Something that has been on my heart is GODs Will.I would like to first study it as it relates to the new covenant we all are in now.If anyone can give me a starting point i would appreciate it.I quess the question is along the lines of GODs Will and the new Covenant.First we must define the new convenant,what it is to us,what we must do under it,also what authority we have?I say authority,as a example,(when we all pray we end a pray with in Jesus name we pray,Amen)Do we have authority to use Jesus name?I will be studing on this,and i hope some of you will also,for some reason this is where iam being lead to study right now.Thank you for reading..
Ray
I offer this as a starting point.
To do the will of God one must do the works of God. In John 6:28-29 we get an introduction to what those are.
John 6:28-29
28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
But in 1 John 3:23 this is magnified and illuminated further.
1 John 3:23
23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
He reiterates this idea in
John 13:34
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
And
John 15:12
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
The Apostle John also supports this teaching in his epistles.
1 John 4:21 (KJV)
21And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
2 John 4-6
4I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. 5And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
That is because when directly asked about this question Christ taught, in Matthew 22:36-39 that love of God and love of neighbor were closely linked.
Matthew 22:36-39
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
And again in Mark 12:30-31
Mark 12:30-31
30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Paul expresses this unite of the law in the following way.
Romans 13:9 (KJV)
9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Loving your neighbor is the spirit of the law.
Trying to fulfill the letter of the law ends in death as we are not capable of being that good. But living up to the spirit of the law is within us all if we cooperate with the free grace of God.
2 Corinthians 3:6
6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
So we are best served by following the instruction in Hosea 6:6
6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Christ even used this Matthew 12:7 when he tried to teach the idea that blindly adhering to the letter of the law (in this case keeping the Sabbath regardless of the consequences to love) was wrong.
Matthew 12:7
7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Why all this emphasis on love and not faith as a way to do God’s will? It is because love is greater than faith.
1 Corinthians 13:13
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Love is the work that enlivens and perfects faith
James 2:17
17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:22
22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
God’s will is that we have both faith and works as a response to His free gift of salvation by grace.
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