What is my responsibility as a Christian?

[charleswest]

I was once alive apart from the Law ; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died ; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. Romans 7

It seems that Law and commands are inseparably coupled together. Perhaps the Law is like the engine of a train, and commands are like the cars. Or perhaps "LAW" would be like saying "The Train", and the train is composed of cars, or COMMANDS.

Or... LAW is like a CPU, and COMMANDS are like the CODE.

Any better analogies out there?

[dseusy]

Charleswest,

Good thoughts...

Maybe the law is the train, and laws are the individual train cars, or a law is a train car.

Similarly, maybe the law is the train, and commands are the individual train cars, or a command is a train car.

[dseusy]

I think of my responsibility as a Christian in the light of Jesus' words in John 15. We cannot do anything apart from Him, and as we remain in Him, His Spirit bears fruit. We do not fabricate this fruit- it is from God. Consider these verses concerning receiving the Holy Spirit:

John 3:5 NAS
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:6 NAS
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63 NAS
"It is the Spirit who gives life ; the flesh profits nothing ; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Acts 2:38 NAS
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins ; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44-47
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

Acts 11:15-18
"And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

Acts 15:4-10
When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses." The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren , you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear ?

Galatians 3:2 NAS
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Galatians 3:3 NAS
Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Galatians 3:5 NAS
So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Ephesians 1:13 NAS
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise

Titus 3:5 NAS
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit