Monday, June 6, 2011

The Rules

 I don't understand the things I do. I don't do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate.  (Romans 7:15)


Ya, I understand that Paul.  There have been many timesI have tried very hard to live a righteous, godly, good life.  And I have always failed.  Frustrating.  That's not to say my life is a cesspool of sin, but it's not where it should be either.  There's an external moral law I think we are all vaguely aware of.  Within the context of religion there are expressed rules to be obeyed.  That's what religion is; rules to be obeyed to earn our way to God or Nirvana or righteousness or a higher life form.  That, however, is where Christianity differs.  It is not about us working our way to God, it is about God making his way to us.  So where did all the rules come from?  Well, like I said religion is our way of working ourselves back to God.  Within different cultures and times people have tried to codify their morality to make this holiness measurable and achievable.  Within the realms of Judeo/Christian heritage I believe there was a time where we needed rules and God set out guidelines for us to follow.  We didn't know any better and Jesus had yet to pay the price for our sins.  The Holy Spirit had not yet been sent to all believers.  The rules kept us protected.  The rules helped us live this holy life.  We all have a sense that we need to be holy just like God is holy. I think we all try to live by some type of moral rules, whether biblical or from some other origin.  They are hard to obey.  Impossible in fact.  We simply can't do it on our own.  That's how we know we're hopeless without an external saviour.  Jesus is that saviour.  But if God made a way, what becomes of the rules?  Those rules are now obsolete and useless.  Does that mean I'm free to do whatever I want?  No.  It means there's a new rule in town.  Love God with all your heart and soul and mind.  That's it.  All the old rules did was show us that under our own effort we can't be holy. It's exhausting.  If we truly loved God with every fiber of our being that holy life would be natural.  It is no longer us striving to be holy, it is now the Holy Spirit living in us that makes us holy.  Not through our own effort, but God's grace can we live this holy life.


The early Christians were struggling with the rules things as well.  Here's what Paul told them.


We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law.  Listen, I Paul tell you that if you go back to the law by being circumcised, Christ does you no good.  I'm warning you if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, you must follow all the law.  If you try to be made right with God through the law, your life with Christ is over -- you have left God's grace.  But we have the true hope that comes from being made right with God, and by the Spirit we wait eagerly for this hope.  When we are in Christ Jesus, it is not important if we are circumcised or not. The important thing is faith -- the kind of faith that works through love. You were running a good race. Who stopped you from following the true way? This change did not come from the One who chose you. Be careful! "Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise."  But I trust in the Lord that you will not believe those different ideas. Whoever is confusing you with such ideas will be punished. My brothers and sisters, I do not teach that a man must be circumcised. I wish the people who are bothering you would go all the way and castrate themselves! My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love. Live by following the Spirit. Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other, so you cannot do just what you please. If the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law. The Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do.  We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.


I know I don't always do the things I want to do, and what I don't want to do I sometimes do.  However, the effort I spend trying to do and not do these things is pointless.  My entire effort should be to live by the Spirit.  That's it.  I am no longer striving to be holy, I am striving to allow the Holy Spirit to live through me.

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