THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN FAITH AND THE FLESH (10 OF 10)
by Eddie Snipes
This content is part of a series.
The Boundaries Between Faith and the Flesh (10 of 10)
Series: Revelation of Grace
Eddie Snipes
The third doctrine of sin taught in the New Testament is the boundaries of sin. Just as a parent establishes boundaries for their children, God does the same with His children. A three-year-old has no comprehension of the dangers of an electrical outlet. Explaining to a toddler the physics of electricity would do no good. A parent puts safety plugs in the outlet and if a child tries to play with it, we say, ''No. That's bad. It will hurt you.''
A teen doesn't understand the consequences of going to wild parties or participating in all the activities that look fun to their inexperienced eyes, but a parent can see past the perception of youthful ideals. We may have experienced the pain of foolish choices, or had a friend who suffered great loss. We've seen the end result that a teenager has no comprehension of.
At times, it's impossible to reason with them. All they can see is the enjoyment of what looks fun, and may even promise the parent that they are wise enough to dabble on the edge of danger without falling. When leading by influence fails, a parent often has to fall back on a command. You cannot go. You cannot do that. I don't care if everyone else is doing it, as long as you are under my rules, you won't be like everyone else.
For the child of God, we have a loving Heavenly Father who leads us in the right way, but also sets clear boundaries for our good. God's commandments either point us to the way where blessings flow, or restricts us from going the way where consequences flow. We have a limited human perspective, and cannot see how our choices affect our lives in the future, but God does.
There is a critical truth we must understand when looking at God's commands. These are not conditions on our relationship with Him, His love for us, or our gifts of His grace. God's commandments do not make you righteous. You don't become righteous because yo ...
Series: Revelation of Grace
Eddie Snipes
The third doctrine of sin taught in the New Testament is the boundaries of sin. Just as a parent establishes boundaries for their children, God does the same with His children. A three-year-old has no comprehension of the dangers of an electrical outlet. Explaining to a toddler the physics of electricity would do no good. A parent puts safety plugs in the outlet and if a child tries to play with it, we say, ''No. That's bad. It will hurt you.''
A teen doesn't understand the consequences of going to wild parties or participating in all the activities that look fun to their inexperienced eyes, but a parent can see past the perception of youthful ideals. We may have experienced the pain of foolish choices, or had a friend who suffered great loss. We've seen the end result that a teenager has no comprehension of.
At times, it's impossible to reason with them. All they can see is the enjoyment of what looks fun, and may even promise the parent that they are wise enough to dabble on the edge of danger without falling. When leading by influence fails, a parent often has to fall back on a command. You cannot go. You cannot do that. I don't care if everyone else is doing it, as long as you are under my rules, you won't be like everyone else.
For the child of God, we have a loving Heavenly Father who leads us in the right way, but also sets clear boundaries for our good. God's commandments either point us to the way where blessings flow, or restricts us from going the way where consequences flow. We have a limited human perspective, and cannot see how our choices affect our lives in the future, but God does.
There is a critical truth we must understand when looking at God's commands. These are not conditions on our relationship with Him, His love for us, or our gifts of His grace. God's commandments do not make you righteous. You don't become righteous because yo ...
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