NOTE: I’m not really sure if I agree with myself on this post anymore. If anything, I think the bible says we should obey God, ultimately. Also, this post isn’t really about legalism, it should be about obedience.
I hear it quite often how rules, legalism, and all that sucks. With grace we are free, rules, and the law have been abolished. Rules are restricting.
I thought they were restricting these past few days, but then tonight I was reminded of something called submission. Earlier today I was having coffee with a friend who was raised much like I was, her dad kind of put her inside a box of morals and rules growing up. One of the rules was that she could never listen to secular music, and because of that she always felt somewhat uncool never knowing the latest hits others at school were listening to. Seems pretty bad and silly doesn’t it? Quite honestly it does, in the moment at least. But my friend chose to submit, and when she grew older something strange happened. The box of rules and morals shattered, and what was left of the box was a new found trust in their relationship. Rules may restrict, but submitting to rules… does something awesome to a relationship.
Back in the day a guy named Adam was given a task, he was told not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Instead of submitting, he rebelled and broke the relationship between him and God. Common, it’s just a piece of fruit right? What harm could a piece of fruit do? Think about it… God didn’t tell Adam not to touch His Thermonuclear Earth Life Creation Machine. He told Adam not to eat a silly piece of fruit! That probably looked like the other pieces of fruit in the garden. Does the silliness of not eating a piece of fruit sound any bit as similar to not listening to a certain CD? Yes. Both appear as harmless stuff, but both are also rules given by a dad.
So if Adam submitted, what would have happened when the box shattered?
Rules are restricting, but submission brings trust, which brings freedom.
Aside: The relationship I have with my dad on earth, since he is a God given parent, comes before any else on earth, even though sometimes they seem as silly as eating a piece of fruit. But the point is submission, to shatter the box, and taste the fruit of trust and freedom. I have to submit to him first.
I made a mistake and overlooked the issue early in the relationship. I think it was because everything that I saw in the relationship early on appeared to be in submission, and it was. Now, all I can do is gently ask for your submission too. But foremost, I cannot take away from your submission to God, parents, and yes, even friends.
If you submit with me, I have a lot of love to give, and would still give. Love which you know will suffer long for you, is kind, tries not to envy, does not behave rudely, and does not seek its own. Bears all things, believes all things, endures all things.
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