sin – Far More Life

Beyond the Rules

A friend and I are reading through the Old Testament and sharing what we learn. We are currently in Deuteronomy, reading all the rules God gave the Israelites.

Our biggest takeaway has been thankfulness to live under grace instead of the law. Most people in the Old Testament did not have the Holy Spirit inside to help them obey God. Rules clearly defined God’s standard of right and wrong for them, leaving no doubt.

Some of the rules in Deuteronomy make sense to us. They clearly offer provision, protection, and blessing:

When you lay siege to a city for a long time…do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. (Deuteronomy 20:19, NIV)
If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. (Deuteronomy 22:1, NIV)
Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy (Deuteronomy 24:14, NIV)

But as we read these passages over 3000 years later, we find some of the rules to be…odd. For example:

Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together (Deuteronomy 22:11, NIV)
If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family (Deuteronomy 25:5, NIV)
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. (Deuteronomy 25:11-12a, NIV)

God had a reason for these rules; each offered provision, protection, or blessing. They seem odd to us because the rationale behind them is unclear. For some rules, we no longer see the need because life conditions have changed. For others, we cannot see the need because our cultural perspective has changed. But the Israelites knew following these rules would keep them in good standing with God.

The rules had dual purposes: to show the people what righteousness was and to make the people clearly aware of their unrighteousness. As Galatians explains, the law prepared the way for Christ to offer us forgiveness.

Before the coming of this faith,we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:23-24, NIV)
Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. (Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:17, CEV)
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19, NIV)

Today, under the New Covenant, our standing with God is secured by following Jesus Christ, not rules! By acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah who took the punishment for our sin and submitting ourselves to Him, we become spiritually right with God…forever. We still have the capacity to sin, but much of the desire is gone. While we used to find pleasure in sin, now we find far more life in righteousness!

Even though we are no longer under the mandates of the law, we can still learn from it. We can better understand how incomplete our understanding is compared to God’s. We can also learn about God’s character and what is important to Him. Here are some things I have discovered from studying the laws He decreed:

God sees sin in black and white terms. He draws clear lines about right and wrong.
When the details are important to God, He shares them. He does not leave His people to guess about what is right and pleasing to Him.
God knows we are incapable of being righteous on our own, so He does not abandon us to sin. He graciously provides a righteous way out of sin rather than giving up on us.
God’s overarching goal is to be in relationship with people. He wanted the Israelites to be holy so He could have a relationship with them. He offers us holiness through Christ so we can have a relationship with Him, too.
When we do not understand God’s logic, we can still trust His character. Some of the laws are hard to accept as loving, just, or fair. While we may not understand why God allowed or commanded certain details, we can be certain that He loves and values us. He wants us to be holy. He wants to protect us from evil that would destroy us. His intentions toward His daughters are always good, even when the law seems harsh and unfair from our imperfect perspective.

Once we are in good standing with God, far more life is found in righteous living. Doing right is the by-product of a redeemed and righteous heart. The apostle Paul states that for Christ-followers:

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6, NIV)

Far more life is an outgrowth of our faith in God and our love for Him. We move beyond the rules to do what is right because our heart is linked with His.

Sisters,
Do you tend to be a rule follower, a rule bender, or a rule breaker?
How do you respond to man-made rules that do not make sense to you?
How do you respond to God’s rules that do not make sense to you?
What have you concluded about God’s character from His rules? Do other Scripture verses reinforce or negate that message? If they contradict each other, dig deeper!
How much good does God require from you to offset your sin? (Hint: read Romans 3:10, 5:6, and 6:23)
Thank God for letting you move beyond the rules to find far more life.
-Shari

The Name

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21, NIV)

The angel spoke such a simple sentence, but it had profound meaning. This is the message of Christmas and Easter — and all of Christianity — summed up in one sentence.

She will give birth to a son. This will not be a normal son. This boy will be conceived by the Holy Spirit. How? We don’t know exactly because the Bible does not elaborate. We do know it was a miracle, meaning it cannot be explained through scientific or natural laws.

You are to give him the name Jesus. When we look at Mary and Joseph’s genealogies (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38), we see this is not a family name. It was hand-picked by God because of its meaning: the Lord saves. What a big name — and mission — for a baby to grow into! But Jesus can and did accomplish His mission and live up to His name.

