Christianity Vs Rules
Saved under Opinion
Tags: christian, Christianity, religion, Rules
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It wouldn’t be a shameful thing to admit that, sometimes, the many rules that govern religion and faith can be quite frustrating. In fact, I’ve heard a number of people say that the thing that puts them off about church is the many rules and guidelines that make up Christianity. I had a friend long ago and his whole approach to life was “I do what I want to do”. It was the very same guy who always came to us to bail him out of whatever deep hole he’d managed to dig himself into. So, while he was doing what he wanted to do, we were having to pay the price for his actions.
While it may be true that Christianity has a whole lot of do’s and dont’s, the reality is that many of us – by sheer nature – want to experience the benefits of certain lifestyles but not put in the work that is required to get to that point. We want the end results without the process. This is both hypocritical and counterproductive. When we look at the Bible, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of promises made by God. If we look carefully though, many of those promises are made with a condition of some sort. The conditions usually centre around obedience and the love of God. Take this short passage, for example:
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)
Most people want the promise, the second part of the passage, but do not want to do the obeying part where obedience and prayer is required. You can take apart any number of the promises in the Good Book and you will generally find the same story applying.
So, why does Christianity have so many rules then? Well, tell me of a working, successful institution, nation or family that doesn’t have them? Rules are there for a number of reasons but the reason we usually don’t think about is this: rules are actually there to make us better people. Where rules are fair and set up in a loving way, we are the beneficiaries. It’s not for anyone else’s benefit. Even then, it’s not about the rules themselves but about the relationship that comes from getting closer to God and understanding his motives.
Ultimately, all is driven by God’s love for us, but that love cannot be imposed. It’s a decision we all have to make individually. If you’d like to know more about God and faith, click on the banner below.
