We used to have a basset hound. She was a great dog, but she loved to wander. She would put her nose in the air, catch a scent, and off she would go. We had a fence around our yard, but she was adept and circumventing this barrier. We moved to a different location where a fence was less feasible. We put up a makeshift fence, but it was ineffective. She made it 2 miles to town one day. We finally just took down the fence. The result was that we no longer had to drive the half mile to the neighbors to retrieve her. She started staying home. I don’t know if the fence had anything to do with her behavior or if she was just getting old enough to not want to cover the distance.
2 Corinthians 3:14-18 New International Version (NIV)14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
The call to right standing with God and right behavior is one of the most misunderstood things in the church. We come from great traditions of rules and regulations that are designed to create right relationship and a fence to keep behaviors within the acceptable framework. This is what the Old Testament law was intended to establish. Then the Jewish rulers created an additional set of rules that had the purpose of creating an inner fence, to prevent transgression of the more important outer fence. We in the church have created similar traditions, each tradition creating its own fence. We don’t do certain things (go to movies), not because they are a problem, but because they can lead us down the road to sin and separate us from God.
Much of the modern church has thrown off these membership covenants with all the rules. These rules no longer have the kind of support they once had, and people are reluctant to commit to such restrictions. Have we discovered that asking our children to refrain from dancing and going to movies failed to ensure that they would become believers living in a meaningful, intimate relationship with God? Creating fences fails to equip us to stay within the parameters set forth by God and to bring us into His presence
Paul challenges us with a different way to think about the way to salvation and to life. He admonishes us to “walk in a manner worthy” or to refrain from sin in every epistle he writes. He admonishes us love God and do good, and to do the work of the gospel. He does not encourage us in our pursuit of God and holiness by admonishing us to set up a set of rules to follow. What does he do? He always begins with theology or encouragement. He reminds us of who we are in Christ, that we have been transformed, that have been redeemed, that we are seated at the right hand of God in Christ, and that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit. We now have the fence removed and we are free and able to follow the ways of God (and not walk in sin) through His presence, the work of the Holy Spirit, and our love and pursuit of God. We no longer are looking over the fence longingly, but are looking at God longingly. We are free to pursue Him, His ways, His presence rather than trying to please Him by making sure we keep all the rules. The rules in the Bible and the ones we made up. What is counterintuitive is that this freedom is much more effective than the fence.
My challenge for you? Look up. Walk in the Spirit. Understand what you have and are in Christ. Consider the lack of benefit that fences create. Know that you can gaze on Him, free of barriers. Pursue first love for God and let that flow over into right behaviors and love for people. This will keep you home.