Jesus Only: Part Oneنموونە

Week 5, Day 6 - Friday

Do I Play by the Rules?

Jewish Pharisees developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands, and 248 positive laws. They turned faith into a legalistic how-to program. And Christ hated it!  This burdensome practice was the focus rather than a relationship with God.  

In this section, Paul squarely turns his attention to a growing Pharisaical influence in the church at Colossae. Paul, a former Pharisee, converted by Christ, is excruciatingly familiar with the danger of man-made religious rules.  

In reading this section, you can sense Paul writing with an enraged urgency. He decries how this approach creates judgmentalism. It nurtures self-righteousness. It is a mere shadow of what is truly important. It’s misleading. And, finally, it simply doesn’t work at restraining sin.  

Human parenting gives us insight into what a balanced relationship with God can look like. One study on well-adjusted children focused upon the interaction of two factors - rules and relationships. More well-adjusted children came from homes where parents balanced rules and relationships. The second-best approach was when parents pursued relationships even though they were more lenient. Children coming from autocratic, rules-oriented parents felt burdened and distant. In homes where both rules and relationships were lacking, children grew up feeling aimless and abandoned.  

Consider what God intends for us as His children. There are His rules (coming up in Colossians 3) that guide right living. These rules transcend man-made rules. More importantly, a relationship with our heavenly Father through Jesus is essential.

I grew up believing God was a task-master. I figured He was waiting for me to screw up so that he could punish me. I lived in fear and kept my distance. Graciously, through the help of several friends, re-reading God’s word, and making room to listen to the Holy Spirit, my view of God is being redeemed. I am beginning to see Him as a loving Father. I am His beloved child. His love and compassion are everlasting and freely available. As a result, I want to honor Him by following His principles.  

Now when I pray, I often address God as Abba/Father (my loving daddy AND my authoritative parent). It reminds me that God has rules, but desires relationships.  Maybe someday I’ll even become one of his well-adjusted children.

Reflection Questions:

How have you experienced a rules-driven, legalistic approach in your faith journey? How has it impacted you?

What expectations and rules are you thrusting upon others, especially other Christ-followers? What picture of God do others have after interacting with you? 

Read Matthew 11:28-30. What do you learn about God in these words from Jesus? 

Prayer:

Abba/Father, while Your laws are perfect, man-made laws, although well-intentioned, are imperfect. Help me to discern the difference between Your ways, which are life-giving, from man’s ways, which are exhausting. Thank You for sending Jesus and Paul to be messengers that a relationship with You is more important and valuable than religious rules and rituals. Thank You for calling me your beloved child. Amen.  

Postscript: 

As parents of three adult children, we’ve had some interesting conversations recently about our parenting efforts through their childhood and teenage years. It’s been interesting to learn that at times we were seen as too strict while we believed we were more progressive than our parents.  

As a father, I lament how many times I allowed my commitment to work and other preoccupations result in me neglecting my family too often. With God’s help, today is a new day to make a fresh start.  

If you have adult children, I encourage you to start these conversations, if you haven’t done so already. It takes humble courage, and it can be uncomfortable and challenging. But, God can use it to bring healing and restoration. And it can be a wonderful teaching time as our children start to raise their own children.