Christianity
is nothing more than a set of rules! Have you ever heard this before? The question or objection, depending on how
it is phrased, comes from both Christians and skeptics. So what does Christianity have to say to
this? Here are a few thoughts on how you
might begin answering this question:
It
is helpful first to acknowledge that the Bible is indeed full of commands and
instructions. But the role that the
rules play is often misunderstood. Rules, even going back to the Ten Commandments,
were not meant simply to tell us what to do and what not to do. They were intended to be a means by which
humanity could come close to God and relate to him. If we think of how rules are applied in other
areas of life, it is quite easy to understand how this works. Discipline,
guidelines or putting deadlines in place are not an end in themselves; they are
the means by which we achieve what we want to accomplish.
While
I was doing undergraduate studies in Toronto I worked for the Toronto Blue Jays
ground crew. While working there I noticed that the elite players would always
be the ones to arrive at the ball park early and leave late. They would come in early for strength and
conditioning purposes, then perhaps look over strategies or game plans. Then they would join the rest of the team
once the normal daily routines began.
This was hard work and made for long days. Here is the point: the discipline of getting
to the stadium early, doing an extra work out, working over game plans were not
the goal. These were the means by which
this player would attain the ultimate goal: victory.
The
rules set out in Scripture were never meant to inhibit pleasure or desire, but to
do the exact opposite. Desire gave birth
to commands, but somehow we have understood it the other way around, as if the
commands were meant to create desire.
There
is actually a moment documented in the Old Testament in which the people of
Israel say that they would like to follow God’s commandments. However, Joshua, their leader at the time,
turns them down. Effectively, he says,
‘You don’t have what it takes. You will
turn away from God. So, please, don’t
commit to it.’ They push back and insist
that they truly want to follow God.
Joshua reluctantly gives in and grants them their desire to form a
covenant binding them to follow God’s rules.
The
rules and statutes implemented into the life of Israel stemmed from a desire to
serve the Lord. Rules were not put in place
to prevent desire from finding its fulfillment.
Rather, the rules were put in place to fulfill desire and avoid
destruction.
A
question that we need to ask ourselves is, ‘Where do rules find their starting
point in our Christian life?’ Does obedience come from a sense of duty or from
a desire for God? If our drive to live for God comes from a sense of duty, our
faith will become one long arduous journey.
But duty is not where we begin.
We begin with a love and desire for God.
Imagine
that I have just been away from home on a long business trip. When I return
home I decide to stop off at the florist’s near my home because I want to get
flowers for my wife. I purchase the flowers, then walk up to the door with
flowers behind my back and knock on the door. My wife opens the door and I reveal the
flowers to her. She says, ‘Nathan, you
shouldn’t have done this! Why did you get
me these flowers?’ I reply, ‘Because it
is my duty!’
What
do you think her response will be after she hears this? What if I respond to her question by saying
that I got her those flowers because I love her—that there is nothing more I
love than the sweet fellowship I have with her. [1]
This
gets at the heart of Christian discipleship.
Christianity does not start with rules, but the rules do make sense.
They are put in place to fulfill our desire for God; not to coerce us into
loving God.
[1] I
am borrowing this story from a good friend of mine, Michael Ramsden. Michael is an evangelist and the director for
the European office of RZIM.
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