“From the frying pan into the fire.”
My friend and I went to High School in Japan together. When it came time for us to go to college in the States, we both chose a Christian college in Minnesota. I recall the first day I got on campus. It was rather cold and rainy. I felt a little let down and disappointed with what I saw.
Orientation. As new students, my friend and I went to orientation together to learn about the school and the “House Rules.” They were quite strict but I thought I could live with them. My friend, rather reluctantly, chose to go along with them too. We lived in the same dorm.
Fire. It wasn’t too long before my friend really began to chafe under the rules. As I recall, he endured our first year together but decided not to come back the next year. So what did he do? He joined the marines! Talk about going from the frying pan into the fire, he did just that. He soon learned what it meant to be regulated by all kinds of strict rules.
House Rules. Let’s talk about the seven different “House Rules” that are found in the Bible. Every home, every nation, and every country needs rules if there is to be harmony and the survival of its citizens. Rules aren’t like pie crusts that are meant to be broken. When everyone does what is right in his own eyes, you have anarchy and confusion among the people (Judges 21:25). As Paul Harvey used to say, “Self-government won’t work without self-discipline.” Think about the lawlessness that exists in our own country and all around the world. The Bible predicted it (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Enslaved. This kind of lawless behavior went on for about 400 hundreds in the land of Israel among the Jews who had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Since they didn’t keep their promise to obey God’s laws, God allowed their enemies in the land to enslave them. You can read about the seven cycles of discipline that went on over and over again in the Old Testament book of Judges. When they engaged in sinful rebellion against God they went from sin into servitude. Then they cried out to the Lord with supplication. God sent them a deliverer and saved them. This led to their having silence until they reverted back into their lawlessness.
New Rules. After Christ’s death for our sins…and His bodily resurrection from the dead, believers, from the Day of Pentecost, were placed under different “House Rules.” These rules, generally speaking, can be found between John 13 and Revelation 4. (See our Dispensations Chart for more information.) These are the rules that govern Christians who live in the Dispensation of Grace.
Maturity. Christians who try to come to spiritual maturity by keeping the Mosaic Law, that includes the Ten Commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances (with over 600 rules and regulations), will be displeasing to God. The early Christians living in the region of Galatia were trying to do this. But the Apostle Paul rebuked them for doing this (Galatians 3:1).
New Commandment. Just before He went to the cross Jesus gave His disciples a New Commandment that involved their loving one another as He had loved them (John 13:34, 35). Under the Mosaic Law the best a person could do was to love his neighbor as himself (Leviticus 19:18).
Agape. To have God’s “agape” love, a believer must have all his known sins confessed to God (1 John 1:9; See James 5:16), and be yielded to God the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 5:18) so He can produce the “Fruit of the Spirit” which is Christ likeness (Galatians 5:22, 23). This love should be directed back to God and to His children first (See Galatians 6:10). It’s possible for maturing Christians to misdirect God’s love toward the diabolical world system (1 John 2:15-17). Are you doing this yourself? If so, stop.
Help. We’re here to assist those who are teachable and willing to change when they see the truth from God’s Word. We can be reached through our website: www.kelseypeach.com. If this article has helped you, we’d like to hear from you and ask that you share it the others. To receive future articles as they come out, click on “Follow.”
Dispensations Chart. http://kelseypeach.com/Kelsey.8.pdf
The Clear Gospel: http://www.cleargospel.org/wp-content/uploads/English-Display-Pkg-2014.pdf
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