Answer this question honestly: Have you ever thought of the Bible as a bunch of old rules we have to follow? If we are all being real, I think at some point in our lives we all have had that thought. There is just so much in there to obey.
I remember after learning about God’s forgiveness that it seemed too good to be true. (Because, honestly, it IS too good!) Many young believers struggle to understand that God forgives us for every sin we committed in our past as well as every sin we WILL commit in our future. I remember as a young Christian thinking, “You mean I can commit any sin, do whatever I want, ask for God’s forgiveness and it will be wiped away? So why should I struggle so much to try and obey?”
1 John 3:6-9 says “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”
After we are saved, God has so many blessings in store for us - one of which is a transformation of our hearts. As we mature in our faith we begin to grow and our hearts change. When the Holy Spirit is working within us, our hearts grow in Him and we desire to sin less.
Another place to tread lightly in our thinking about sin is by rating it. I know it can be easy to compare our own sins to others and at times think we come out smelling like a rose. Sometimes we look at sin as only the “big things” like drugs, murder, rape, etc. You know, the big whoppers that are REALLY bad. Friends, there is a trap in thinking like that. If we allow ourselves to think that we are more righteous than we are and overlook our own sin, we begin to take steps towards thinking we must not be so bad in God’s eyes. That is a scary place to be because when we go there, we begin to place more importance on ourselves, rather than on the lifesaving grace and mercy God extends to us. We begin to rely on ourselves more than we should and think our goodness can get us entry into Heaven, into God’s holy presence. If we don’t out and out think our goodness will get us in, we don’t think our bad is bad enough to keep us out and there is absolutely nothing further from the truth. Our sin is too big and God’s bar is just too high. No amount of prayer, endless amounts of pouring ourselves in ministries to help others, nor giving the Lord every last bit of our money is enough to meet His standard of perfection.
I am so thankful that God, in love, sent His son to give us HIS righteousness. Because of Him, sinners are welcome into God’s holy presence and we never again have to fear God’s anger or punishment. What an amazing gift!
So, as God’s children, we don’t obey because we have to in order to earn our way to Heaven, because that would be impossible! Instead, as children of God we obey Him as a form of our worship and out of thanksgiving for the gift of Christ’s righteousness.
Paul Tripp says “If you obey for a thousand years, you’re no more accepted than when you first believed: your acceptance is based on Christ’s righteousness and not yours.” I am so thankful for that truth!