So...What's With All the Rules? PART THREE

Click for PART ONE, click for PART TWO.

A few things to keep in mind in regard to the rules or law of God. First the fruits of the Spirit (that we discussed in the last section) should always be in accordance with God's truth and principles. In order for you to remain separate from sin this must be checked often. In other words we don't decide for ourselves what thew rules are based on our own morality. For example "For me it is the most loving thing to have 5 wives" or "I find my peace sitting in front of a statue of Buddha while burning incense and sitting in the lotus position". Do you see what I am getting at? This isn't to say the the fruits of the Spirit and their attributes are only found in the confines of Christianity. Many religions have aspects of God's truth. But as we know being a righteous, moral person is only half of the equation. We have to have Jesus to pay for our sin, and lead us to eternal life. Other religions don't have that. So while we have a lot of good righteous people and leaders out there, and this is a good thing, it is not an end to the means which is Jesus alone. Nothing added or taken away. Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life" period.

Now on the other end of the spectrum is the same idea that the devil had in the first place. "God is just trying to control me by all these rules...I'm my own person...I answer to no one...I am the only one that knows what is best for me". This is humanistic thinking. The thought that we all can be our own moral compass. We think that any formed authority is dictatorship. You have to come to the understanding that God is NEVER trying to control you. He has only ever tried to protect you out of His love for you. The trap that we fall into when trying to form our own moral compass is the same trap that caught us in the garden of Eden. Sooner or later we will fall into sin. Now whether we acknowledge that it is in fact sin is a different matter.

You see humanism says we can each make our set of rules. So if I decide that it is alright for me to have sex with a child, that is fine because I am only answerable to myself. This sounds extreme I know, but this is the same attitude that has gotten us to abort babies and engage in other sexual deviations. Humanistic consensus seems to rule the laws. So if enough people think that a sin is OK, I guess it is OK. WRONG! Rebellion against God will always result in sin. Sin will always brings death either emotionally, spiritually or sometimes even physically.

Now none of these sins are anything new. Any sin or deviation that we have going on now was also going on in ancient times. That is part of the reason that God made the rules in the first place. He needed to counter act the "I know better than God" or "no one can tell me what to do" attitude. So the argument that God's truth and principles are too old school and don't apply to this post modern generation is crap! Every sin has been tried and tested for the last 5000 years or so. So we don't know better than God! He has seen all the sin and he has seen all the results of sin since the beginning of time. So he know what rules need to be in place to protect us.

This isn't to say that everyone who is living in sin is miserable. If that was the outward appearance of sin no one would do it in the first place. Remember the "trauma blog", the devil bleeds you out slowly. Many people become so deceived that they have talked themselves into thinking that their particular sin is OK. Some people do this while leading some what happy, productive lives. The problem is the party doesn't last forever. Sooner or later sin will take it's toll. Also keep in mind that Jesus is the only way to the Father and they only way to root out the sin in our lives. Jesus is also the only way to do both those things in a loving Spirit of grace no matter what sin you have committed. This is your only hope for true wholeness in your life.

Now I know that the thought of conformity goes against every grain of your rebellious spirit. At least that is how it was with me. You want to be different and unique. You will never find your uniqueness in sin. Remember how we just said that every sin has been tried, rehashed, and reinvented for the last 5000 years? On the other hand there has never been one of you for the last 5000 years. No one that has looked like you or talked like you. No one with your personality. No one with your combination of talents and gifts. So if you trust that God lovingly created you, you must trust that He would never do anything to stifle your uniqueness. Life in the Spirit of God will ALWAYS enhance your uniqueness that God especially created in you. Don't be tricked into joining a group of played out sin. Sin will only give you a shell of false identity with no spirit in life.

So we have to have the rules. We need to follow God's truth and principles as our moral compass. We must humble ourselves and yield to the boundaries God has set out for us. This is the only way we will be protected from the plots of the enemy. This is the only way we will gain life in the Spirit which in turn brings greater intimacy with God and grace to live righteously.

So...What's With All the Rules? PART TWO

Click for "PART ONE". Now if we fast forward to the new testament we have Jesus. He is the atonement and sacrifice for all sin. But in regards to the law it seems we find opposing things. 1) that Jesus has fulfilled the law and 2) that Jesus has abolished the law. First lets take a look at what was going on with the law before the death of Jesus.

The first thing to note is that there were about 400 years between the old testament and the new testament. By the time we get to the new testament the keepers of the law, the Pharisees and Sadducees had become very legalistic. That is to say the law and regulations had become a way of judging others commitment to God. They would also add to the law their own made-made rules as a way of exclusion. Their way of pushing away the people they thought were not worthy of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees had begun to worship the law instead of God. They had turned the loving, protecting rules of God into control and exclusion of the people. That was never what God had intended the law to be.

So in this respect Jesus did most certainly abolish the law! He became the sin offering once and for all. He did this that we might have life in the Spirit and eternal life here after. Remember on the cross he says "it is finished". I believe He was in some part talking about the law. How the law had been up until that point was now done. Moreover Jesus was now for all people both individually and globally; not just to those who had been set apart as a nation to receive the law and bring the seed of Jesus to past.

Now Jesus also just as importantly fulfilled the law. See through Jesus there is now grace for our sins. But we must be careful not to use grace as a freedom from the law per say. Grace is the freedom from the consequence of breaking the law which was ultimately death either spiritually or physically. But for the most part the actual rules of the old testament still apply. It is the application that is different. There is now a higher calling through the Spirit in Christ Jesus. We no longer follow the law for law sake; we are new creatures that follow the law via the Spirit. You see everything we now do is as worship and expressing intimacy with God through Jesus. In doing this we automatically fulfill the law that was given in the old testament.

