I'm often fascinated to listen in when I hear folks discussing living a life based on faith and relationship with God as opposed to living a life based on following certain rules and standards that have become the norm for fundamental Christians. More often than not, the dialogue follows a pattern similar to this: the advocate of having an inwardly focused "relationship" with God (who is usually a bit more comfortable with the newest trends, a tad more accepting of things outside the old-fashioned fundamental "norms", and who may be a bit younger) will say something like, "To me it doesn't matter what I wear, or where I go, or what I listen to, or what I watch, or what I allow to influence me, or what I say and do on social media, or how I live away from the church because I don't do things to impress men. I have a "relationship" with Christ and I am not bound by the law and all its rules anymore."
And then, inevitably, the person who thinks that everyone should follow THEIR standard of living and cling to certain rules and traditions will pipe up and say something like, "Well bless your heart, you just don't fit in with my preconceived notions of what it is to be a Christian. You are a lady and you wear slacks. You are a man and a new convert who is 15 minutes old as a Christian and you still have that earring in? Maybe one day, you can attain the level of personal holiness that I inhabit."
I pity both sides of that discussion, because both sides miss the mark. Galatians 3 offers a clear-cut perspective on how we as Christians should view the law, or "standards", and how we should view living within a relationship where rules are not what govern us in our daily walk. Rules and standards and the law are meant to drive us to a relationship with Christ. When we are growing as Christians, we need a certain set of standards and expectations to govern how we act. These rules will act as a safeguard to keep us from sin. Our relationship with Christ has not progressed to the level of doing right just to please Him.
We must be made to do right, and we must bring ourselves in subjection to rules and standards as a child is under the authority of parents and teachers. Once we begin to mature as Christians, the law takes on a less important role as our relationship begins to strengthen and deepen.
It is sad to see people who profess to be Christians with a deep, abiding love for Christ misuse the liberty that He affords as an excuse to get lax with personal standards. To be accepting of and influenced by the world because you no longer are "bound by the law" is a tragic mistake many fall into because of liberal teaching and thinking that has become accepted by many Christians. Compromising false ministers will peddle a philosophy of relevance and acceptance in order to gain inroads with the world. They fail to see the fatal flaw in their own twisted logic. They are willing to pander to a certain crowd, gain their acceptance because they then can identify with them, and then they profess to have a desire to change them?
How can someone assimilate with a faction of people, and turn around and try to affect change within those people? It just cannot work, and it doesn't.
Those kind of ministries accomplish nothing for the cause of Christ, and serve only to do it harm.
These people must realize that absent the influence of the law, we are prone to wander. I must allow rules and standards to drive me to a relationship with Christ. I must grow and mature under the safe tutelage of those rules and standards and allow their rigidity to provide the structure of my early Christian life. Then, as my faith and relationship deepens, I no longer live "under" the rule of law but I abide in love and affection for Christ and seek only to do those things which please Him. Once I do reach that level of faith, I will find that Christ will speak to me about how it is I am to live.
The closer I get to Christ, the farther away I am from the world. The deeper my love for Christ, the stronger my hatred of sin becomes. The sweeter my walk with the Lord, the more sincere my love for people will be.
To say that I have a relationship with Christ, and then flirt with the world is delusional thinking and false doctrine.
I also believe that the harsh critic who clings to his standards in a pharisaical way is tragically far from being in a true relationship with Christ. This person is often bitter. This person has replaced the close, sweet walk with Christ that he should have with a set of standards to which he rigidly adheres. His life is not marked by the fruits of the Spirit. There is a severity with which they deal with those who don't meet "their" standard. They look down their nose at growing Christians who, though sincere, have not "cleaned up" enough to meet their standard.
These people have, in essence, replaced Christ with the law.
They fail to see that given their own personal failings (because no one is faultless), the law they love and cling to is the very thing that condemns them! If they reject the true relationship they should have with Christ, then they become responsible to keep the WHOLE law. This is impossible.
To go too far to one side of this discussion or the other will find one in error. Christ demands that we keep His commandments: whether we do this out of obligation to the law, or out of love for Him does not matter. The whole duty of man is to obey Christ. Early in our Christian walk, we need to be subjected to the law. After we begin to mature, we should follow Christ out of love. However, this does not mean that every now and again we may need to be brought under subjection of the law again. We all fall short and sometimes backslide.
Be where it is you need to be in regard to your current position in Christ.
If a babe, do not buck against the law- it will be your safety net. If mature, enjoy the liberty that is found in a relationship with Christ, realizing that a true relationship will now result in your misuse of said liberty to flirt with the world.
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