by COGwriter
What is the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God really all about?
Is it simply a group or corporation who thinks it follows the right rules?
Within 25 hours of the formation of the Continuing Church of God, I posted that it was really all about love (see The Philadelphia remnant: it is really all about love). The ‘give way’ of life.
The two times we held a large conference in Kenya, I taught that the Continuing Church of God was all about love.
Three related videos are available: It’s All About Love & The Philadelphian Remnant and Nairobi Conference: All About Love and CCOG: It’s All About Love.
While rules are important (cf. John 14:15; Matthew 23:23), what is most important?
According to the Jesus, the apostles, and the late Herbert W. Armstrong, and the Continuing Church of God, love is what is most important.
God's plan involves love. Notice what Jesus said:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
But it is not just God who is to love. Notice some of what Mark recorded:
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34)
The importance of love is confirmed by many in the New Testament. Notice the following statement from the Apostle Paul:
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Notice some passages written by the Apostle John:
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:7-21)
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:1-4)
Love is to be perfected in us. The Apostle John also wrote:
God is love (1 John 4:8,18)
We are to be like God. God is love and love is to be perfected in Christians (for more on the destiny of Christians, please read the article What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?).
The following is from Herbert Armstrong’s book The Mystery of the Ages:
True religion–God’s truth empowered with the love of God imparted by the Holy Spirit…JOY UNSPEAKABLE of knowing God and Jesus Christ–of knowing TRUTH–and the warmth of God’s divine LOVE!…
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”… And what was Jesus’ appearance? It was that of a human man, for he also was the Son of man…
Most important of all however is what is God’s nature–his CHARACTER–like? One cannot know what God is unless he know what his CHARACTER is!
THE CHARACTER of both God the Father and Christ the Son is that of spiritual holiness, righteousness and absolute perfection.
That character might be summed up in the one word LOVE, defined as an outflowing, loving concern. It is the way of giving, serving, helping, sharing, not the “GET” way.
It is the way devoid of coveting, lust and greed, vanity and selfishness, competition, strife, violence and destruction, envy and jealousy, resentment and bitterness…
God’s law is spiritual and can be summed up in one simple but all-inclusive word–love. His law for the guidance of human conduct is subdivided into the two great commandments, love toward God and love toward neighbor. These, in turn, are subdivided into the 10 Commandments. Jesus magnified this law by showing how its principle expands to cover virtually every possible human infraction…
Bear in mind the government of God is based on the LAW of God, which is the way of life of outflowing LOVE, cooperation, concern for the good of the governed…
Full comprehension of God’s LAW (his way of life) is imparted by God through the Holy Spirit. But the law of God requires action and performance, and LOVE is the fulfilling of God’s law (Rom. 13:10), and it can be fulfilled only by the love of and from God (Rom. 5:5)…
In the plagues God caused against Egypt, God was turning the Egyptian gods and objects of worship against them to show them that these were not gods. Even the plagues were sent in LOVE for the Egyptians…
A Christian must grow and develop in grace, spiritual knowledge and godly character… showing more love or outgoing concern toward others…
The very basic teaching, belief AND DOCTRINE OF God’s true Church therefore is based on the righteousness of and obedience to the law of God. That law is LOVE. But it is not human love. Human love cannot rise above the level of human self-centeredness. It must be “the love of God…shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy [Spirit]” (Rom. 5:5). Ancient Israel could not really obey God’s law–they could have kept it according to the strict letter of the law. But since love is the fulfilling of the law and they had only human self-centered love, they could not have kept the law according to the spirit–because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given.
This basic teaching includes, therefore, all the “fruits of the Holy Spirit”–love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, etc.
The teachings of God’s true Church are simply those of “living by every word” of the Holy Bible…
Men shall turn from the way of “get” to the way of “give”–God’s way of love.
A NEW CIVILIZATION shall now grip the earth!
Proclaiming that new civilization is to come and be based upon love is a major part of what the true gospel of the kingdom is all about.
The Apostle Paul referred to part of it in one place as “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Many think that they have knowledge, faith, etc. and think that they are fine. But most Christians in the end times do not have Philadelphian love. They do not have the work that God expects them to have.
Now what about feeding the poor?
Jesus warned that the Laodiceans thought they needed nothing, but He said that they needed to change (Revelation 3:14-22). Paul says love, however does not puff up.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
These aspects of love are part of the character we all should be building in this age.
Many Laodiceans say that they have endured enough, hence do not wish to risk making the type of changes that those with Philadelphian love would make.
