“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17
Without rules, sports competitions would be chaotic. Players would do whatever seems right to them to win. Rules create the guidelines for each game, defining the boundaries in which the game can be played with mutual understanding between all participants.
Similarly, God has given us guidelines for living a godly life. As it is clear throughout history, when a group of people chooses not to live by God’s standards, chaos and corruption follow. God’s laws are not designed to measure self-righteousness. Rather they are the parameters God has set to create a healthy and thriving society. They are given because He loves us.
Just as playing by the rules does not automatically mean you win, following God’s guidelines does not earn our eternal fellowship with Him. Eternal life comes to us because Jesus Christ kept every rule perfectly for us. We know His rules and commandments to be for our good, and we trust His deep love for us. Even if we never quite obey perfectly, His faultless sacrifice for us compels us in gratitude to try.
Similarly, God has given us guidelines for living a godly life. As it is clear throughout history, when a group of people chooses not to live by God’s standards, chaos and corruption follow. God’s laws are not designed to measure self-righteousness. Rather they are the parameters God has set to create a healthy and thriving society. They are given because He loves us.
Just as playing by the rules does not automatically mean you win, following God’s guidelines does not earn our eternal fellowship with Him. Eternal life comes to us because Jesus Christ kept every rule perfectly for us. We know His rules and commandments to be for our good, and we trust His deep love for us. Even if we never quite obey perfectly, His faultless sacrifice for us compels us in gratitude to try.
Scripture Focus
Exodus 20:1-20
Insight
“When we sit as judges over God’s rules, we make ourselves God.” (Rachel Gilson, 2018)
Bible In A Year
- 1 Chronicles 28-29
- Psalm 7
- Matthew 10-11