Why Does God Give Us Commands? | Amos 8

Why does God give His people commands?

Are God's commands a burden—or are they actually good for us?

In Amos 8, we see the devastating consequences of rejecting God's Word. But God's commands are not given to His people so that they can earn eternal life. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works or obedience to the law. Rather, God gives His commands to guide His people in how to live.

This message considers the biblical purpose of God's commands and what John Calvin called the "third use of the law": God's law as a guide for the Christian life. God's commands teach us how to live wisely, avoid the folly and destructive consequences of sin, and live life as God intended it to be lived.

Psalm 119 repeatedly describes God's commands as a delight. God's commands are good for us, bringing wisdom, joy, and satisfaction. Amos 8:11–12 gives us the sobering opposite: a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Losing access to God's Word is not freedom—it is judgment and a curse.

This teaching from Amos 8 will be especially helpful for Christians interested in biblical interpretation, hermeneutics, Christian discipleship, God's law, obedience, and the relationship between salvation by grace and faithful Christian living.

It is also intended for Christians in Presbyterian and Reformed churches, including the PCA, OPC, URC, and other confessionally Reformed and Bible-believing churches.

📖 Text: Amos 8
🎙️ Part of a five-part series from the full sermon on Amos 8.

Here’s the video @https://youtu.be/BAYV7Gk125E

See other resources and teaching @ https://www.christchurchclayton.org/media

Watch other sermons in the Amos series @https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm8Dt3kxWQ8RVzmg0XGuMthLDcMsO1d35

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