Jesus warned about our time,
"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Breaking the law (lawlessness), which happened during the apostacy where the changed WCG departed from the truth, is linked to lack of love.
The love of many points to a majority--the majority of Christians in the end time are Laodicean.
Many think that since you cannot solve all the problems in poor regions like Africa and Haiti, that they are fine not doing so.
That is wrong.
The Apostle James wrote:
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? (James 2:14-23)
Philadelphian Christians have a real loving faith.
The Bible is clear that we should be supporting the poor (Galatians 2:10; Romans 12:13; cf. James 2:14-16; Hebrews 13:16; Isaiah 58:7; Proverbs 28:27, 29:7a), including widows and orphans (James 1:27).
The Apostle Paul wrote:
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)
In the CCOG, we do so. It is the Philadelphian thing to do. Yet, many are weary of helping people in places like Africa and Haiti. They do not think that they need to assist as they think that they are not relevant to their version of the faith. Yet, notice what Jesus taught:
31 "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. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)
We in the CCOG understand this and take efforts to aid the poor and hungry. The true sheep do help feed the poor sheep.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that the CCOG is the only one of the ‘top ten’ US headquartered COG’s whose top human leader has not taken a salary. Such monies instead have been used to support the poor (Galatians 2:10, 6:10) and preach the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18), particularly poor Gentiles (cf. Romans 11:25). We also spend the highest portion of our income to do this than any of the ‘top ten’ groups we know of (cf. Luke 12:34; more details of CCOG spending are shown at our Donations page). Philadelphia means “love of the brethren’ and we show that love through proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God around the world and supporting poor brethren. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (James 1:27). Supporting the poor is a “philadelphian” action according to the Apostle Paul (Romans 12:10-13)–he also wrote that was proof of his ministry (2 Corinthians 9:13)–hence, yes, that is also a proof of the ministry of the CCOG.
Love is never fails and is more important than what many in the last days are focused on.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
Love is what the plan is all about.
All who accept God's offer of salvation will be able to give love in a unique way to make eternity better for themselves and everyone else—having different races, ethnicities, and appearances in this age will contribute to the coming age of eternity being better than it otherwise would have. To learn about your own role, please check out the free online book: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?
Hebrews 13:1 can literally be translated as "Let Philadelphia continue."
Why should Philadelphia continue?
The Laodicean Church is the last one mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 3:14-22). As the last, it is the one that will be the most dominant at the time of the end. The word "Laodicea" can be rendered "the people rule," "judgment of the people," or the "people decide." Laodicea is characterized by a rejection of the governance accepted by the Philadelphians--the acceptance of church leaders in accordance with scripture (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-16), and by a general lukewarm attitude. Thus governance can be seen as a key distinction between Philadelphia and Laodicea. Laodicea places emphasis on self (of the individuals or the leaders as opposed to proclaiming the whole truth including the Gospel), thus it also waters down the Truth-and so is "rebuked and chastened" and counseled "to buy from Me gold refined in the fire" (Revelation 3:18-19).
Because Laodicea is dominant at the end of the age, Philadelphia cannot be predominant in numbers then. However, a portion of Philadelphia must still exist.
We know this because Jesus told the Philadelphians: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!" (Revelation 3:10-11). The Philadelphians, those of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God, are the only ones promised protection! The Philadelphians are "given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Revelation 12:14).
Now what does love have to do with the Philadelphia remnant? Notice the following passage:
1 Let brotherly love continue. (Hebrews 13:1)
The Greek word translated as “brotherly love” is the word Philadelphia. The writer of the Book of Hebrews may have been inspired by God to convey two concepts:
It is important for all to realize that despite flaws of Christians, including those of us of the Philadelphia remnant, that love is what God’s way of life and His kingdom are really all about. And that spreading that message of love and all of God’s ways is what the Continuing Church of God wants to be about.
This message of the Philadelphian remnant being all about love was the subject the first Sabbath service of the Continuing Church of God.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance shows that Philadelphia means "love of brethren" or "fond of brethren."
When Jesus used the term phileo with Simon Peter (translated as "love"), what was Peter to do to show this type of love? He was to do the work.
17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17).
A trait of Philadelphians is that they love the brethren and will sacrifice to do so. While some may argue that this only means taking care of those already in the Church, and helping feed hungry brethren physically is part of that. Yet, also remember Matthew 28:18-19 as well as Jesus' words in John 10:16: "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." We are to reach others as that does help show Philadelphian and agape love.
