Romans 12:2 does NOT say this but you'd think sometimes that it does given how some people talk and act: "Be conformed to the pattern of this world; be transformed by the removal of your mind."
In Western culture at the moment we are suffering from what I shall call "ask-ism." For reasons unknown to me people are no longer able to talk in terms of "tell" and "command" -- everything is "ask." Preachers even recast Jesus words as requests: "Jesus asks us to ...", "God asks us to ..."
In John 14:15 it does NOT say, "If you love me you will respond positively to my requests" or "If you love me you will do what I ask." Jesus does not give us an exit regarding his word; we should not think that we can get away with politely declining his request. What he says to us is a command.
In the Greek, John 14:15 uses the word ἐντολὰς for "commandments". The Strong's number for that is 1785 and the write-up makes it clear that Christ's words are direct orders, or commands, and not requests.
Tell me, do you ask you children to go to bed? Or to tidy their rooms? Or do certain chores around the house? Do permit them to politely decline your request or do you instead expect them to obey within a reasonable period of time. And if they disobey, what then? How far are you willing to take "ask-ism" in the context of your family or are you going to have one standard in the home and another when preaching?
Jesus expects obedience. If we we choose not to obey, that is sin and there are consequences. If God is our father and we have been adopted into his family, then we can expect him to take whatever steps are necessary to teach us how to be his children. We don't arrive in his family knowing how to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength so he sets about teaching us. It is a perilous thing to disobey him, for that is sin. We will not lose our salvation but we will nevertheless face serious consequences -- God reserves the right to discipline us. I've been listening to Leviticus recently. God describes all of the benefits of obedience. Then he describes all the many outcomes of disobedience.
It is true that we are not expected to obey all the many injunctions of the the Old Testament ceremonial law, nevertheless the reality is that even in the New Testament commands are given and obedience is expected. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is poured out into our hearts so that we are able both to will and do what is pleasing to God. But we must not lose sight of the fact that what we have received are commands to be obeyed, not requests that may be politely declined or disregarded. Disobedience is sin. Pretending that things are otherwise is foolish. Remember Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
So my challenge is this: if you disagree with what I am saying, refute it. Demonstrate to me from God's word that what Christ and the Apostles have commanded are not in fact commands but requests. Demonstrate that there is no danger is declining these request should I so choose. And tell me how you hope to maintain order in your own home, let alone the church, if you go whole-hog on the "ask" rather than the "tell." I would suggest to you that one reason why we now have Safe Church is because leadership in many churches gave up on "God's commands" and drifted off into cultural myths of "God's requests."
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