GODS LAWS ARE SO RELEVANT ONCE YOU ARE SAVED !

7/16/2019

CHRISTIANITY HAS A REALLY INTERESTING STRUGGLE WITH GOD AND HIS COMMANDMENTS. THERE ARE SOME CHRISTIANS WHO BELIEVE THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE RETURN TO OUR HEBRAIC ROOTS AND BUILD OUR LIVES UPON WHAT THE LAWS OF GOD TEACH US TO DO. THERE ARE OTHER CHRISTIANS THAT LOOK AT THE ISSUE AND ARE FIRMLY SET THAT THE LAWS OF GOD BECAME IRRELEVANT ONCE JESUS DIED AND WAS RESURRECTED. HE EFFECTIVELY DID AWAY WITH OUR NEED TO FOLLOW THE LAW, BECAUSE WE WERE SAVED BY GRACE. SCRIPTURE OFTEN SEEMS CONFUSING ON THE ISSUE IF YOU APPROACH IT AS A SIMPLISTIC THIS OR THAT ISSUE. IT IS ALWAYS DEEPER. I THINK THAT ANY SNIPPET OF SCRIPTURE BEING USED ALONE WITHOUT CONTEXT IS A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM. SCRIPTURE HAS TO BE TAKEN IN CONTEXT. WE NEED TO READ THE ENTIRE SCRIPTURE WORDING AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS BEING SAID, AS WELL AS UNDERSTAND THE TIMES THAT IT WAS WRITTEN IN, AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO IMPERATIVE THAT WE SPEND PERSONAL TIME IN GOD’S WORD AND SEEK MEANING AND WISDOM FROM IT, RATHER THAN JUST ACCEPT THE CONCLUSIONS OF OTHERS. GOD WANTS US TO BE INTENTIONAL AND DEEP IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. HE WANTS US TO HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY….NOT HEAR IT FROM SOMEONE ELSE. THAT MEANS ESTABLISHING A PLAN AND PRACTICE TO SET ASIDE TIME AND DO EXACTLY THAT WITH GOD’S WORD. THE WHOLE THING. OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT. TOGETHER THEY MAKE THINGS CLEAR AND COMPLETE.

FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE. SHARPER THAN ANY DOUBLE EDGED SWORD, IT PENETRATES EVEN TO DIVIDING SOUL AND SPIRIT, JOINTS AND MARROW; IT JUDGES THE THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES OF THE HEART. Hebrews 4:12

AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT; THE LORDS WORD IS FLAWLESS; HE SHIELDS ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM. Psalm 18:30

THE APOSTLE PAUL HAS HAD A GREAT IMPACT UPON HOW I LOOK AT GOD, AND HOW I TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORD OF GOD IS SAYING. HE IS SO RELEVANT TO ME, BECAUSE OF HOW HE WENT FROM LEADING AND ENGAGING IN RABID PERSECUTION OF THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, TO AN ALL IN FOLLOWER AND SERVANT OF JESUS. HE TOOK THE GOSPEL AND IT’S PROMISE TO THE GENTILE PEOPLES AND GAVE THEM THE PATHWAY TO SALVATION, TRUTH, FREEDOM, AND ETERNAL LIFE. PAUL’S TEACHINGS AND WORDS ARE ABLE TO MAKE THE WORD OF GOD EASIER TO UNDERSTAND FOR ME. HE WAS A RABBI, AND HE WAS A STUDENT OF RABBI GAMLIEL, A RENOWNED SCHOLAR AND EXPERT IN THE TORAH. HE FOLLOWED TORAH, AND YET HE WAS SAVED BY GRACE. HIS TEACHINGS TELL US A VERY IMPORTANT THING: YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY KEEPING TORAH….YOU KEEP TORAH BECAUSE YOU ARE SAVED ! AND WHAT REALLY IS TORAH, OTHER THAN THE FIRST 5 BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT? TORAH LITERALLY MEANS THE LOVING INSTRUCTION OF THE FATHER. THE LAWS OF GOD SHOW US HOW TO LIVE, HOW TO WORSHIP, AND HOW TO JUDGE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG. THEY ARE NOT THERE TO HARM US, OR ENSLAVE US. THEY ARE THERE TO HELP US LIVE AND THRIVE, GIVEN TO US BY THE LOVING HEART OF THE FATHER. THEY BRING US CLOSER TO HIM. I DON’T BELIEVE PERSONALLY THAT THE SAVING GRACE OF JESUS WAS MEANT TO SEPARATE US FROM OR END THE LOVING INSTRUCTIONS OF THE FATHER.

TTHIS IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO SEE HOW JESUS FULFILLED GOD’S LAW FOR US! HE TOOK AWAY OUR NEED TO CONSTANTLY SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS, BECAUSE HE WAS THE FINAL SACRIFICE FOR EVERYONE. JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE. HALLELUJAH ! SALVATION IS THE RENEWAL OF OUR ABILITY TO HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER, AND THEN, WE MAY BEGIN TO TRY OUR BEST TO LIVE THE WAY HE WISHES US TO, AND TRY OUR BEST TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG.

“DO NOT THINK THAT I CAME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS; I DID NOT COME TO ABOLISH, BUT TO FULFILL. Matthew 5:15

THIS DAY THE LORD YOUR GOD COMMANDS YOU TO DO THESE STATUTES AND ORDINANCES. YOU SHALL THEREFORE BE CAREFUL TO DO THEM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL. Deuteronomy 26:16

THROUGH TIME, MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN OUR WORLD. DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWISH TEMPLE, RABBINICAL LAW IN THE TALMUD, ROMAN CATHOLIC DOCTRINE, PROTESTANTISM, NEW CHURCHES, NEW CULTURAL NORMS….A LOT HAS HAPPENED, BUT AT THE CORE, HAVE THINGS REALLY CHANGED ? I REALLY DON’T THINK SO. I THINK THEY ARE SIMPLY THE CONTINUED PATH OF WHAT WE SEE AND READ IN THE BIBLE. GOD NEVER CHANGES. HIS WORD IS ALWAYS RELEVANT. HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE RELEVANT. THANKS TO HIS LOVE FOR US, AND THE GIFT OF JESUS IN OUR LIVES, OUR LIVES CAN INDEED BE BLESSED AND COMPLETE. WILL WE BEHAVE PERFECTLY AS WE TRY TO LIVE AS HE INSTRUCTS US TO ? NO, NOT IN AND OF OURSELVES. BUT IF WE ARE SAVED AND ABIDING IN JESUS, WE CAN REST IN HIM AND ENJOY ALL THE BLESSINGS AND JOYS AND CHALLENGES LIFE HOLDS FOR US. WE CAN HONOR AND WORSHIP HIM BY FOLLOWING HIS INSTRUCTION. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE CAN LET JESUS KEEP US AND HOLD US KNOWING WE ARE LOVED ! WALK IN GOD’S GRACE AND HIS WAYS/JA