We must be careful to acknowledge both the abolishing and fulfilling of the law by Jesus. Jesus' death for us is not a free ticket to ride. We don't get to live in sin because by grace we now get to go heaven. Paul addressed this many times in the letters he wrote to the first Christians. He was very clear about not being legalistic. For example not to get caught up with clean and unclean foods, to drink or not to drink. See some of the rules of the old testament were only to carry out a short term purpose. Remember protecting the seed of Jesus. Think of it like you not having to wear diapers anymore because now you know how to use the potty. (sorry we are potty training my 3 year old right now...that the first example that came to mind ;D) There were things that the law had commanded that now were left to us to use our better judgement. Always checking with the Spirit and the principles of God as a guide.

Now Paul was also VERY clear that that some rules were not to be negotiated. Grace does not mean that we can participate in sexual immorality or idolatry or any of the other BIG no-no sins as I call them. There is a huge difference between now being able to eat pork and being apart of an orgy at the local temple. Agree? So Jesus did both abolish and fulfill the law, not one or the other but both. Paul sums it up like this to know then how we should live. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with it's passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Gal. 5:22-25 Not convinced it's that easy? Pick any law from the old testament and it should fall under one of the fruits of the Spirit. Whether pertaining to you personally, to others relationally or to God's intimacy. Also keep in mind that temple that was only available to a few was now opened up by Jesus so that ALL peoples could be included.

A few final things to keep in mind....click to continue in PART THREE.

TRAUMA...Life In The ER

What injury or trauma has your identity received? If you have one that comes to mind lets use an analogy and say that "that" particular trauma was your shot in the leg. Something in your emotional life that has injured you but didn't kill you. Are you with me?

So what was your initial trauma? It could have been physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse. You may have been neglected or rejected by someone. Maybe it was a divorce or death of a loved one. Or it could have been negative reinforcement "you're ugly", "you're stupid", "you're weird", "you're fat", "you're a loser". Ringing any bells? This is the initial attack of the enemy on your life...usual at a young age.


So now now you are lying on the floor, shot in the leg. You are still alive but bleeding fast. Now since the devil can't kill you he uses the freewill of other humans to inflict trauma. To bleed you to death over time. So when no one comes to your aid or you don't get up and try to find help...you just sit there and bleed. This is where the anger, shame, low self esteem and unforgiveness set in. More time passes, more blood loss. You start to self destruct. You self medicate with pills, drugs and alcohol. You may start cutting yourself, starving yourself. Anything to speed up the march to death. You may even try just that...suicide. You don't secede. You are still just bleeding out.

Now anger is turning to bitterness, shame has become self loathing, unforgivness gives way to hatred. No one comes to save you, and you don't try to find help. You begin hating God. You begin hating everyone. Everyone has let you down. You may even become the abuser at this stage. Hurt others the way you were hurt. You try to take control of the perpetrator by becoming one. You tell yourself "I am in control now. No one can hurt me...I hurt YOU." All the while you are near death due to your blood loss, laying in your own puddle of blood.

The wound is now infected with anger, bitterness, shame, and self hatred. You don't have much life left in you. You have grown cold towards others, and your heart has hardened. No one has come to help you. Even if they did you would push them away. You have refused to ask for help...until now. One last chance...now or never...you are left with only two choices. Cry out to God and LIVE or succumb and DIE. So, you cry out.

Instantly God applies a tourniquet of forgiveness. This bandage stops the bleeding and pulls you back from the clutches of death. You see this breaks the bonds of the enemy. When Jesus died on the cross He took the keys of death back from Satan. Now Jesus bleeds in your place. That is part of the message of the cross. Jesus taking our wounds upon Himself that we may be healed and have everlasting life! Awesome!

So in that instant bleeding from your wound is halted and the healing process ensues. God medicates you with forgiveness, grace and love. You in turn accept the medicine. You decide to put yourself in situations of healing. Renew your mind, body and spirit. Keeping your eyes on Jesus you immerse yourself in active rehabilitation of your trauma. Worship, prayer and the Word. Most importantly you realize that the healing process takes time. You must be patient and make the choice each day to keep that bandage on. Surround yourself with people that support you anywhere you can find them. DON'T ISOLATE! Satan loves to sneak back in at any opportunity and rip that bandage off. So make sure to keep the bandage on for the duration of the healing process. Don't be tempted to pick at the scab in self-pity and doubt. That will only induce bleeding and prolong the healing. It also hands control back to the enemy and takes your eyes off of our Great Physician God.

So when do you you know when it is OK to remove the bandage? Well your Physician God can help you with that. I think this is different for everyone and different according to how severe the trauma was to begin with. There is no doubt there will be a scar. I could be an emotional scar or even a physical one. Jesus had all power to be brought back from the dead, but he did not allow his scars to totally disappear. His scars tell the story of his triumph over death and the grave. So your scars don't tell of your death but of your new life. I believe one of the final stages of healing is using your scars for the glory of God. This can be by ministering to others in the same situations. Telling them your story, your testimony. It could be by being a good parent or spouse. Breaking the cycle of trauma in your family. Really anything that God is glorified through the choices of your new life in Him.

Don't forget to minister to yourself! Don't take on the spirit of the abused or the abuser. You are no longer that person...you are a new creature in Christ. You have been healed. Let your life and actions reflect that healing. The enemy is always just around the corner waiting to shoot you in the leg again. So if for some reason you have a slip up or a new trauma ensues....DON'T let yourself bleed out. Ask God to get that bandage on right away. Don't give the enemy the pleasure of watching you bleed to death. Choose life!