Be or Do

Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (Isaiah 58:2)


Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. 2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name. (Isaiah 48:1-2)

And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:28-29)

When God's people in this day fail to live up to his requirement for them, people say it is evidence that their doctrine is false or evidence that doctrine is not important. But God is clear that he has specific doctrines and laws for us, which would benefit us greatly if we would be faithful to them. The problem is not the Bible doctrines and Bible laws, but the faithlessness of God's people who fail to live up to them. If I wear appropriate clothes but cause another to stumble by my words and actions, I am a sinner for my words and actions but that does not make my clothes inappropriate.
I notice that those who reject the standards of the conservative Christian defend their licentiousness on the basis that conservatives are mean. Conservative Christians who are mean should correct their behaviour, but that is no reason for them to cease important dress reform. One who dresses properly should not feel perfect on that ground, there are deeper and more challenging gains to be made on the front of character transformation.
Because of the way sonship works; to be God's child is to be like him in character: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:9-10)
We may be the people that can lay claim to being God's commandment-keeping people; but we have a long way to go as individuals before we can really fill those shoes. Some of the ways of doing that will unfold in the latter verses of Isaiah 58.