We cannot obey everything the Bible commands.
Of course, this is easier done than said. People (including the type of people with college degrees) claim to do everything the Bible says, but do not.
If someone claims to do everything the Bible says, they are either ignorant of its content, or just simply lying.
Certainly, we should desire to obey everything that God commands us, but not everything God commands is to us as the church.
No matter how much desire a person has, it is simply impossible to obey everything in the Bible. Here are a few reasons why.
1. Where you live
Many commands in the scripture concern the nation Israel and specific geography. Unless you live in the Middle East you simply cannot obey commands about land division, going to a city, respecting the land, etc.
2. Your parents
It is likely you are not a Jew by birth. It is less likely you are a Levitical Jew. If you were not born a Jew (you were not born to Jewish parents) then there are many commands that are simply not for you to obey being Gentile. The law was given to the Jews.
3. The temple is not built
Orthodox Jews who make it their practice to follow the law of Moses do not follow every law today. Why? Many laws require the temple to be built. If the temple is not built, they cannot obey the laws of sacrifices, tithing, and the priesthood.
4. You should do right
Your desire to do right by God means that you cannot do everything the Bible says. There are devilish doctrines, lies, and the actions of sinful men recorded in the Bible. It is important to make sure what you are trying to do was actually instructed by God, and not by his enemies. The Bible is often used to justify wrong teachings and behaviors by taking Biblical instructions out of their context.
5. You are human
There are things in the Bible that only God could do, that is, God manifest in the flesh. You cannot die on the cross for the sins of the world. You cannot be water baptized without sin.
There are other commands God gives angels to do, and you are no angel. While we’re on the topic, the Bible teaches that there is none good, and none righteous. We are all sinners, which means none of us obey everything God instructs by nature. Even if you are saved today, your old man is still present in your flesh fighting against the spirit.
6. God changes his instructions
There are many opposite and contradictory commands in the Bible (see Luke 10:4-5 and Luke 22:35-36). If God says pork is forbidden in one place, and in another place says it is allowed, which do you obey? No matter which you choose, you cannot do both, and so cannot do everything the Bible says.
7. Who you are in Christ
If you are saved today it is by the preaching of the cross, and you are a member of the church, the body of Christ. The doctrine of the church, the body of Christ, was a mystery throughout the prophets of your Bible until first revealed to the apostle Paul. This mystery church and its instructions can only be found in Paul’s epistles alone. Trying to obey the instructions to God’s nation, while being God’s church is a sure way to confusion.
These are only seven reasons. There are many more, but these reasons emphasize the need to rightly divide the Bible to know what God wants us to do.
You should read everything in the Bible, and can learn from every passage in the Bible. All scripture is profitable, but not all is for you to obey.
You can’t do everything the Bible says, but you should sincerely try to do everything the Bible says to you.
Mid-Acts Pauline dispensational right division will help you know the difference.
Article Index Published: December 13, 2014
Last Modified: August 15, 2018