He has
shown all you people what is good. And what does the Lord require of
you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God.
-- Micah
6:8
One of the great misconceptions about Christianity is that it's
all about rules and regulations. Yes, it's true that the Old Testament has over
600 of them, covering everything from proper animal sacrifice to priests
with disheveled hair. What's more, the Jewish religious authorities added many
others over the years through their oral traditions. Maybe the intentions were
good. But the burden was heavy. Who could ever please God by following them all
when there were too many to even remember?
"Until the time of John the Baptist, people had to obey the
Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets," Jesus
explained to his followers. "But
since God's kingdom has been preached, everyone is trying hard to get in."
God's Word was perfect. But Jesus got to the heart of its true meaning. When an
expert in the Law asked Christ to name the greatest of the 10 Commandments, the
Lord answered:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Christ-followers who stick close to this principle are likely to
travel far down the road of Spirit-filled living. But there are still issues
and situations--so-called gray
areas--that the Bible doesn't specifically cover. Examples include
issues with personal relationships, styles of worship, food and drink, and
types of entertainment. Although the Apostle Paul never considered questionable
Internet sites and pay-per-view movies, he was no stranger to debatable issues
in his own day that pulled the church away from what was (and still is) most
important: the Good News
about Jesus. Paul advised early Christ-followers that their
newfound faith in Jesus gave them liberty.
"Everything is permissible," he
explained. "But not
everything is necessarily beneficial."
In other words, just because we CAN do something doesn't
necessarily mean we SHOULD do it. But this spawns an obvious question: How do we know if a particular gray
area is OK?
We first need to determine if the proposed activity could be a
problem to those who see us do it. For example, would it build up or hinder the
faith of another Christ-follower if they saw you buy a ticket for an explicit
R-rated movie? And on the same note, would the activity benefit you spiritually
or physically? Just because you CAN eat a bucket of fried chicken and a carton
of chocolate ice cream doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
Our faith in Jesus has given us the freedom to live enriched,
fulfilled lives. But this same liberty isn't a license to sin. That should be
the last thing in our mind. Above all--whatever we choose to do--we need to do
it for God's glory. Because after all, the world is watching.
"A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to
everyone in the house," Jesus tells us. "Make your light shine, so that
others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in
heaven."
The fact is that Christianity is much more about relationships than rules. And it's when we focus on loving God and our neighbors through what we say and do that the vivid colors of life emerge from the gray.
The fact is that Christianity is much more about relationships than rules. And it's when we focus on loving God and our neighbors through what we say and do that the vivid colors of life emerge from the gray.
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