Bye Bye Law

One of the many things that puzzled me for a long time about God and the Bible was the Old Testament concept of the 'Law'. The Law features heavily in the Old Testament as a way of getting right with God. To do so, one needed to offer perfect sacrifices or perform some other action to please God and purify themselves.

Then Jesus came. No longer did we need to adhere to a set of rules to be made pure or right in God's eyes. Now, it was done by the heart. Jesus' life made it possible for us to have a very personal and intimate relationship with God, something I think was a rare occurrence for most ordinary Israelites in the Old Testament.

So what then does this really mean for me? Do I still follow 'laws' thinking that I will be seen in a better light by God?

It brings up the question of why we go to church. Has church become like a law; a 'must-do' part of our Christian walk? Why do you really go to church?

We could ask ourselves the same question about anything we do in the name of God. Why do we give money away? Why do we go to a cell group? Why do we help out at the local city mission?

If there is no heart behind our giving money away to the church, does God really want it? I don't think he needs it that much.

Without really wanting in our heart to change the world, we're just peddling our own self-doubt and our misguided sense that we're worshipping a rule following God.