba (Father) and to His Son, Adonai Yeshua. 

The Apostle James said, “Come close to God, and he will come close to you” (James 4:8).  This leads us to understand we are to come so close to Adonai Elohim that we are able to spiritually touch Him and He will touch us. 

Do you desire to have a more intimate relationship with the Lover of your soul, the Creator of the universe?  One way to do this is to study and understand your relationship with Him, through study of His Word and following His Word throughout your days.