There seems to be quite a bit of discussion about the balance between grace and truth. Critics of wear-ankle-length-skirts-do-not-do-anything-close-to-work-on-Sunday-do-not-get-close-enough-to-alcohol-to-even-smell-it churches tend to point out that the church needs more grace. Critics of call-nearly-any-rule-legalism-come-just-as-you-are-we-just-want-to-pour-God's-love-on-you churches tend to point out that the church needs more truth. I believe even group of critics is correct. I also believe that each church is correct.
The rule-following-church is correct that God created us to balance work and rest, but I don't know if He wants us to use a spreadsheet to do so. They are also correct that drunkenness can be quite a temptation for some people, but refusing to be in a room with alcohol would have caused you to miss one of Jesus' first miracles. They are also correct that skimpy skirts may encourage men to lust, but if knee caps lead a man to lust, it is his fault.
The shun-restricting-rules-church is also correct that just following rules is not Christianity, but Jesus did not abolish the law. They are also correct that Jesus welcomes all people regardless of their backgrounds, but He doesn't leave them there--He demands life change. They are also correct that people are capable of mystically experiencing the comfort of God's love, but God loves me even if I can't feel it.
Each church is not incorrect, their beliefs are simply incomplete. I believe each may be staring at only one side of the cross.
The rule following church may not even be looking at the cross, but if they are, they are probably missing the big picture. The big picture is that Jesus came to die for our sins because He loves us. This dying on the cross was no simple transaction either. The curtain to the inner part of the temple ripped in two upon His death. Paul wrote, "For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" (Romans 5:17; parentheses and bold added). Our righteousness is completely a gift that is accepted by faith in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Such a realization should cause box-checker to relax all of the extra regulations that they are trying to follow. If this doesn't work then they should possibly look at Jesus' harsh words for the Pharisees in Matthew 15 and 23. Regardless of whether Matthew 15, 23, 27 or Romans 5 strike a strict rule follower, they need to be struck by the fact that God loves them regardless of the clothes they wear or the amount of time they rest.
If the rule-following-church needs to spend 10 minutes analyzing Jesus' death on the cross, I believe the shun-restricting-rules-church needs to spend 2 hours doing so. On first glance one may think the lovey-dovey-church is really getting it. Jesus did come to die on the cross because He loves us, and we are justified in the sight of God, after all; but this church seems to be staring at the result of the cross and neglecting its necessity. The cross was needed because God hates sin. A God that is okay with sin probably would not have come to earth as a baby and then suffered capital punishment--that would not make a lot of sense. Only a God that despises sin would send His Son to die on the cross to fix it. This magnifies the importance of living a pure life even though we have been washed in Christ's blood. If you continue to deliberately walk in sin after committing your life to Christ, you may be only loving a god that you have constructed. This god loves you but does not hate sin. The real God loves you and hates sin.
The real God will take you as you are and does not want you lusting over porn. The real God knows every hair on your head and wants you to dress modestly to avoid causing another to stumble. The real God will grant you eternal life and wants you to never lie.
The real God really does love you and hate sin. Keeping an eye on both leads us to living the life we were meant to live.
The rule-following-church is correct that God created us to balance work and rest, but I don't know if He wants us to use a spreadsheet to do so. They are also correct that drunkenness can be quite a temptation for some people, but refusing to be in a room with alcohol would have caused you to miss one of Jesus' first miracles. They are also correct that skimpy skirts may encourage men to lust, but if knee caps lead a man to lust, it is his fault.
The shun-restricting-rules-church is also correct that just following rules is not Christianity, but Jesus did not abolish the law. They are also correct that Jesus welcomes all people regardless of their backgrounds, but He doesn't leave them there--He demands life change. They are also correct that people are capable of mystically experiencing the comfort of God's love, but God loves me even if I can't feel it.
Each church is not incorrect, their beliefs are simply incomplete. I believe each may be staring at only one side of the cross.
The rule following church may not even be looking at the cross, but if they are, they are probably missing the big picture. The big picture is that Jesus came to die for our sins because He loves us. This dying on the cross was no simple transaction either. The curtain to the inner part of the temple ripped in two upon His death. Paul wrote, "For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" (Romans 5:17; parentheses and bold added). Our righteousness is completely a gift that is accepted by faith in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Such a realization should cause box-checker to relax all of the extra regulations that they are trying to follow. If this doesn't work then they should possibly look at Jesus' harsh words for the Pharisees in Matthew 15 and 23. Regardless of whether Matthew 15, 23, 27 or Romans 5 strike a strict rule follower, they need to be struck by the fact that God loves them regardless of the clothes they wear or the amount of time they rest.
If the rule-following-church needs to spend 10 minutes analyzing Jesus' death on the cross, I believe the shun-restricting-rules-church needs to spend 2 hours doing so. On first glance one may think the lovey-dovey-church is really getting it. Jesus did come to die on the cross because He loves us, and we are justified in the sight of God, after all; but this church seems to be staring at the result of the cross and neglecting its necessity. The cross was needed because God hates sin. A God that is okay with sin probably would not have come to earth as a baby and then suffered capital punishment--that would not make a lot of sense. Only a God that despises sin would send His Son to die on the cross to fix it. This magnifies the importance of living a pure life even though we have been washed in Christ's blood. If you continue to deliberately walk in sin after committing your life to Christ, you may be only loving a god that you have constructed. This god loves you but does not hate sin. The real God loves you and hates sin.
The real God will take you as you are and does not want you lusting over porn. The real God knows every hair on your head and wants you to dress modestly to avoid causing another to stumble. The real God will grant you eternal life and wants you to never lie.
The real God really does love you and hate sin. Keeping an eye on both leads us to living the life we were meant to live.
This was really good. That's an interesting way to look at these two extreme groups! I feel conviction over the final paragraph. It's hard for me to remember sometimes that God hates my sin when I know He fully loves and accepts me. That was a good wake up for me. I read an article earlier this morning to challenge my faith; it’s interesting that I would wind up reading this shortly after.
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