The last command of the great commission is as important as the first two commands: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you . . .” (Matt. 28:20).  No one is justified in obeying only most of the commands of God.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. (James 2:10, 11).

Though some may say we can not obey all the commands of God, the Lord states that his commands are not grievous (1 John 5:3).  The Greek word translated ‘grievous’ in this scripture is the word ‘weighty.’  His commands are not weighty – not too much for us to carry.  Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matt. 11:30).  He has a yoke and a burden for each of his children, but they are not more than we can carry or pull.  He commands us to love him with all of our heart, soul and mind (Matt. 22:36).  How could our love not include every command?  He tells us that to love him is to obey his commands (John 14:21, 23, 1 John 5:3).   We should be diligent to find, observe (obey) and teach his disciples to ‘observe all things whatsoever’ he has commanded.

He further encourages us to obey all of his commandments by promising that: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).  He informs us that:  “(. . . the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Cor. 10:4-5).  He testifies that the shield of faith will make us “. . .  able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16).  If his commandments are light and easy, and if we are able to bear all temptations (or escape), bring every thought to obedience to Christ and if we are able to quench every dart Satan throws at us – when would we need to disobey any command?  We note that this is not our power, but “mighty through God” and his weapons so that we can even take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:4, 5).  This power is not gained suddenly.  When he is first born into the Lord’s family, a Christian does not have all faith nor does he even know all the weapons of God.  He is a baby and must grow.  But these promises encourage us to try to grow, knowing that if we follow our Lord’s direction our Lord can make us free from being slaves to sin! (John 8:32-35)  We need to constantly keep in mind that the power is not in the individual child of God, but in God, who “. . . is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worth in us” (Eph. 3:20).  We naturally ask, what is our part in fighting sin?  The pathway which our Father has set before us is the pathway to overcome sin.  He shows us this pathway which we will consider later in this study.