This week we’re starting a new series in the Book of John.

Confession time. Not only do I seldom read anything in an online Terms of Service agreement, but

sometimes I will eagerly see how quickly I can click the “agree” button and move on without digesting a

single word. I am not recommending you do the same, but there are just so many such agreements now

that I’ve gotten jaded.

Now, if it was something important like life insurance or a mortgage, I’m going to pay a lot more

attention. What I’m talking about here are things like a free online account, or a streaming service that’s

not very expensive and would be national news if they started doing something outrageous that I

needed to be aware of.

And in fairness to companies that continuously update their Terms of Service, often they’re just

complying with privacy disclosure laws or protecting themselves from wacky customer lawsuits. But still,

if somebody showed up at my door and said, “I’m from Netflix, and I’m here to confiscate your water

heater” part of me would know it can’t be true, but another other part would think, “Well, I probably

should have read the Terms more carefully - I better go shut off the water valve.”

And some changes in terms are a much bigger deal than others.

Indeed, we have all received grace after grace from His fullness, for the law was given through Moses,

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16-17 HCSB)

Moses brought the law which defined righteous living, but we were unable to fully meet those terms, at

least not on our own. But thankfully God changed the terms and provided another way.

Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter

will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18 HCSB)

So now we have a way to meet God’s terms without having to do it all ourselves, because Jesus has

signed on to the agreement with us. We’ve moved beyond a checklist and into a relationship.



Oh, and did I accept this change in terms? Yes. And it’s good for a lifetime.

By Mark Stuart

Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob, and father-in-law of Bailey.