"Either Christ must abide, and the Law perish; or the Law must abide, and Christ perish." Jesus did not come to institute laws, but to abolish them. Indeed, the Law and the Gospel must be kept as far apart as heaven and earth. The Gospel is the revelation of the son of God. As such, it cannot possibly "demand works, threaten death, or terrify the conscience." -Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians
I have a leash for Kona that has some thick prongs that dig into her neck if she pulls to hard. It makes it real easy to direct her according to my will.
She is controlled and behaves...but she is not free.
She is good...but not independently good.
She is safe...but only when I control her.
She can run only as far as my leash allows.
This is not freedom.
So many Christians live the same way in their relationship with God.
They are good but only because they are leashed by the law.
It is easier to take Kona on a walk with a leash but I know that she really wants to run free and explore and smell everything and chase stuff. The limits of a leash is not her natural state of being and no matter how good she appears in it...soon as she is loosed she will bolt like a rabbit in heat.
So I am teaching her progressive freedom. I am teaching her how to live in freedom. I started by taking her to a safe and fenced park and let her loose for a while. She did ok with her freedom and I had to chase her a little when the wild became more loud than my voice...so the chain went back on. Over and over we have worked out her freedom...because I want her to be free and obey. I don't want her to just obey with a leash.
Now I can enjoy her at the park more and more as she is learning to be free and obey my voice. We both enjoy each other much more while she is free.
Freedom is more dangerous...she could run off, get hit, disobey and be a stupid dog but the joys of having a free dog out weigh the dangers of it.
It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free!
Many people are afraid of freedom and many people think that freedom is dangerous and they are right but being right doesn't make it wrong. With freedom comes responsibility and maturity is needed. But the joys of freedom outweigh the life of the law that suffocates so many sons and daughter in the Fathers house.
You need your leash taken off...God is tired of taking you for a walk and would rather you learn to walk with Him in freedom not law.
Galatians 5:1-5
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ cannot help you. I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey all of the regulations in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith.
Go ahead...take it off and run your butt off...you will be ok and you might just realize you were made for freedom.
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