“12 Watch out, brothers, so that there wont be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sins deception. 14 For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. 15 As it is said:

Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasnt it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”
Hebrews 3:12-19
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Walking with Jesus has never been about just following the rules. It’s not a series of obligations fulfilled or living within a certain set of social expectations. Yes, there are most definitely rules and expectations, but it isn’t simply a matter of doing the right thing and looking ‘good’ to others. If it were, the Pharisees would have been experts and they would have gotten along with Jesus famously.

Rules are good. They keep us from harm. Christian social expectations can be good if they are actually in line with what Jesus said and not just the product of human tradition and ideas. Some ‘taboos’ on the other hand need to be broken, as they keep us from people who need Jesus so desperately.

Again, verse 14, “For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.” This reality, that we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, held fresh in the mind, prayed over, studied on and lived out is an excellent gauge for all our daily activities, attitudes and actions. It is a wonderful way to evaluate our lifestyles, our expectations and our witness to others. Not in legalism, but out of love. The reality is that same one that we find in John 3. God’s love for us is so emmense, so amazing, that He chose to come here and be the sacrifice that brought redemption. This isn’t just a fulfillment of justice, but an amazing fulfillment of love.

This is such an example of love that to call it simply a set of rules and obligations is to dismiss it entirely. It is to ignore the fundamental elements of grace. So as we GoLove in, His precious and holy Name, we need to remember that promise, bathed in grace & mercy. Holding firmly to the end to love is also much easier than holding firmly to rules. If it’s just rules, we bend them when necessary so we can maintain position. If it is in love, we do everything possible to hold it close to our hearts above all else. That is the nature of love.