Acts 15:10-11 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
I think we actually like rules to live by. It makes us feel safe when we can conform some set of rules and pretend that we are somehow good on our own. But we are not consistent, even with our own rules. We break them when it is convenient, and then we change them to suit our new desires.
The Jewish history is a good lesson for us in this. They often walked away from God, but kept a form of godliness. Worshipping Yahweh on the hilltops instead of the temple and worshipping idols in the temple of Yahweh. Then even after they stopped officially worshipping idols, they started to make up interpretations of the God's law that suited them. Many of the Pharisees and scribes in Jesus's day claimed to know God but were only self-righteous.
The truth is that we can never accomplish the law on our own. We will always need God's grace, and even to become more practically good we need to walk by the Spirit. This is harder because it means submitting our hearts and minds regularly to the Lord. We cannot rely on a set of defined rules.
Yes God's law helps give us boundaries, but the desire to live accordingly and the application of them in situations comes from the foundation of the law which is loving God and loving others. Unless we experience God's incredible grace and love for us, we will not desire to love Him and others well.
Lord, help me to know your love and grace. Help me to give it away today.
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