Philadelphians love others, not just themselves. As Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
This era of the Church was to produce fruit (Mystery of the Ages, p. 290).
True religion--God's truth empowered with the love of God imparted by the Holy Spirit...JOY UNSPEAKABLE of knowing God and Jesus Christ--of knowing TRUTH--and the warmth of God's divine LOVE! (Mystery of the Ages)
As Jesus taught: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:35). Philadelphians will give their all to proclaim the Gospel.
Philadelphians have "a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name" (Revelation 3:8). They are not part of an especially strong church (or a large church by the world's standards). They have kept God's word without watering it down. They have not denied Christ's authority (which is essentially how Strong's defines the word translated as "name").
Remember that Jesus also taught:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
The Philadelphians accept that "Christ is head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23), and accept authority within the Church:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ (Ephesians 4:11-15).
Philadelphians are organized and they need to keep preaching to the world until the end comes, since they will be around until the end comes. Philadelphians have the love of God and their neighbors to do the proclamation work.
They will also assist in the preparation for the short work God will accomplish (Romans 9:28; see also Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word).
It is the highly dedicated in the real Church of God that will finish the final phase of the work before (Matthew 24:14; see also the video Implications of Matthew 24:14) and during (Revelation 11:3-14) the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord--and the final phase will also involve dealing with the ecumenical religion that will rise up (cf. Revelation 13:4,8; 14:9-13)--and this is what the Continuing Church of God is doing (see also The Final Phase of the Work).
Although various ones do not understand, the true Philadelphia remnant is all about love. Love towards God, love towards one neighbor, and possessing a real love of the truth.
More on the Philadelphian remnant can be found in the article: Why is there a Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God?
The Ten Commandments and Love
But what about things like the Ten Commandments?
The old WCG published the following:
What Is Love?
But what is love and how is it most effectively expressed?
There is only one Source to which we can go with complete confidence to find out what love is and how it expresses itself. That is the Holy Bible. Scripture alone can give us the full and complete answers to our questions about love.
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous"(I John 5:2-3).
Love and the Ten Commandments of God are inextricably intertwined. They simply cannot be separated. ...
Love is a creative, positive force for good. It greatly enriches the lives of both receiver and giver. ...
There are other ingredients to this second facet of love. Taken all together, they round out the "do" and "don't" portion of the law.
Paul gets to the very heart of this aspect of the law in his famous "love chapter" — I Corinthians 13. Here he takes love and puts it through a prism to break it down and show us each of its individual brilliant colors so we may clearly comprehend what composes it.
These virtues which Paul expounds do not take the place of the law: they balance out the law and show us how true keeping of the law should be expressed.
The spectrum of love includes these ingredients:
Patience: "Love suffereth long."
Kindness: "And is kind."
Generosity: "Love envieth not."
Humility: "Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."
Courtesy: "Doth not behave itself unseemly."
Unselfishness: "Seeketh not her own."
Even-temperedness: "Is not easily provoked. "
Guilessness: "Thinketh no evil."
Discernment: "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth."
Each of these virtues is important and deserves further elaboration.
Love suffers long: love has the quality of patience.Love represents the most important experience in the life of an individual. Whether a youth, an adult, a family or a nation is involved, love governs the success of any endeavor. There can be no true and lasting success without the many vital ingredients of love.
But human love by itself lacks completeness. It is distinctly limited in its scope and understanding. What is needed is divine love which comes through the action of the Spirit of God. "... Because the love of God is shed abroad by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us"(Rom. 5:5).
God will give His Holy Spirit to those willing to obey Him (Acts 5:32). He is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to us than we are to give good gifts to our children (Luke 11:13).
But we must be willing to live God's way — all the way! We must be willing to love others "as he loved us." This divine love, then, comes through true conversion. (Genet R. The Greatest of These Is... Love. Good News. January 1974)
Well, the Apostle Paul wrote the following:
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
Christians are to be those expressing love from a pure heart with sincere faith. Christians are to keep the ten commandments.
Despite what the Apostle Paul taught, many who claim Christianity consider that the ten commandments are some type of horrible burden.
Jesus taught all of the ten commandments.
Notice that He tends to state or imply that keeping each shows love or that breaking any is evil (His direct words are in red).
Commandment 1 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37). "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30).
Commandment 2 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, because you allow...My servants to...eat things sacrificed to idols..Now to you I say...who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden" (Revelation 2:20,24).
Commandment 3 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts...blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). "...blasphemy...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:22-23).
