THROWING OUT THE RULES

Read the passage here: http://www.biblegateway.

com/passage/?search=romans+5%3A+1-5&version=NIV

Listen to passage here: http://www.biblegateway.

com/audio/mclean/niv/Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5 

A couple days ago I tried to bring more inner peace to myself by declaring: “No Rules Day.”  It didn’t work!  My inner “rule keeper” is very strong and always on the job.  But not all these inner dictums are even God’s rules.  They are someone else’s rules for me, or my own rules for myself, or society’s rules, or what I perceive to be society’s rules. Can you relate?

Where is that fabled inner peace?

Romans 5 says:

“Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access through faith into this GRACE in which we now stand.   

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.   

And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.”

This is different than “peace by throwing out the rules.”  This is “peace because someone paid my way.”  And even more, what fills up our empty hearts is: “someone paid my way because they love me.”

I need to be loved.  When I feel love from someone, I can sense my inner self warming.  It’s hard to explain, but it puts everything into place in my life.

“Peace by throwing out the rules” doesn’t work because – even though we need peace desperately -- we can’t attain it by ignoring several other very important needs.

The need for justice

The need for grace

The need for belonging

The need for love

JUSTICE

The sense of justice is ingrained.  It is the source of conscience in us.  If a rule is broken, it must be paid for.  If a wrong is committed, it must be made right.  It’s like a mathematic equation – what you do to one side, you must do to the other side – otherwise everything is “lopsided” with the world.

GRACE

Our need for canceling our past debts does not quite fill the bill, however.  What about the next five minutes?  We sense we will mess up again.  We are aware deep within ourselves that we can’t help it.  We need more than forgiveness – we need to walk in grace.  Grace is when you can’t mess up.  When someone likes you so much that whatever you do is going to be explained in the kindest way.

BELONGING

Having our past debts and even future ones canceled still leaves us empty.  What are we here for?  There’s a sense of emptiness that is only filled through true connectedness, true belonging.  This passage says we have that, too.  Not only are our debts, past and future, crossed out as on a balance sheet, but we have attained grace “through Christ.”  It is all the difference between being pardoned and walking out of prison alone, or walking out of prison and into a welcoming family. 

LOVE

Being pardoned and welcomed is almost the whole package.  But not quite.  It is real love we are needing.  Unconditional, no strings attached, love.  So often sung about, so often written about, so rarely experienced in this world.  Why do we have “hope” in the midst of a world where we have been pardoned but there is still suffering?  Because we have unconditional love inside our own hearts, love that comes from God.  This is something that you have either experienced or you haven’t.  Some may scoff, but it’s something everyone needs: “God has poured out his love into our hearts…”

Now I feel more peaceful.