Be Good Or Else

OK, so here's the deal, get some others together and go out and kill 200 enemies. But when you kill each man, take his pants off, get your knife out, and cut the foreskin off his penis. Keep all the foreskins together to give to the king when you return from battle. All in a day's battle, right? I have no further comment about this subject.

As I read the NT reading today, I tried to imagine the transition taking place from a religion of law to one of love. The real problem is that the people were deeply steeped in the law. Frankly, for thousands of years the religion of laws and sacrifices had been in place. And, as we have seen, it had even evolved a little to include some ideas and additional laws that were actually man made. But the main focus was still intact - be good or else.

Is it any wonder that Jesus had such a monumental task on His hands?

The teaching that I glean from all this saga is that even though we have the OT and even though we have the NT, the conflict pretty much remains the same... be good or else!

For most people I know, the story and reality of Jesus is nice. But when it is all said and done, the Ten Commandments remain the standard for all things religious pertaining to the God of the Bible. And that is a sad fact regarding the state of the church. Really.

Don't get me wrong, the Ten Commandments are nice... but when it comes between choosing the Ten Commandments or Jesus - I'll take Jesus every time.

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. [John 8.36]

People still struggle today with the same transition from the law and its bondage to the freedom provided by Jesus.

Father, let my life be an influence today to help people finally put the law to bed and awaken the grace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.