Are The Rules Of Religion Important?
By Rick Carrol
One of the biggest criticisms of unchurched people about the Christian way of life is that there seems to be a whole bunch of rules that we are supposed to follow:
Don’t consume alcohol or use mind-controlling substances
Don’t get angry or hold grudges
Donate your money or other resources
Did you know that in the Bible, the book of Galatians actually teaches the opposite thing?
The Apostle Paul writes that living by a set of spiritual-sounding rules to make us look religious actually negates what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross.
If righteous living could make God love us, then Jesus didn’t need to die. How we live doesn’t make God love us any more or less. He loves us – period!
It’s because He loves us, has forgiven and has transformed our hearts that we can actually start to live a life that honours Him because we WANT to, not because we HAVE to.
Righteous living then is a result of God’s love for us, not a pathway to earn God’s love. It’s a subtle but very important difference to help us learn to love God today.