I am often confronted with issues where one person has wronged another person. At times people expect me, as the pastor, to enforce morals on people in order to change them. Some how they believe if I talk to them, I can “force” them to change their ways.
I have learned one principle well. Rules never change people.
It doesn’t matter how many you have, how strictly you enforce them, or even how loyal people are to obey them. Rules alone never change a person. Rules are often necessary to protect and bring order to chaos, but for people to change a heart has to change.
Heart changes change people, not rules. Jesus working in a person’s life changes people, not more rules.
You may even be able to force someone to obey the rules…for a time, but compliance alone never indicates a true change of heart.
If you want me to speak to someone’s heart, I will. If you want me to introduce them to Jesus, I would love to, but please don’t expect me to place rules on them that they will most likely not obey and that certainly will never truly change them.
Have you tried to change people with rules? Did it work?
I have tried to add rules to a community hoping to achieve a desired outcome. And it worked, but only for a short period of time. Eventually if a person or community does not believe and/or subscribe to your beliefs or values on which your rules are founded they will not continue to carry out your requested action because it is not valueable or vital to their existence. Great Post! BTW, I'm finally in Korea!
Thanks Mason! Keep me posted on how things are going! Fun times!
I can’t even imagine the community of grace you are building by doing this. LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Suzi. It's an amazing community for sure. Just glad God is letting me along for the ride!
I came here via the link in your Twitter link. Great article and 100% true. I, like "@KnoxRedShield", grew up in a hyper-legalistic environment that tried to change people with rules and believed that all should be punished for the mistakes of one…. So Old Testament. / Old Covenant.
I discovered that the more rules that were added, the more the people rebelled and also the more "hopeless" the people became when they felt like they just could not "live up to expectations". I also noticed that the rule was 'complied to' for 'a little while' while the heat was on over the rule change and once it simmered down, people more covertly resorted back to their old ways. Legalism and rules only have the capability to state something is a no-no. It does not have the ability to change a heart nor rehabilitate that person who committed the wrong. Only the Word of God preached that leads a soul to genuine repentance can change the heart of a person.
Thanks for stopping by. Great add!
Most Leaders are tempted to settle for adding just another rule, because it takes less effort and time (but as you said, the compliance is temporary).
Changing the heart takes a long time, lot of effort plus caring, mentoring and concern. But the change lasts forever.
Thanks man! I think you are right. I agree…it's a longer process to go for heart change!
If the person accepts the rule, then he's to some extent accepting that there are objective standards of behavior outside himself. That creates in the person an understanding that someone created that objective standard, and when the person adheres to that standard, the person is to some small extent making himself docile to the Holy Spirit, putting a little bit of himself to death in order to forward the kingdom of God in this specific way.
The rules aren't the POINT of it all, of course, but they're a good place to start because "Act in a loving way toward everyone" is nebulous, whereas "Don't steal your office-mate's pretty pens" is very specific. A discerning soul will quickly come to realize that this extends to not stealing the office-mate's pretty paper-clips and eventually "Don't steal from anyone" and that's now a part of the person's soul closed off to evil, and fertile ground for God to keep working.
Rules aren't the point of it all, no. And heaping rules upon rules isn't always for the best. But they're a great place to start the journey.
Thanks for your thoughts
Amen! I grew up in an environment that tried to change people with rules. When we finally got some freedom, a shocking number of my friends went the complete opposite direction. Now, as a parent, we're seeing it play out again in our kids' lives. It's easier to make rules, and sometimes compliance deceives us into thinking we're making progress, but change comes from within and only He can do that.
Thanks. Great affirmation