Commandment 4 "Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:11-12). "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath...Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" (Luke 6:5,9). "'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'...And they could not answer Him regarding these things" (Luke 14:3,6). "are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?" (John 7:23).
Commandment 5 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'" (Matthew 15:4). "Honor your father and your mother" (Matthew 19:19). "Honor your father and your mother" (Mark 7:10). "Honor your father and your mother" (Mark 10:19). "You know the commandments:...Honor your father and your mother" (Luke 18:20).
Commandment 6 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment'. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" (Matthew 5:21-22). Similarly John wrote, "He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (I John 3:14-15). "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders...These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). "You shall not murder" (Matthew 19:18). "...murders...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:21,23).
Commandment 7 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery'. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery" (Matthew 5:32). "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts...adulteries" (Matthew 15:19-20). "...adulteries, fornications...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:21,23).
Commandment 8 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts...thefts...These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). "...thefts...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:22-23).
Commandment 9 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts...false witness...These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:20-21). "...deceit...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:22-23).
Commandment 10 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts...These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). "...covetousness...All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:22-23).
Notice how Jesus tied evil thoughts with breaking several of the commandments.
Remember, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Jesus also taught:
"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40)
In other words the law of God is involved in showing love to God and your neighbor!
Perhaps that is why Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15) and "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him..." (John 14:21) and "He who does not love Me does not keep My words (John 14:24) as well as "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10).
Jesus gave His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and expanded the meaning of various commandments, including those of murder (Matthew 5:21-22) and adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). He expanded their definitions so that people could be understand what the law of love really was about.
"He will exalt the law and make it honorable" (Isiah 42:21).
Since Jesus was to "exalt the law and make it honorable," should His followers violate it?
"Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' So Jesus said to him...'You know the commandments'" (Mark 10:17,19) and then He listed half of the ten commandments (also in Luke 18:19-20). Jesus lived and promoted the ten commandments.
In His own words, Jesus taught that keeping the Ten Commandments was good and breaking them was evil. Notice something that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:3-11)
Why is the "love of money" the root of all kinds of evil"? Because it is covetousness, something that the Ten Commandments teach against!
Who do all things work together for good for?
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Many claim to love God, but what really is the love of God for Christians?
Notice what the Apostle John wrote:
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
Now by this we know we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked...These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you (I John 2:3-6,26).
Notice that John is writing that the love of God is perfected in him who walk as Jesus walked. Jesus kept and taught the ten commandments. He absolutely did not teach that we can disobey them and teach others to disobey them. Recall that Jesus taught:
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 (Matthew 5:19).
An article of related interest may be What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments?.
The Psalms Teach that the Commandments Are Truth
The Bible makes it clear that the law of God and the commandments of God are truth and righteous, and are tied to salvation, but that the wicked are far from God's law. Notice a few verses from Psalm 119:
101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.
126 It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. 127 Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law.
151 You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
163 I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.
165 Great peace have those who love Your law
166 LORD, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.
While the basic Church of God view is that the commandments show love, the basic Protestant view (followers of William Tyndale not withstanding) seems to be that the law contained in the ten commandments is done away and that they (most Protestants) show love apart from the law. In the view of the Church of God, the cause of many of the problems people now experience is because they have rejected God's governance over their lives, including keeping His laws. The main Protestant view seems to be that most of the problems people have are because they live on the Earth, and that for some reason other than obeying God's commandments, paradise--which they define as being in heaven--will be better than Earth.
A frr eBook of possible interest may be Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism.
While this paper would be too long to list all the curses in the Bible for breaking the ten commandments, in this section I will list one set of curses from the Old Testament, and what essentially amounts as a curse from the end of the New Testament.
First, notice Deuteronomy 28:
15 "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 "The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. 21 The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. 22 The LORD will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. 24 The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. 25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away. 27 The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. 28 The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. 29 And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you. 30 You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand. 33 A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. 34 So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. 35 The LORD will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. 36 The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods--wood and stone. 37 And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you. 38 You shall carry much seed out to the field and gather but little in, for the locust shall consume it. 39 You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. 41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. 42 Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land. 43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.
47 "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. 52 They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. 53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. 54 The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, 55 so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. 56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, 57 her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates (Deuteronomy 28:15-57).
The USA is getting into more and more debt with aliens being owed more and more (see also Anglo - America in Prophecy). This is a curse for this age. The starvation mentioned will be coming unless people will repent and keep the commandments--God's commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3), as many seem to claim.
Now let's go to the end of the Bible:
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie (Revelation 22:14-15).
