My wife and I raised 3 boys. They were a little “rough”. She often said to me, “rules without relationship lead to rebellion”. I was pretty good on rules…….maybe 8 out of 10……..relationship…….not so much……..maybe 4 out of 10. And we reaped a bit of rebellion. If you are beginning a family, you should write this down and read it every day. This is one of the great truths of parenting.
It is also one of the great rules of human nature…….and of the Bible.
God’s idea…….his plan A……..was the garden of Eden. It was a place of perfection. In Eden, God and man lived together in a close relationship……..they talked face to face regularly. They walked together. Relationship was the key to Eden. Rules were secondary. In fact, there were only three: tend the garden, name the animals, and don’t eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then along came the serpent. He, Eve, and Adam wrecked it all. God ended Eden and moved on.
God’s plan B……..was an endless list of rules many of which did not…….and still don’t make sense to us. I suspect that they were never intended to. God spoke to Moses……a lot……and to many prophets a little. But, as far as the ordinary man was concerned…….not so much. God lived in the inner room of the temple which only the high priest could enter. In the post Eden Old Testament, rules were the emphasis……..relationship was a minor bit player. And the Jewish people failed over and over. They were punished over and over. To say that the rules didn’t work would be an historic understatement.
And then came Jesus.
For three years mankind experienced the most intimate relationship with God that we had ever known. He taught us, walked with us, ate with us……..even washed our feet. And then he left. After his death he was replaced by the holy spirit. And that is where we are today. The holy spirit is quieter than Jesus was during his three year ministry and less immediate than God was in Eden. The holy spirit is easy to ignore……easy to dismiss. We have to study and seek the holy spirit. We have to pursue it…….we have to reach out. Many of us don’t even try.
Here’s the thing. God’s blessings come with relationship. God’s withdrawal………even punishment follows rebellion. The best times in human history correspond to the times of relationship. On the flip side, during times of little relationship, as a culture, we always slip into rebellion. And we suffer the consequences. Looking at our culture during my lifetime……I can see the truth of this.
So…….what is the lesson?
We must study and seek the holy spirit. We must build a relationship with God the Father, Jesus the son, and also with the holy spirit. If we can do so individually and also as a culture, we can avoid rebellion and tap into God’s blessing.
Unfortunately, our culture has other ideas. The facts show that we are slipping away from relationship and drifting into rebellion. This will ultimately lead to the withdrawal of God’s blessing……..and the introduction of his punishment.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus, Revelation 3:20, ESV
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus, John 15:5, ESV
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:10-13, ESV
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God, 2 Chronicles, 7:14, ESV