Christians and the Commandments

What happens if a child of God sins? Since there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, does that give us the freedom to sin? God forbid. There are consequences when God's children disobey His commandments. Here are a few.

1. Loss of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

2. Loss of assurance of salvation.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

3. Hinders prayer life
1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

4. Makes you a liar
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5. Causes you to loose your joy.

John 15:10-11 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

I John 1:4-10

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

6. The chastisement of God.
Hebrews 12:5-11

7. Blinds you where you will eventually fall
II Peter 1:9-10

“The key to the mystery that the doctrine of redemption, although not demanding good works, produces them, is to be found in the fact that love excites love and the desire for holiness. Hence obedience is no longer slavish. We strive to obey, not in order to be saved or to please God, but because God saves us with out works or merit of our own, whom, because he is reconciled in the Beloved, we delight to serve.” Charles Hodge in his book Romans.

We are not under the law, in that we are justified by the law; there is no hope in the law, there is not comfort in the law, there is no mercy in the law. It is black and white either guilty or not guilty. When God gave the law to Israel, they were terrified (Hebrews 12:18-22) because they were guilty.

But, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ, we have been justified before God but that doesn't free us from our moral obligations to live and follow Christ.

James Boyce says in Abstract of Systematic Theology

It will be seen, from the preceding statements, that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints does not deny that Christians are liable to sin, not that they do sin, nor that they do turn away from God, and backslide from their Christian profession, and even fall into grievous wrong, by which they displease God, and lose confidence and hope in him, and become barren and unfruitful in good works: nor does it deny that final apostasy would be possible to the Christian if he were left to the exercise of his own will, subject, as he would be, not only to the natural fallibility of a creature, but to the still continuing lusts of his flesh, and tempted not only by these, but by the attractions of the world, and the malice of Satan. But it asserts, that it is the purpose of God that none shall finally be lost who have been given to Christ by the Father, and have been by faith vitally united with him, and justified through him; and that, for the fulfillment of this purpose, the power of God is sufficient to keep them unto final salvation, and the love of Christ is so invincible, in his forbearance, mercy, and grace, that nothing can separate them from it. It also teaches, that they are not saved while indulging in sin, and walking after their own lusts; but that they are sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit, which enables them to persevere in the divine life in co-operation with his influences, that their life and salvation is not a mere gift without effort on their part, but a growth through perseverance unto the end in the use of the appointed means.