Commandments

When Jesus gave a command to people around Him, or when He gives us a command, either by speaking it to us by His Spirit, or giving life to a Scripture to us by His Spirit, He is inviting us to live by His word.

His instruction to be Holy is an invitation to Holiness. His direction to follow Him is an invitation to follow Him. He invited us to receive the strength to bear our crosses when He spoke about taking up our crosses to follow Him.

A command is an order to go accomplish something. An invitation is an opportunity to be in co-mission with Jesus, Who is still at work in the earth to reconcile and heal and liberate. Come along.

My point is not to reduce His commands’ authority or our responsibility to obey. It is to shed light on the fact that His commands include the power to obey them.