STONE HAUS INSTRUCTION 1. APRIL 21, 2024. Faith Culture. GODLY STANDARDS. Pages: 7.

INDEX:

  1. Testimonies, Precepts, Statutes – Conduct Worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
  2. Testimonies – Holy Spirit Witness Declarations in the Heavenly Courts
  3. Precepts – Holy Spirit Teachings, Commandments, Moral Injunctions
  4. Statutes – Law, Commandments, Decrees, Edicts of Jesus Christ

Testimonies, Precepts, Statutes1

Conduct Worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit has spoken in Psalm 119:1 saying, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD!” Again the Holy Spirit has spoken through the blessed Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians in 3:11 saying, “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ has spoken in the Sermon on the Mount declaring that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. The records of John 5:39 and Luke 24:27 reveal the Lord has made it clear that the Scriptures which bring forth the Law and the Prophets are in their entirety speaking of Him, and that by coming to Him we receive life.

The Scriptures clearly state that we do not void the law through faith. In Romans 3:31the Apostle Paul states, “On the contrary, we establish the law.” Our Blessed Lord has testified as recorded in the gospel of Matthew in 28:18 saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In His Divine authority our Lord Jesus Christ gave the command in Matthew 28:19-20 saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

We hold that there remains therefore the law of the LORD spoken of in Psalm 119. What is being referred to herein is that which the Holy Spirit has brought upon us. Namely, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” spoken of in Romans 8:2, which is the same as to say “the law of Christ” spoken of in Galatians 6:2. Our Lord Himself has spoken of the law of the Spirit of life, which is the law of the kingdom over which He alone reigns forever through the agency of the Holy Spirit to the glory and praise of our heavenly Father. Matthew 5:19 records the Lord’s decree stating, “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

We instruct the saints to acknowledge the words of the Holy Spirit who says in Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” The testimony which all who are in the kingdom of the Son of God hold to is that which is written in 1 John 5:10, “the testimony that God has given of His Son.” The Holy Spirit, working through the foundation of Jesus Christ, and of the apostles and prophets of His church (ref: Ephesians 2:20), continues to give testimony, as witnessed in 2 Thessalonians 1:10 where the Apostle Paul spoke in regards to the coming of the Lord “in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”

We instruct the saints to acknowledge the words of the Holy Spirit who says in Psalm 119:4, “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” The Apostle James spoke by the Holy Spirit saying as recorded in James 1:25, “he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” Again he says in James 2:12, “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” The Apostle John also spoke by the Holy Spirit in 1 John 5:3 saying, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The psalmist spoke in Psalm 119:45 by the Holy Spirit saying, “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts,” and again in Psalm 119:93, “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.”

We instruct the saints to acknowledge the words of the Holy Spirit who says in Psalm 119:5, “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!” In Ezekiel 44:24 the Holy Spirit says, “In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments.” The Holy Spirit continues speaking in Ezekiel 44:24 saying, “They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.” Through the gospel of Matthew in 25:31 we understand that “when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.” Indeed, our Lord will judge the nations according to His statutes. The Holy Spirit has said through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:3, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” Therefore we uphold the statutes, the commandments, the law, the judgements of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 11:29-30 the Lord invites us into His kingdom saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It is from Him, by the Holy Spirit, that we learn the testimonies, the precepts, and the statutes that are pleasing to God. We do well to remember the encouragement of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:8-10 saying, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”

Testimonies2

Holy Spirit Witness Declarations in the Heavenly Courts

Our Lord has ascended to the right hand of the Father to send us the Helper (the Spirit of truth, the Counselor, the Comforter, the Advocate, the Intercessor, the Strengthener), who is the Holy Spirit. Now that the Holy Spirit is given, He is doing that which our Lord foretold in  John 16:8-11. As Jesus said, “when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” In accordance with what the Lord has spoken as recorded in John 16:12-15, the Holy Spirit has come to guide the church of our Lord “into all truth,” speaking by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ only “whatever He hears” from the Father and from the Son, and He reveals to the church “things to come,” even things the believers were not able to bear until the Holy Spirit was given. For this reason the Apostle Paul instructed the saints to pray for him. It is evident that the Apostle Paul depended upon the empowerment of the Helper, by his words in Ephesians 6:19 where Paul instructed the saints for prayer, “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” Therefore, we also depend upon the Holy Spirit. Like the Apostle Paul, we also instruct the saints to pray for God to grant us the help of the Holy Spirit, that words would be given us to declare every necessary testimony, in faithful and bold witness to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Precepts3

