Text: 1 Peter 2:9
God expects His people to be distinct. This not only means we will be distinct from the world, but His church will be distinct from the denominations. Though both will claim to follow Christ, there are great differences between them. The reason comes down to what we recognize and accept about the law of God.
We Recognize that There is a Law
- Many will argue that we’re not under any law – misuse passages like Romans 6:14 (“you are not under law but under grace“)
- When law & grace are contrasted, the law under consideration is the Law of Moses (John 1:17)
- Being under grace does not give us a license to sin (Jude 4)
- We most certainly are under a law today (Galatians 6:2; James 1:25; Matthew 28:18-20)
We Recognize that the Bible is from God
- Inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Because the Bible is from God, we know it is the truth (John 17:17)
We Recognize that His Law Will Not Change
- We must understand that God’s law did change at one time (John 1:17) – but this change was discussed ahead of time
- There would be a new law (Jeremiah 31:31-34) – Christ would be the spokesman (Hebrews 1:1-2); Old Law would be nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14)
- Now that we have the law of Christ, there will not be another change (Matthew 24:35; Jude 3)
We Recognize that There are No Modern-Day Revelations
- The content of any message that is claimed to be a modern-day revelation will fall under one of two categories – it harmonizes with truth or it contradicts truth
- If the message harmonizes with truth – it is simply teaching; revelation no longer necessary (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
- If the message contradicts the word of God – don’t believe it (Galatians 1:6-9)
We Recognize that We Must Study His Law
- Because there are no modern-day revelations, we must study God’s law
- Must be diligent (2 Timothy 2:15) and consistent (Acts 17:11)
- Test every spirit (1 John 4:1)
We Recognize that We Can Understand His Law
- Many denominationalists will agree that the Bible is from God & that we should study, but they don’t believe we can understand the Bible alike – reason for the divisions of denominationalism
- We can understand the Bible (Ephesians 3:4) – this means understanding it alike (1 Corinthians 1:10)
We Recognize that God Expects Us to Abide by His Law
- This goes back to the fact that we are under a law – the authoritative word of Christ (Matthew 28:20)
- We must be doers of the word (James 1:22)
- Act according to what has been authorized (Colossians 3:17; Matthew 7:21-23)
We Recognize that We Will be Judged by His Law
- We will be rewarded or condemned based upon how we abide by His law (Matthew 7:21-23)
- We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) – His words will judge us (John 12:48)
Conclusion
- These are the reasons why we don’t do many of the things that are common in the denominational world
- Few denominationalists will reject every item on this list – but once we begin forsaking any of these things, we will inevitably be able to justify almost anything, just like the denominations do
- We must be God’s peculiar people – follow His word in all things
