Have you ever thought about all the laws, rules, and directives we are supposed to follow? How many do you need to follow in your job? How many are you to obey when driving? Do you know them and follow them all? Do you feel overwhelmed or oppressed at times?
There are traffic laws, criminal laws, corporate laws, and medical laws. There are rules for our conduct, sporting events, corporate directives, and even rules in our churches. Not only are there the overwhelming number of written laws and rules, but there are unwritten ones.
God had given the Israelites laws, commandments, and ordinances to follow. They struggled to follow them and periodically stopped following them altogether. God knew something different had to be put in place to bring people back to him. So, he sent his Son to be abolish them and institute a new way forward.
Because of Jesus, we no longer are required to follow the plethora of laws, commandments, and ordinances God had given the Israelites. But eliminating them was not the only reason Jesus came down from heaven to walk the earth. The other reason was to eliminate the divide between the Jews and Gentiles. He came to reconcile and join the two groups into one.
Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior are one body, one humanity. Yet, we often divide ourselves by instituting church rules, directives, and guidance—we call them doctrine. Not only does doctrine often separate us, but we have different viewpoints on the interpretation of Scripture. Far too often we focus more on our differences than on the one thing that unites us—our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It is encouraging to see a movement of more denominations working together based on our common belief, setting aside our differences in doctrine.
I pray we all choose to focus less on our differences and more on our common belief. I pray we know Jesus desires us to be united in Him. I pray each one of us will pursue working together regardless of denominational affiliation. God sent his Son to unite us. Jesus desires us to be one body. Set aside differences. Come together in our common belief.
Ephesians 2:15-16 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.
Marty Pressey 