Holy Spirit Teachings, Commandments, Moral Injunctions

Jesus Christ condemns the violation of God’s precepts. The fact that He upholds the precepts of God is clear where He spoke as recorded in Matthew 15:3, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” He continued in Matthew 15:6-7 saying, “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites!” The Holy Spirit has made it clear that all of God’s precepts are summed up as stated in Romans 13:9, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The fact that they are summed up also indicates that this one precept is all inclusive. Therefore, we instruct the saints to acknowledge the words of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 6:7-8 spoken by the Apostle Paul who said, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” The phrase ‘sows to the Spirit’ is a reference to keeping the precepts of God. The Lord’s commandments are to be embodied by the saints, and are never to be mocked in any way. When the Apostle Paul gave a precept by the Holy Spirit, in 1 Timothy 6:14 he said, “keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.” This same charge is fitting for all of God’s precepts. Every precept of God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves until His return. The Apostle Paul spoke about faithfulness to God’s precepts in 1 Corinthians 4:17 referring to his “ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.” Regarding His precepts and the reward they lead to, our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:24 that “whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Therefore, we urge all the saints to follow in the wisdom and perseverance imparted to the Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit. For the benefit of the kingdom of God, the Apostle Paul disclosed his faithfulness in 1 Corinthians 9:27 saying, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” We charge all the saints to embody this same dedication; to uphold the precepts of God, in sincere love for our Lord Jesus Christ evidenced by full submission to Him; amounting to sincere love for our neighbor, and especially for our brethren in the most holy faith.

Statutes4

Law, Commandments, Decrees, Edicts of Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit has spoken through the Apostle James, who introduced himself in his epistle as “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He was able to call himself a bondservant because of his faithfulness to God’s statutes. In James 1:25 the Apostle James said, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” We know that the perfect law of liberty is the law of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives apostles and elders of the kingdom of God authority to make kingdom decrees, as we see in the example given in the Scripture where the Apostle Paul and Timothy went through Derbe and Lystra. As recorded in Acts 16:4-5, “they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.” In this we see that decrees, when embraced in obedience to the faith, result in kingdom growth. In Acts 15:22-29 we have a recorded account of a decree coming from the apostles and elders, along with the whole church in Jerusalem, being delivered to brethren of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia who had been troubled by some individuals who had not been sent by the apostles and elders of the kingdom of God. Beginning inverse 29, we read the decree stating, “it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” In this we see that decrees, when given under the authority of the Holy Spirit by the apostles and elders in the unity of the kingdom of God, promote kingdom unity and safety, guards against any unnecessary burdens, and provides God’s counsel for the sake of His testimony to continue to go forth throughout the world. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has given His edicts recorded in the book of Revelation, where He addressed the seven churches. He commended the churches where appropriate in relation to their faithfulness to His statutes. However, He also rebuked them for their unfaithful conduct where applicable. Our Lord clearly charged the faithful to persevere in His statutes, and He restated His statutes as the solution to each rebuke with a call to repentance. He also laid out the consequences of disobedience, as well as the promise to those who would labor and overcome victoriously. 

The Holy Spirit spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy 30:19-20 saying, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet as recorded in Jeremiah 21:8 saying, “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.” The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet regarding the decrees of God as recorded in Isaiah 41:4 saying, “Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He.”  Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself proclaimed as recorded in John 8:51, “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” Where He also clearly testified in John 8:58 saying, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Our Lord Jesus Christ again gave witness of Himself being the authority over the decrees of the kingdom of God in Revelation 1:11, by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John who was in prison at Patmos for the testimony, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia.” In Revelation 1:17 our Lord Jesus Christ said these comforting words regarding His decrees, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.” Again, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke wonderful words of hope in connection to His decrees in Revelation 22:12-13 saying, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given His statutes so that, as made clear in John 6:27, every person would labor “for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” The Holy Spirit tells us in 1 Timothy 1:2-3 to teach no doctrine other than grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit warns us through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:1 saying, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” The Apostle Peter speaking by the Holy Spirit in 1 Peter 2:16-17 has charged us to live “as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” We are called to sow to the Holy Spirit, who lovingly indwells each person who belongs to God through Jesus Christ. We are free from trying to earn God’s favor through the works of the flesh. We do not follow statutes as a means of salvation. As the Holy Spirit makes clear in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Yet it is clear that we are to live “as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart” (Ephesians 6:6). For the Lord has said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” 

“Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen” (Ephesians 6:24)

Rev. Oscar Rivera, StoneHaus Mission

General Overseer, Gentry, Arkansas, USA