GOD DOES NOT BEND THE RULES

“I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6, 7.

Why is there as much trouble, sadness, relationship, marital and family problems, and financial struggles in the family of God as outside? Is it because we ignore or try to bend the rules God has given us for a happy and fulfilled life?

God has built natural laws into the universe so that it will function efficiently within those laws. In the same way He has set moral boundaries for us so that we can live blessed, free and happy lives within those boundaries. Problems arise when we step over the boundaries to do what we want Our problem is that we choose to step outside God’s law and when things go wrong, we blame Him!

God IS love and because He loves us, He wants to protect us from self-destruction. He does this by putting protective boundaries around us which help us to understand His nature because His rules reflect who He is.

God’s laws also show us who is in charge. Adam chose to disregard God’s one prohibition and the result was chaos and disorder in the world. When God says, “Do this,” or “Don’t do that,” He wants us to know that He is in charge, not us, and He has the right to hold us accountable for what we do.  

God’s desire is that we live in unity with Him and with one another. By setting boundaries, He is showing us how to do that. Problems arise when we do our own thing because that creates chaos and discord when we disobey Him.

“But what about law and grace?” you may ask. God did not abolish the rules when Jesus came. Jesus showed us how to fulfil them by living in perfect obedience to His Father, not because rule-keeping would make Him righteous, but because it was natural to obey His Father to please Him and to show us how to live the blessed life. Jesus lived within God’s boundaries and then died as though He had broken every law. Why? He cleared our debt of sin out of the way so that we can live in unity with God.

God also gave us the same Holy Spirit who enabled Jesus to live a sinless life. When we choose to do the right thing, He provides the power for us to carry out our decisions. That’s called “grace”. Grace does not replace law. It gives us the power to obey the law – not all the details that are in the Old Testament but the principles which are repeated in the New.

No, God can’t bend the rules for us because He does not change. He gives us power to keep the rules so that we can enjoy life.