A SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP
Romans 7:6 NKJV
6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Don't get too bogged down in Romans chapter seven. In my Bible, I have all kinds of highlights and notes in chapter six, and Romans chapter eight is one of my very favorite chapters of the entire Bible. But there are not as many highlighted verses in Romans seven. Do not let your heart or your mind be troubled. Keep reading and go with what you know.
Our verse for today is a reminder that our relationship with the Lord is not based on keeping the letter of the Law of Moses. Because we died with Christ to the law, our relationship with God is now lived out in a spiritual way. We are not struggling to keep the Ten Commandments. We are not worried about missing a commandment in order to be right with God. Now we can worship Him in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and take comfort in what God has provided for us in Christ.
The reason this is so important is that there is a human tendency to want to do things on our own. We want to earn our right standing with God. We want to know that we are good with God because we keep the commandments. Some people have looked at church attendance in this way. They believe if they go to church, they are good with God. They have checked the right box. Our relationship with God is so much more than that. I am obviously all for attending church. But I realize that church attendance is not the end goal. The end goal is to walk worthy of the Lord, to please Him. To be fruitful in every good work, meaning we represent Jesus well in our world, and to increase in the knowledge of God. Church is to help us achieve these objectives. Our relationship with God is not dependent on whether we attend church. But, because we love God and want to know and serve Him, we joyfully attend church out of obedience to Him and a desire to fulfill His plan for our lives.
Because of what Jesus did for us, our relationship with God is a spiritual thing. It's a heart thing. Joy and I are legally married, but we don't have a relationship based on the legalities of marriage in Texas. Joy has never put the marriage license in my face and demanded that I provide for the household. Our relationship is based on love, not the letter of the law. And it's the same with our Heavenly Father. Now, we are His children, and we can come into His presence without fear of being hurt or punished. And when we make mistakes, we run to God, not away from Him.
Jesus presented a spiritual relationship with God in direct contrast to the Pharisees, who lived by the letter of the law. What a blessing that we have entered into this spiritual heart connection with God. That, as Jesus prayed in John 17, we might know God and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that I have a relationship with You that is not based on my performance. Thank You for what You provided for me in Christ that I might serve You without fear all my days.