He will save his people from their sins. This is the whole reason Jesus came to earth. His purpose was not to be born in a manger. It was not to live a sinless life. It was not to overthrow the Roman government. It was not to establish a new religion. Jesus came to sacrifice Himself to pay the spiritual penalty for our sins.6

This is the message of Christmas. When we understand that, we can join with the angels in proclaiming:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV)

God deserves all the glory and praise we can give Him. He sent peace to earth by enabling us to reconcile with Him and experience a loving relationship. Surely His favor rests upon “his people”, those who accept His offer and find peace in Him.

As you celebrate Christmas, look beyond the beloved traditions and sparkling lights. Remember whose birth we are celebrating and the reason He came to earth. This makes it easy to join the angels in offering glory to God.

Sisters,
What is most meaningful to you about Christmas?
Has the Lord saved you through Jesus? From what were you saved?
If you have not accepted Jesus’ offer to pay for your sins, this is a great time to do so. There are no special words, just talk to God and acknowledge that you have sinned against Him and cannot earn His favor. Thank Him for sending Jesus to take the punishment you deserve. Thank Him for giving you peace and far more life that starts now and lasts for eternity.
If you have already accepted Jesus, give Him the glory He deserves.
-Shari

Lifeblood

A precious woman in my circle passed away this week. She lived a long life and was ready to go home to her Creator and Savior. I remember hearing her say that we do not talk about the blood of Christ enough anymore. “It’s all about the blood,” she told me. The conversation stuck with me and ever since I have noticed Bible verses, songs, and messages that directly reference the blood of Christ. I am writing this post in remembrance of that dear woman and her desire for the sacrifice and power of Jesus’ blood to be known, respected, and celebrated.

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. (Leviticus 17:11, NIV)

God emphasized the importance of blood to the Israelites; blood contains life. It carries oxygen and nutrients to our cells. It carries waste to organs that filter and expel it from the body. Blood also fights infection and delivers regulatory hormones. It contains living cells and is essential to our well-being. Blood is powerful!

God has also chosen blood to be the vessel of atonement. Starting with the first human sin, innocent blood was shed to pay the penalty:

Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife. (Genesis 3:21, CEV)

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they became aware of their nakedness and felt ashamed. To cover their bodies and assuage their shame, God killed animals and used their skins to make clothes. The penalty of human sin has always included the shedding of innocent blood.

Centuries later, on the night of the first Passover, God used the blood of a lamb to mark the homes of His children and save them from death:

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. (Exodus 12:13, NIV)

In this case, the blood of innocent lambs was used as a protection; it marked a home where the occupants were obedient to God. The firstborn sons and animals of the household were spared physical death through the sacrifice and blood of one lamb. God instructed His people to remember this through a special celebration every year.

The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22, NIV)

Sacrifices were God’s prescribed way for His people to make amends for their sin — whether intentional or unintentional — and indicate their commitment to Him. Most of these sacrifices, as outlined in Leviticus, required the blood of an animal without blemish or defect. The shedding of blood and sacrifice of the animal restored a person to good standing with God. It paid the penalty for their sin and state of being spiritual unclean before God. Of course, this foreshadowed the sacrifice Jesus would make. The New Testament repeatedly references the life-giving power of the blood of Christ:

…After the supper [Jesus] took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20, NIV)
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood. (Romans 3:25, NIV)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-9, NIV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7, NIV)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13, NIV)

The only way we can experience far more life is by acknowledging that Christ gave up His life — His blood — to pay the penalty for our sins. Being sinless, He was innocent before God and in the position to sacrifice Himself for our benefit. His blood is the perfect sacrifice, more spiritually powerful than any animal sacrifice:

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:13-14, NIV)
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. (Hebrews 7:27, NIV)
With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9, NIV)

The blood of Jesus purifies us completely from every sin we commit at any time in our life. He does not need to die over and over again. Knowing we are forgiven of every sin clears our conscience so we are free to live for God instead of being afraid of being punished by Him. And Jesus’ sacrifice applies to people of all cultures, races, and ethnicities; anyone can accept His offer of forgiveness.

Most of us do not like to focus on our sin or on blood. It is easy to minimize our wrongs or take Jesus’ sacrifice for granted. But as I remember my friend today, I also remember her challenge to pay proper respect to the blood of Jesus. To remember the high cost He paid so we could have far more life.

Sisters,
What life-giving aspect of blood is most meaningful to you? Why?
Imagine you are Eve and watch God spill an animal’s blood to clothe your nakedness. How would you feel? How would it change your obedience to God’s commands?
How has the blood of Jesus cleansed your conscience? Has that impacted your eagerness to serve Him?
Thank Jesus for sacrificing His blood and offering you far more life!
-Shari