FROM HANDS TO HEART
FROM HANDS TO HEART
One of the most common questions asked by Christians is “What do I need to do in order to be saved?” This question, which many have asked, and even more have heard, often is the result of many things: the fear of hell, the desire for a guaranteed place in heaven, or the insecurity of a saving faith, just to name a few. As this question circulates around churches, homes, and just about anywhere across the world, we often forget to ask ourselves if this is even the right question that we ought to ask. What is the purpose of living in this world? Is it just a trial run to see if you’re “good enough” for heaven or if you’re “right with God”, or did God even make that His plan for humanity at all? The truth is, God called us for a higher purpose than that which simple obedience could fulfill. Through looking at Bible history from Eden, to the Old Law, and now to the New Law, there is a lot to uncover about God’s calling for us to have a unified relationship with Him.
The nature of God’s creation and God’s actions while Adam and Eve were in Eden proved His purpose that He had for us. God created humans in Genesis 1:26-29, and we know all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing, God wouldn’t make humans from necessity. Throughout Genesis 1 and 2, we see that God, didn’t need but chose to lovingly care for and provide for humanity, which He created. Logically thinking, this shows He wanted a bond with humanity that’s not forced, but freely formed between the Creator and His creation. He wanted unity with humans, considering His actions in Eden. In Genesis 3:8, it says. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” This proves Eden wasn’t for humans alone, but a place for humans to spend time with God. The creation shows God’s willingness, not out of necessity but of love, to build a relationship between Himself and humanity with a mutual desire for unity.
Not only does this idea carry through creation, but contrasting the futility of hollow service in Old Law to the fulfillment of the New Law, we can see God’s purpose for His creation. The Old Law, following the fall, had a lot of commands and instructions for the Jews to follow, and, in response, their focus on the obedience to the tasks at hand caused them to turn away from God’s calling for a heartfelt relationship. Scriptures like 2 Chronicles 29:20-30, that mention a sin offering paired with instrumental worship show some of the practices that were kept in the Old Law for the sake of atonement for sin. Their worry, which is similar to many in the church today, was to follow the command to go to Heaven and avoid Hell. However, God doesn’t want us to worry about the place we end up, but who we end up with, which should be God, in whom our hope is planted. In the New Law, we see scriptures that reinstate the purpose for us following God, which is to love Him, not obey out of terror. In Ephesians 5:19, it says “…singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” which implies the only instrument that God commands and desires from us in worship is the heart. While we oftentimes are too worried about doing the right thing because we treat the Bible too much like a rulebook, God wants our love more than anything else. After all, Ephesians 5:2 says “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” If we want to imitate Christ and please God, a hollow service from the hands is not what He is looking for. If we turn our focus from the hands to the heart, we will find our service to be more fulfilling in our walk with Him and our lifestyle more pleasing to Him. So, above all, choose love as the purpose for which you carry yourself in your walk with Christ.
~Caden Conley