Can God keep you out of the Kingdom for breaking His Commandments?

The answer is a resounding yes. For if not, the Bible cannot enforce or say what you are about to read,  the following scriptures which are formed upon the law, which are the Commandments of God:

Based solely on the law, a homosexual will not enter the kingdom of God.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Cor 6:9-10)

Based entirely on the law a murder will not enter the kingdom of God.

"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that NO murderer has ETERNAL LIFE abiding in him." (1John 3:15)

Predicated entirely on the law someone who covets will not enter the kingdom of God.

"For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE." (Eph 5:5)

And according to Revelation 14 it is only those who keep God's Commandments who WILL enter the kingdom of God

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS of God … and THEIR WORKS follow them.” (Rev 14:12-13)

But some will say to me that scripture says we are not saved by works of the law, by the letter of the law, that we are saved by grace and expect that I should now twist in the wind and be tied up tighter than a pretzel.  I suspect that this may be in reference to, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  NOT OF WORKS" (Eph 2:8-9)

Taken on its face value Ephesians 2 seems at odds with the above scriptures, as if the Bible had contradicted itself.  But nothing could be further from the truth. Those who use such passages like Ephesians 2 with the secret inward hope of circumventing the law are not only committing licentiousness (grace as a license to sin), probably do not understand grace, repentance or the bigger picture of what Paul wrote.

So let me give a nickel tour for each of these items before I help you understand the bigger picture.

GRACE

What is grace, well grace is simply a case where a judge (in this case Jesus) pardons you for a transgression, for a sin. For example let's say you stole a car and the penalty for stealing a car is one year in jail.  However because you begged and pleaded for mercy (as Jesus said, “I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.” (Mt 18:32)) the judge decides to let you off with just a warning. Does this in anyway negate the law?  Does it in anyway give you permission to steal another car without penalty or punishment, does the law still stand?  Of course it does.  Grace is simply Jesus being kind and merciful to you – you cannot earn grace – you have to beg for it – just as you might have to throw yourself upon the mercy of the court.

REPENTANCE 

Can a rock repent?  What you say?  Yes a rock can repent. Repentance means to change. Under enough heat and pressure a rock can change, for example limestone can change into marble. Once changed the rock does not go back to what it was before. However people can and often do. This is akin to people who “have escaped the pollutions of the world…[but then] turn from the holy commandment delivered to them [the law of God.  Like] A dog [that] returns to his own vomit…(2Pe2:20-22)”.   Repentance means YOU CHANGE from lawlessness into a keeper of the law.  It means YOU CHANGE and not the law, otherwise your doing away with a law makes you a “judge [of] the law, [and if so, then] you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (Ja 4:11)”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

So then, what was Paul saying when he said salvation is not by WORKS?  Well if you reference my definition above, grace is something you cannot earn, it is merciful pardon from the Judge – you can beg for it – but you certainly cannot earn it.  It also means you cannot freely recommit the same sin.  Nonetheless what WORKS was Paul referring to here?  Was he referring to laws like murder or adultery – in effect saying – quit trying to be faithful to your wives or don’t worry about the next person that you stab?  No he was not.  The WORKS mentioned here are those imposed by the Pharisees and the group of the circumcision.  It was mostly a reference to their man-made added laws.  Read the entire New Testament and notice how often Paul encountered the group of the circumcision – the people who wanted power over the new disciples of Christ.  Read the Mishnah with its hundreds of codified laws that were supposed to somehow ADD something to man – that by doing them man could somehow become perfect.  These were added laws and often ended up in misinterpretations, for example, like how the Sabbath should be kept (note: not IF it should be kept) and were things that Jesus became embroiled with against the Pharisees.  If you then read Ephesians 2 with this frame of mind you will clearly see the footprints of the Pharisees – those of the circumcision.  You will also see that the laws that Jesus made obsolete were the “commandments contained in ordinances” and were Pharisaical laws.

Therefore as scripture says, the righteous “keep the commandments of God … and their works follow them.” This scripture is without ambiguity.

But then someone will say to me – are we to keep all of the Old Testament laws – like the laws in Leviticus exactly as spelled out?  Are we now to become legalistic?  The answer is NO.  If you then mistakenly take the path of a legalistic literalist and someone who strives to keep the letter of the law – you will have failed.  When you try to codify the law – you have failed.  This is what the Pharisees did – and in doing so could actually set up a situation where they actually transgressed the law.  Jesus pointed this out in examples like in Matthew 15:5-6 saying, “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

What law did the Pharisees transgress with their added laws?  Well it clearly was the 5th commandment which says to honor your parents.  How did they transgress?  Well by giving something to God in cases where it should have gone to their parents.  For example, in the extreme, what if your Mom needed money for a lifesaving operation and you said – I would – but I’m using it instead to pay for a Church evangelizing trip to Africa? Hopefully you can see that the codified and added man-made law of the Pharisees which were supposed to add to someone, to impart a man made perfectness actually did the opposite and this also is something Paul also strove against.

So then – if we do not codify the law – how do we proceed?  Well we proceed by following the spirit of the law, we follow the law in the spirit in which it was given.  We apply the law as our inward hearts says it should be applied which often is according to the situation.  Paul said, “the law is spiritual” not according to the letter but according to the spirit.  I suspect that if the laws of God were written upon our hearts that we would not need any of the commandments.  For example, we would know every form of lying, misleading, misdirecting, shuffling the deck and shading of the truth, little white lies were wrong.

But one must be extremely careful with the spirit of the law, for as it is written, “Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind” as to how you handle the spiritual intent of the law.

As an example we know that Rahab lied in order to save lives but is considered faithful.  This does not negate the law in the ninth commandment to “not bear false witness” but it shows situation and spiritual intent can and must be carefully applied.  When you understand this, you can also understand that Ephesians does not negate other laws like the 4th commandment, the Sabbath, where it says don’t let someone judge you with a set of Sabbath codifications,  “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths (Col 2:16)”

Therefore keep all of the law – but according to the spirit in which it was intended.  But do not use this freedom as an excuse to go around the law.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage [added and codified laws of the Pharisees - Gods laws are not bondage, a good Christain does not dispise the law or consider them bondage - they consider them as good things that lead to Christ - to what He wants us to be]. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised [Pharisaical law], Christ will profit you nothing. (Gal 5:1-2)"