This verse acts as a catechism (Q&A)
Q.: How can a young man keep his way pure?
A: By living according to your word.
The following question must be:
Q. What if a young man cannot live according to God's Word?
A. A young man can, but will not.
Q. What do you mean by will not?
A. v. 174: "I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight." A young man who does not keep God's law not because he cannot, but because his will (desire) is not right.
Q. What is delight?
A. Delight is treasuring God's Word above all things. Yes, above silver and gold. 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Q. What if I cannot find such a kind of delight in my heart?
A. We by our fallen nature do not have such kind of desires to obey God's law. In fact, one of the functions of the Law is to show us that we do not love the Law. We must repent and confess our desires are wrong. And we must ask God to turn our hearts to His Laws. 36 Turn my heart toward your statutes.
Q. What if I do not think New Testament believers should bother with the Law?
A. If a believer continue to sin and keep on breaking the Law, He does not know God at all.
1 John 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
Q. What should I do if I find myself keep on sinning? Such as uncontroallabe lust or greed or anger?
A. We need to pay more attention to God's Law and Our Desires. We need to meditate on God's Law day and night (Ps. 1)
Q. What if I find God's Law too harsh and difficult to keep?
A. 1 John 5:3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
Q. What if I really feel God's Law is burdensome? I can't help with my feelings.
A. Think about it in this way. God's Laws are designed for our happiness. We may lust and covet often, but we do not like other people do that to our spouse or our properties. Those who keep God's Laws will be a happy person. (Ps. 1:1)
Q. I thought we are to live by grace, and not by legalism.
A. Keeping the Law is not legalism. Keeping the Law to earn salvation is legalism. Jude 1:4 warns us: "They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
And furthermore, we are saved by grace, to do good works. (Eph. 2:8-10)
Q. My desires are often sinful, and I am not very good at keeping the Law.
A. Keep practicing it, you will get better.
Q. How should I practice it?
A. Think about the 10 Commandments, and its implications.
Q. Where can I find a good explanation/commentary for the 10 Commandments?
A. Westminster Larger Catechism Q&A 100 and above and Heidelberg Catechism Q. 92 and above.
http://www.reformed.org/do
May God bless us as we love and obey His Words.
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