Tuesdays and Thursdays we take some time to reflect on the previous day’s post with the help of some visual inspiration.
According to Jesus, it’s not enough to attend to and keep rules. If any people knew about following rules it was the Pharisees, but Jesus said…
“I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
The Pharisees appeared righteous to men, but God is not fooled by appearances.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28
You see, rules only deal with the outside, they can never change the inside.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25
The Pharisees and their rule keeping might have worked for appearances, but it’s not enough to appear righteous, we have to be righteous. The good news is….we are! He has made us righteous. The work God has done in making us righteous is a work on the inside. Notice that it’s what is on the inside that has the power to change the outside, for Jesus went on to say…
…first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Matthew 23:26
The righteousness we have on the inside will find its way to the outside. For, truly, it is not rules, but righteousness that brings change.
You can read or re-read The Value of Rules that corresponds with today’s image.
The truth of the of the gospel has not been explained in this detail, at least not that I am aware of, to help one realize the finished work of Christ Jesus in the life of the believer. Of course this can only be true if one truly walks in the light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not to diviate from the topic but to use my experience in the military as prime example, before “96 or 72” holidays granted thr military personnel, a stand-down has to be conducted to ensure everyone is well informed about their responsibilities. Topics that are often discussed are drinking and driving, sexual assault and so on and so forth. I find it to be a waste of time for me, not for everyone, because my standards as a Christian is far above the do’s and don’t’s or the expectations of the military. I believe Paul’s view of laws of the old testament could be similar if not the same way as I see some elements of my military stand-down as a waste of time. Romans 10:4 says “Christ is the end of the law” meaning no law could be above the standard set by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the only one without sin. In my walk as a believer, I have come to realize that when faced with any particular challenge, you easily over it if you speak the word. How does one overcome the challenge of mathematics? I think the best way is to teach whatever you have learned, in effect living the word that you read. Christianity is a profession, that means we should pratice our profession like doctors, lawyers and the many other professionals. I will end here and say thank you for openning up this conversation.
Thanks for your comment, Martin. There’s lots of food for thought in it. What you’ve said here reminds me of Paul calling the do’s and don’ts “elementary principles” (Colossians 2:20-23), or as you said “a waste of time”. Nice to have you visit.