What other scriptures emphasize the importance of following God's rules? Our starting line: Competing according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5) “Likewise, anyone who competes as an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” Old Testament foundations: obedience brings blessing • Deuteronomy 28:1-2 — “If you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these blessings will come upon you.” • Joshua 1:7-8 — Prosperity and courage flow from “observ[ing] all the law… do not turn from it to the right or to the left.” • Psalm 19:7-11 — God’s statutes are “more desirable than gold” and “in keeping them there is great reward.” • Psalm 119:1-2, 9, 45 — Walking in the Law brings blessing, purity, and freedom. • Proverbs 3:1-2 — Keeping the commandments “will add length to your days… and peace.” • Isaiah 48:18 — “If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river.” Jesus: love proven through obedience • Matthew 7:21 — Entry into the kingdom is for “only he who does the will of My Father.” • Matthew 28:20 — The Great Commission includes “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” • Luke 6:46 — “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say?” • John 14:15 — “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • John 15:10 — Abiding in Christ’s love mirrors His own obedience to the Father. Apostolic teaching: obedience as the mark of genuine faith • Romans 6:16 — We are “slaves… to obedience leading to righteousness.” • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 — The runner disciplines himself so he will “not be disqualified.” • Galatians 5:7 — “You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?” • James 1:22 — “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” • 1 John 2:3-5 — Assurance comes because “we keep His commandments.” Perseverance to the finish: obedience and the crown • Hebrews 12:1-2 — Run with endurance, eyes on Jesus, the race’s perfecter. • Revelation 14:12 — Saints are those “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Putting it all together From Israel’s earliest days to the final vision of Revelation, God’s blessing, presence, and reward belong to those who run His race on His terms. The crown is not for the fastest or the flashiest, but for the faithful—people who, empowered by grace, joyfully keep His rules all the way to the finish line. |
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