from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church https://ift.tt/2PzpuY9
via IFTTT The kingdom of God is not about rules and regulations, it is about joy, peace, righteousness. People get very hung up on rules. Do this, don't do that. A "good Christian" does not do this. A "saved" person would not do that. "You can't be a member of our church unless you follow our rules." Then on the other side you hear "let everyone do whatever they want, it's all just love!". Or " I can do anything I want, I'm saved". Or even "God accepts everyone in His love". Both extremes are lies, because they focus on laws, rules and regulations. One side demands the following of rules, the other demands the extinction of rules. Rules rules rules. But the law kills, the spirit brings life. Lay the rules aside and realize what Paul says here. Rules only have the authority that the individual is convinced they have, but the following or breaking of rules must be driven by a deep desire to portray Christ to the world. If we break rules because WE want to, we sin by those rules. It was our want, our preference, our desire to break the rules and that is sin. Doing anything for our own benefit is sin. But, if we pretend that following rules makes us more holy, we also sin. The only thing that can make us holy is the blood of Christ and work of the Holy Spirit, not man's efforts to follow rules. So, you see, the law, the rules, are beautiful. They show us God's heart. They are the instructions book for man in how to live long, healthy, at peace. But they do not in any way make us more holy and we can not judge someone's holiness by the following of the law's letter. We hold each other accountable for sin, we cry out to the world over activities of sin that breaks God's heart, but we do not ever think that the absence of acts of sin brings holiness. Complex? Contradictory? Not really. Not when you see that God's kingdom is not about rules, but about "love your neighbor as yourself" and "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength". If we do those two things in spirit and truth, we will follow the law and enjoy living according to His rules. Not because we have to, but because we finally can ! You see, if you follow the rules because you must in order to avoid punishment, you missed it altogether. No parent wants their child to "do as little as possible to avoid punishment". Parents want the child to mature to the point of "how can I help?" Instead of "what must I do". It's all in the heart. God is love. So much love that He gave law to follow that shows us what life should be like. He wants us to live at joy and peace while following the law, because our heart is washed clean from sin by His Sons blood. Law does not bring us closer to God, the desire to follow law shows us how close we ourselves are.
