Permission to Be Imperfect: How to Strive Less, Stress Less, Sin LessSample

Why Dos and Don’ts Don’t Work

In the beginning, God made humans for Eden. From yesterday’s reading, you will recall that Eden was a place of grace, where protection, provision, and the pleasure of God weren’t earned. All of God’s blessings were given to His people with no conditions.

Since humans were designed for grace, it is no surprise to discover that our bodies operate best in an environment of grace. Consequently, we perform worse in the opposite environment, where there is pressure to perform or prove. This is observed in athletes of every kind. Studies have shown that far more shots and goals are missed in high-stakes games than they are in practice. This is why students miss questions they were prepared for. Or why diets fail. This is also why the apostle Paul said that “the law gives sin its power” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

Is it surprising to hear that the law makes people more susceptible to sin? Many Christians believe that dos, don’ts, and disciplines are the way to godliness. The truth is, after humans sinned, God established law in order to show us that our performance can’t please Him or clean ourselves (see Romans 5:19–20; Galatians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 3:7). In short, God’s laws were not made to save us, but to reveal our imperfection, and thus, our need for a Savior.

The apostle Paul understood how hard this may be to accept. To help people understand, he divulged his years-long struggle with the tenth commandment, “thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17 kjv). He admitted that striving to keep it made him covet more, not less (see Romans 7:7–25). The pressure of law does the same in our lives. That’s why Paul referred to lawkeeping as “the old way, which brings condemnation” (2 Corinthians 3:9).

Law isn’t only comprised of the 613 laws of Moses beginning with the Ten Commandments, though. Paul advised that it includes any kind of rule that demands “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” (Colossians 2:21). He warned that, like the laws of Moses, any rule or discipline is futile when it comes to pleasing God or producing godliness (v. 23).

To be sure, Paul did not advocate for an “anything goes” lifestyle that ignores things like character and behavior. But he went to great lengths to show why dos, don’ts, and disciplines don’t work to produce godliness. So, what works? Grace—the position with God to which Jesus’s defeat of sin restored us (Romans 5:21). For various reasons, grace ends the battle with sin. We’ll explore the primary reason tomorrow. For now, though, consider how you currently live. Could your struggles be related to a misplaced focus on rules rather than grace and freedom?