Not being able to enter the kingdom is a curse for the age to come.
God is clearly trying to tell humans that breaking the ten commandments is not good. Those who do not keep them are practicing a lie.
The results of breaking the ten commandments are crime (see also Crime can be stopped...here's how!). On a physical level this means thefts, frauds, and murder. Additional evils from breaking the sexual laws often include betrayal, divorce, sexually-transmitted disease, and abortion (see also Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman's Right to Choose)--furthermore, breaking them distorts the development of true love.
Hate, oppression, greed, terrorism, and wars are also the result of not keeping the ten commandments (see also Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?).
Paul wrote:
"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil" (Romans 12:9).
"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery', 'You shall not steal', 'You shall not bear false witness', 'You shall not covet', and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:8-10).
"Abstain from every form of evil" (I Thessalonians 5:22).
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."" (Galatians 5:14).
The point of the law, the point of the Ten Commandments, as Paul writes above is love!
James wrote:
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war (James 4:1-2).
James even emphasized that you must keep all of the commandments to show love:
If you really fulfill the royal law according to scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder'. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law (James 2:8-11).
The Ten Commandments lay the foundation for an ethical way of life.
The Meaning of Life is Related to Love
Many have wondered about the meaning of life.
But it, too, is all about love.
First of all, consider why did God create anything? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
God created what He did so eternity would be better. (cf. Hebrews 6:9, 11:16; Philippians 1:23) (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that?
Secondly, why did God make you? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
Your purpose in this life is to build character so you can maximize your potential and increase how much better you can improve eternity. God made YOU so that you will be able to use your unique talents (Matthew 25:14-23; Luke 19:11-19) to give love in order to make eternity better! (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that? Yes, your purpose is all about love.
Thirdly, why did God make others? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
God’s plan for all who will respond to Him is to be able to give love in a unique way to make eternity better for them personally and everyone else — (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that? Their purpose is all about love.
Those are three BASIC TRUTHS which were not fully restored by Herbert W. Armstrong nor the other COGs, but were restored via the Continuing Church of God (for connections to WCG teachings last century, see also the article Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things).
The Apostle Paul wrote:
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (2 Timothy 3:14)
Those truths about why God created anything, why He created you, and why He created others, were first taught in this century by the CCOG, which is where others also learned them.
If you agree with those truths, that should help you recognize that the Continuing Church of God does best represent the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God during this time of Laodicean church dominance.
As Jesus said to the Philadelphians, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”
Brethren, do not reject the truths about love restored by and to the Philadelphians because of critics and those who think their pet doctrine or assessment of how a church should be run affect you. NO OTHER GROUP HAS RESTORED THE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE THAT THE CCOG HAS–AND PROPHETICALLY THAT IS WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE PHILADELPHIAN REMNANT TO DO.
Consider the following prophecy for the last days:
4 … Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. (Daniel 12:4)
Knowledge was to increase in the last days.
The last days did NOT end in the 20th century, but will in the 21st century.
Jesus prophesied the restoration of all things in our time when He stated:
11 … Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. (Matthew 17:11, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted)
In Matthew 17:11, the term translated “will restore” is the Greek term apokathistemi which means “to reconstitute” or “restore (again)” (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.) and is preceded by the Greek term men which means “truly” in the asseverative sense.
So, yes, more was to be restored in the last days. And part of that had to do with love!
Herbert Armstrong wrote:
In these last days, according to biblical prophecy, knowledge, spiritual as well as material, was to be increased. The true Church of God was to be set back on the track, restoring the glorious knowledge of the faith once delivered to the saints in the days of the original apostles. (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, 1985)
Notice Herbert Armstrong believed that knowledge of church history and spiritual knowledge (which would include a more detailed understanding of love as our purpose) would need to be increased in the last days–this has happened in the CCOG in the 21st century as we have those fruits!
Remember that Philadelphia means love of the brethren.
That love is demonstrated by our efforts to support the proclamation and teaching commissions of Jesus, as well as supporting the poor.
The purpose that God has for us is all about love.
The Philadelphian remnant is all about love.
Three related videos are available: It’s All About Love & The Philadelphian Remnant and Nairobi Conference: All About Love and CCOG: It’s All About Love.
Much more on Philadelphia can be found in the article The Philadelphia Church Era.
Thiel B. The Philadelphia Remnant: It's All About Love. COGwriter (c) 2016/2017 / 2021 / 2026 0117 http://www.cogwriter.com/all-about-love.htm