As a child, I would often find myself feeling a bit of culture shock when I went to other people’s homes and the rules were different. Shoes on indoors? Surely not. Leaving the dishes at the table instead of helping clean? No way. Dad has the money instead of Mom? Now you’re just making fun of me.

Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your countrymen; to Him you shall listen regarding everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward, have also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ God raised up His Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Acts 3:22-26

The Law of Moses is just that: a law. It was set down to govern a nation of people. A nation made of families chosen by God. But the law could and would not overcome the promise God made to Abraham (Galatians 4:21ff), the promise that Peter recalled above. The nations, that is the Gentiles, were blessed through Jesus. That was a blessing to all families that the law was not meant to override.

Those who reject Jesus are not subject to the Law of Liberty that Jesus brought. They can’t be held to it because they are not of His people. By the same measure, they can’t partake in the blessing of Jesus. Having been turned from our wicked ways, we are His People; once lost among the nations, we are now Abraham’s children of the promise, heirs of God.

Knowing all of that, we recognize God’s authority in our lives and honor Him but we don’t assume that the family rules are obvious to outsiders. Introductions come first! Help people meet Jesus and they will love His commands and His Grace just as we do.

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published July 7, 2021