Does God want us to follow rules?
Well obviously rules/laws can help in certain situations for sure. Rules and Laws have always existed in human cultures thru out time.
Last night I was watching part of a show about truck drivers in The Himalayan mountains in India. Drivers of buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles where passing each other on blind curves. These narrow mountain roads where littered with crashed vehicles, half of which had fallen hundreds of feet over the edge of these roads cut in to the side of the Himalayan rock. These treacherous mountain roads barely fit two lanes yet constant passing made driving these roads a game of russian roulette. My point in telling you about this show is that if you drive in an overly crowded place with no traffic laws it is dangerous.
So rules and laws have there place for sure. However I believe Christians too often loose sight of the fact that in many ways mercy and grace contradict rules and laws. This is actually the theme of the Bible from cover to cover believe it or not. This is the epic balance of the Bible - obedience verses contrition, sin and repentance, pharisee and tax collector, jew and gentile, slave and free, humility and pride.
I think most Christians including myself are stuck on one of these two extremes. Either we are legalistically trying to obey every letter of the "Law", which only leads to hypocrisy and arrogance (pharisee) or we do whatever we want and say "God's grace is sufficient" and "not by works". Neither of these extremes are correct. Although both can be argued with select scripture.
Hopefully thru this blog I can clarify my thoughts on this subject. For now lets start in Genesis chapter 4. Here we see both Cain and Abel brought a sacrifice to God but Cain was missing the heart to love God first and foremost. Cain could not sacrifice the best of his crop because he wanted the best for himself. We must never be attached to anything God has given us because it is His to give and take away. Our love must be for the giver not the given. This is hard!
Mere obedience leads to arrogance. Arrogance leads to feelings of superiority and hatred of others.
Genesis 4:1b
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
**Remember it's not about the sacrifice it's about the heart!
Psalms 51:16-17
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
