Narrow road.

This is my bike path, and it is a fitting image for me to bring the point across for this Easter. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Believing in Jesus is the start of a journey, not an endpoint.

On the left of the yellow lines is the kerb, the hard, unyielding kerb of the law. On the right is a lane of broad open road (unseen in this picture), but cars and trucks travel on this part. The safe area? That's the space between the two yellow lines. That area is, at the most, three times the width of my skinny road tires. This describes the struggle of all professing Christians - keeping a balance between strict adherence to the law of God and complete lawlessness.

Did Jesus not come to fulfill the law and free us from its obligations (Matt. 5:17)? Are we still bound to obey the law of the Old Testament? Yes and yes, but for very different reasons as one might imagine.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, and this is true. He states this fact Himself, but He continues to say in the same breath, "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:18-19)

So...what then was Jesus really doing? He came to fulfill the law, and not take it away? If He has fulfilled it, and paid for our sins, then what good is us keeping the law? It wouldn't do us any good to keep the law then, and it even says in the Bible, "Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." (Deut. 27:26)

The believer's new covenant in Christ frees us from the OBLIGATIONS of the law, which in the Old Testament was a path to righteousness and hence the right to stand upright before God. This is the point - we are RIGHTEOUS, not through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ's sacrifice upon the cross. This is a status conferred not by merit, but by God's grace. This is how much God loves us, that He is willing to do this on our behalf, so we may have unrestricted fellowship with Him. We then can have fellowship with Him, without needing to meet any special requirements...except the one to believe He is real and that Jesus is the only way to Him.

Does that mean we are free to do whatever we want? No, there is stern reproof of such a mindset in Christ's own words, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." We are reminded that our righteousness should not be for show, but stemming from a true faith and genuine repentance. This is why I say, the image of the 'safe area' between the yellow lines is a fitting image of a Christian's life. It is HARDER, not easier. But what's a better trade? 70 years of Spirit-led careful treading for an eternity spent in heaven...or 70 years of self-willed liberal theology for an eternity in hell?

Postscript: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14