obeying commandments of God – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

What are the obligations for a Christian?

avril 9, 2024 par Christadelphians, publié dans ??? Questions asked, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Faith

There are various obligations for a Christian as outlined in the Bible, including:

Love God: Christians are called to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).
Love others: Christians are also called to love their neighbours as themselves (Mark 12:31), treating others with kindness, compassion, and respect.
Spread the gospel: Christians are encouraged to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
Obey God’s commandments: Christians are called to obey God’s commandments, living a life that is pleasing to Him (John 14:15).
Serve others: Christians are called to serve others, meeting the needs of those around them and demonstrating Christ’s love through their actions (Matthew 25:35-40).
Live a holy life: Christians are called to live a life of holiness, striving to be conformed to the image of Christ and avoid sin (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Pray: Christians are encouraged to pray regularly, seeking God’s guidance, provision, and blessing in their lives and the lives of others (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

These are just a few examples of the obligations that Christians are called to uphold as followers of Christ. Ultimately, Christians are called to live a life that reflects the love, grace, and truth of Jesus Christ in all that they do.

Expulsion from the paradise garden

janvier 22, 2024janvier 20, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, History & news feed, Reflection - Meditation

The test commandment

The man was placed in a paradise garden (the Garden of Eden) in which he was allowed to name animals and plants. The Garden was located near the Euphrates estuary and east of the Tigris. Eden indicates « lovelessness » and it was among all living things. Jehovah, the God of order, had created order out of chaos. He revealed His Will that man should reproduce or multiply in that beautiful garden that man could manage.

God wants to be obeyed in freedom and has created man in such a way that he can make free choices. The Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life (see Revelation 2: 7; 22: 2, 14, 19; Proverbs 3:18; 11:30) The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil indicates that those who eat from it will get to know good and evil.

“8 And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed; 9 and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers]; 11 the name of the one [is] Pison, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of the Havilah where the gold [is], 12 and the gold of that land [is] good, there [is] the bdolach and the shoham stone; 13 and the name of the second river [is] Gibon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush; 14 and the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel, it [is] that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat. 15 And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it.” (Ge 2:8-15 YLT)

Adam first saw the tree. He could choose whether to eat from that tree or not. God had given him the freedom to choose. And so today we all have the freedom to choose what we want or will do and whether or not we will follow God’s commandments.

The two trees in the garden are, as it were, a challenge to the right choice. The choice for obedience included a reward: an eternal stay in the paradise garden. When choosing disobedience to God, the sad consequence was that one would have to work hard to survive and eventually die.

God had warned Adam and Eve what the consequences would be if they ate the fruits of those trees. But the forbidden fruit seemed too attractive to just hang it without eating it.

Degeneration of the covenant chief

Eve dared to doubt God’s sincerity. Man’s first lie makes her appearance when Eve in turn tries to seduce her partner. She makes him doubt.

Would God withhold anything from them?

God is also presented as a liar who tries to scare them by saying that they would die if they eat those fruits.

“1 And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, ‘Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?’ 2 And the woman saith unto the serpent, ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat, 3 and of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest ye die.’ 4 And the serpent saith unto the woman, ‘Dying, ye do not die, 5 for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it—your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.’” (Ge 3:1-5 YLT)

It was tempting to have such knowledge and to equate with God.

Adam followed his wife and ate the forbidden fruit.

As soon as they had eaten that fruit, their eyes opened and they felt shame towards each other and towards others. Their innocence was gone.

“6 And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat; 7 and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they [are] naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make to themselves girdles.” (Ge 3:6-7 YLT)

Removal from the paradise garden

God is a God of word. If He has said anything, He will stick to it. When He has promised something, He will always keep His promises. This holds true for promises that hold something good, but also for warnings of something bad that God has given.

The first people needed to know better. They couldn’t hide from God. God sees everything. He even knows our inner thinking. It is impossible to hide from Him.

But the knowledge that they had done something wrong made them hide in the bushes like little children, with the thought that God would not notice them there and overlook or forget their mistake.
That guilt is an alarm that God has given man so that he would know when he would do something wrong. If you go against or sin against God, that alarm will go off.

Eating the forbidden fruit against the will of God was an act of disobedience, but by hiding they indicated that their relationship to God had now been damaged and that they suspect that God would no longer trust and punish them.

The sentence did not last. The God of word, guard against His Word. He informed the woman that in order to give birth to new life, she would have labour pains. God also indicated that equality between men and women had come to an end. God also told them that from now on they will eat with toil from the face of the earth all the days of their lives. Thorns and thistles will also emerge that will not make it easy for humans.

God also condemned man to work the earth to eat the crops of the field. Through their act of disobedience, they were now told what the saying of God meant. Until the day of their death, they now had to sweat the land to live. And eventually after so much effort to live, that life would end, with their bodies decaying to the dust of the earth. For man is made of dust, and man will become dust again.

“16 Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband [is] thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’”

“17 And to the man He said, ‘Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed [is] the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life, 18 and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field; 19 by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou [art], and unto dust thou turnest back.’” (Ge 3:16-19 YLT)

The worst happened to them now that they were banished from that paradise garden, which they could never return to, and so that they could not eat from the Tree of eternal life to live forever again.

“22 And Jehovah God saith, ‘Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,’ — 23 Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken; 24 yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.” (Ge 3:22-24 YLT)

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