Legalism Run Rampant

There is no question that at times I struggle with authority. I am not particularly fond of rules and regulations and I probably view far too many things in this life as "suggestions."  My rebellious nature covers all but one area of my life - that is my view of Biblical Authority. The Bible is God-breathed, inspired, infallable and innerrant - of this I have no doubt.

My problem isn't with the Bible, it's laws or precepts, but with the individual's interpretation of the Bible. Most of you recall the passage, "no prophecy of scripture is given for private interpretation..." (2 Peter 1:20), still we insist on making silly, foolish laws that suit our own personal interpretation. "You have to wear a tie, if you are serving the Lord's supper" or "raising your hands in prayer or song is a distraction to other worshippers." I could start a lengthy list of all the foolish laws and rules we make that suit our personal preference for worship, for Christian living, for personal conduct, etc.

Most of those objections begin with I THINK, "I think God wants us to give him our best," or "I don't think a Christian should . . ."  We all have opinions, but when we begin to subtitute those opinions for law we run into problems.  I can hear someone right now thinking, "well God does want our best."  I have no argument with that, it is our opinionated application of that belief that usually gets us into trouble. Our opinion of what is best is an arbitrary standard. God on the other hand is looking at my heart, which to be perfectly honest is of much great concern to me than men's opinions.

The problem arises because of our applicaiton of Christian liberty. I want this liberty extended to me when I seek to "work out my own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12), but I am reluctant to let my brother or sister do the same. I don't trust their judgment, reverence or interpretation of the scriptures. Even worse, I don't respect those areas that do allow us to exercise personal choice.

We all have a lot of burdens we carry in life. I pray we will be cautious not to add to another's burden by heaping on them laws, rules and opinions that they cannot bear.

Bound & Loosed

Are we free in Christ, or bound by law?

Are we liberated in Christ, or slaves to righteousness?

Do we live by a code of thou shalt not, or by the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus?

Be careful before you answer too quickly. For those who are all law and no grace, Christianity isn't just a checklist of items to get us to heaven. We need to be cautious that we are not like the Pharisee who says, "'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." (Luke 18:11, 12). Remember, this was not the man who left the temple justified that day.

On the other side of the equation,  our umbrella of grace shouldn't be so large that we disregard our obligation to follow the commands of God. "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1, 2). Disregard for the commands of God should be a fearful thing.

We live in an interesting era when old standards are being questioned and a new generation of believers are trying to find God in a biblical context. I hear a lot of my peers chastising this next generation because they don't automatically accept everything they hear from the pulpit. That is not a bad thing if their questions are raised from a biblical context. "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)

I can see the positive and negatives of this "seeker" generation. They don't want to play by the old rules, some have issues with authority (a personal struggle of mine), and there are always those who just want change for change sakes. BUT, let's look at the upside for just a minute. Like any body of believers, we can cling to our traditions so tightly that we begin to bind them as law. We protect them like a lioness guards her newborn cub.

Challenges to our long held beliefs is a good thing. 1) It forces us to study and re-examine what we believe. While my core beliefs have not changed, I have had some significant paradigm shifts over the past decade. 2) We are strengthed when our faith is exercised. Resistance builds spiritual muscle mass.  3) We come to understand that some of our traditions are just that - traditions!!! That revelation and "AHA" moment allows us to move past archaic ideas that fail to reach the next generation.

Break the Rules

On the occasion of my son graduating high school, and again college, I gave  him writing journals (a passion I share with all four of my children). On page one of those journals are "rules for life." I think it is rule #6 or #7 that says, "sometimes you have to break the rules, wisdom is knowing which rules to break."

I hate rules, policies, guidelines, ordinances and laws. I am also not too fond of suggestions, input, oversight or guidance. I would make a great Libertarian if it wasn't for my longstanding religious and moral convictions.

That being said, I was reading Seth Godin's blog today and I was inspired by this simple conclusion, "If the only alternative is slow and painful failure, the way to get unstuck is to blow up a constraint, deal with the pain and then run forward. Fast."

That is not a very popular view among rule-mongers and law-makers. It strikes at the heart of legalists and Pharisees, but I love it. Sometimes you have to turn over the apple cart, shake up the status quo, or do something to stop the slow painful descent into apathy and complanceny.

I get lots of criticisms for my blogs (yes, I also get more praise than I deserve), because I say what is on my mind. Totally unfiltered, unrestrained, untethered remarks of where I am in that moment of time. I am happiest when my thoughts stir others to thought or action. If I encroached on your comfort zone all I can say is Hallelujah and Amen. Maybe, just maybe you will come back tomorrow to see whose buttons I am pushing.

Just for today - break a rule, just for the fun of it.