Some people think that to be Christian you must never do certain things. The list varies. It might include no drinking, dancing, going to movies, smoking, working on Sunday, and add wearing a hat to church (ladies only). In our church we’ve had people criticize the pastor if he doesn’t wear a suit and tie. Is the power of Christ only about externals?
This is an old problem. The early church was challenged by Jewish ‘believers’ who thought to be Christian you must be circumcised. When Paul and his ministry team went to Jerusalem, he wrote to the Christians at Galatia saying, “Not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this (pressure to comply) occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
From this, and from my own experience with legalistic pressures, it seems that some people struggle with the idea of freedom in Christ. For them, a list of regulations is easier to follow than seeking the will of God each day, than listening for the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit. In their minds, the rules are sufficient to keep them holy.
However, personal rules are never enough; others also must follow their rules. If they don’t then the rule-makers seem thrown into doubt and confusion. They become insistent. “Follow my rules,” they say, “or you cannot be a true Christian.” Or they might not go quite that far. Sometimes it’s more like: “Follow my rules or I will not worship or fellowship with you.”
If I let Jesus be my example, then I don’t read very far before finding out He spent much of His time eating and drinking with “sinners” who had no regard for religious rules. Jesus didn’t reject anyone who didn’t tow the line. Instead He offered them something entirely different from a life of regulations. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” and “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Free from what? Free from the bondage of sin!
The sinless Jesus wants me to be like Him. Rules won’t do it. ‘No rules’ won’t do it. My freedom is in doing what He wants me to do, not letting any one or anything direct my life. Freedom rejects the rule of sin and selfishness, man-made rules, and even the rule of my own fears. I’m free to walk with Jesus without worrying ‘what people will think’ and the fear of not fitting into the norms. In the family of God if everyone is following Jesus, we simply enjoy harmony with each other.
As I write this I’m asking myself why would a person try to make others live by their rules? Is it because the more other people do what I do, the more I am affirmed? Is it selfish pride that thinks my way is the only way? Is it insecurity that needs validation? Or fear that I (or they) will miss the will of God? Or is it simply proud unbelief that says I must govern my life and the lives of others because God doesn’t know what He is doing?
The truth of the gospel shows me that living my way, or living by a set of rules, only brings me into bondage. Following Jesus opens the door to freedom, and in that freedom there is peace, joy, and a great sense of adventure!
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