GOING TOO FAR
Every generation eventually crosses a line and then calls it progress. What begins as conviction hardens into cruelty; what starts as caution turns into control. Sin rarely announces itself as rebellion at first. More often, it presents itself as righteousness that has lost its mercy. The Pharisees believed they were defending God, yet Jesus told them they had gone beyond the heart of the Law and missed its purpose entirely (Matthew 23:23). When obedience forgets love, it has already gone too far.
The Word of God teaches that boundaries are meant to protect life, not choke it. God gave Israel commandments to form a people, not to crush them, and even those commands were temporary, pointing forward to something greater (Galatians 3:24-25). Yet history shows how quickly people take what God gives and push it further than He ever intended. Rules multiply, consciences are bound, and suddenly people are punished not for sin, but for failing to conform to human fear dressed up as holiness.
Jesus consistently confronted this impulse. He healed on the Sabbath, not because the Sabbath was wrong, but because refusing mercy in the name of correctness had gone too far (Mark 3:4). He defended the dignity of those society had already condemned. Christ revealed that God’s concern is not rigid order, but restored people. Whenever systems value control more than compassion, they stand exposed by the life of Christ.
We see the same danger when prejudice, pride, or tradition is protected at the expense of truth. Racism, legalism, and exclusion all share the same root: elevating man-made boundaries above the image of God in another human being. God shows no partiality and love fulfills the Law entirely (Romans 13:8–10). When someone must suffer so that another can feel superior or secure, something sacred has been violated.
The Gospel calls us back before we go too far. Christ did not come to reinforce our walls, but to tear down what separates us from God and from one another (Ephesians 2:14-15). He invites us to examine whether our convictions produce humility or hostility, whether our faith leads us closer to people or further away. True faith does not tighten its grip on power; it loosens its hold and trusts Christ to reign.
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Lord Jesus Christ, search our hearts and stop us when we begin to confuse fear with faith and control with obedience. Teach us to love what You love, to stop where You stop, and to walk in truth without leaving mercy behind. Keep us from going too far, and lead us in Your way. Amen.
BDD
