Rule keeping. ( Romans 10 v 9 v - 13 )

At the time of Jesus the Jewish religion had become a religion of rules,hand washing rules, in case you had touched something considered unclean,it was nothing to do with hygiene,but like all the religious rules they had be taken very serious.The disciples did not conform to their hand washing rules,and the religious leaders challenged our Lord about it ( Read Mark 7 v 1 - 23 ) There were many rules attached to Sabbath keeping, one was ,if you cut your finger you could bandage it ,but you were not allowed to put ointment on it. There were about 3,500 regulations that the Pharisees believed they ought to observe in order to be accepted with God. No wonder Jesus said how the religious elite loaded people down with burdens they could hardly carry ( Luke 11 v 46 ). .Now is it , not wonderful, that we do not have to obey any of these rules to be accepted by God, all we have to repent and believe in Jesus who paid the price for our sins on the cross, as the hymn writer wrote,'Not the labour of my hands,can fulfil Thy law's demands; Could my zeal no respite know. Could my tears for ever flow, all for sin  could not atone; Thou must save and Thou alone. Nothing in my hands I bring simply to Thy cross I cling'. ( Words by A.M.Toplady)