Does the New Covenant of Grace mean we are free do do whatever we want?

During the Last Supper, Jesus introduced the disciples to the New Covenant. His death on the cross would take on the penalty for all of humanity’s sins, freeing us from the burden of trying to gain God’s approval through slavery to the law. 
It’s an incredible experience to be unconditionally loved by God. Through Jesus, we have the privilege of waking up and starting every day fully embraced in God’s fatherly care. 

It all seems so free! Grace is so much better than the law! We can do whatever we want, follow our hearts, live for our desires, and God will always love us, no matter what! 

It almost sounds too good to be true. Maybe, that’s because it doesn’t work that way. 

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave some interesting details on what it means to be in a loving relationship with God. Ironically, the freedom found in God’s love didn’t excuse them from obeying His commands. It empowered them to live them from the heart.

We’ve all had this experience with birthday parties. There are times we purchase a gift and bring it to a party because that’s the rules of social engagement. It’s what everyone does. We do it to keep the unspoken rules and avoid conflict. 

On the other hand, we’ve also taken gifts to birthday parties because we deeply love and appreciate the person being celebrated. Our love for them did not free us from the social rule of bringing a gift. It empowered our hearts to fully engage and hunt down a special gift we knew they would love. 

In the same way, God’s love does not free us from obeying His commandments. He is the designer and creator of all things, including us. He knows how we function and His commands are the instructions that lead us to an abundant life with Him. 

It may seem like a matter of semantics and wordplay, but Jesus’ love ultimately frees us from ourselves. He delivers us from the ego-driven, self-serving, blackholes of consumption, that uninterrupted humans naturally become. 

He breaks us free from our sinful nature that fights against his ways. Then through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with His nature that loves His ways. He frees us from the law by removing our need for a law. 
In a sense, He takes away our craving for cookies, so we no longer need someone to monitor the cookie jar. 

Another way to view this truth is that it’s like God giving us a love for playing outside so that we no longer need a limit on our TV time. 

Our loving relationship with Jesus does not affirm our right to live as we choose. It frees and empowers us to live as we were created to be. 

The more we love Him, the more we desire His will, and the more joyfully we will follow His ways — which ultimately leads us to a more fulfilling and abundant life. 

As you read this passage, think about the connection between loving God and keeping His commandments. How have you experienced the transition in your own life from fighting God’s ways to embracing and loving them? How has letting go of your ways and embracing God’s ways benefited your life and the lives around you? 

📖 John 14:15-27
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

🙏🏼 Pause and talk to God about how much you love Him. Thank Him for the deep peace and security His love and commandments bring into your life. Spend time appreciating the loving protection God provides through His boundaries. Then feel free to share your observations on how loving God has impacted your view of His commandments and your desire to do things His way.