Christian Liberties. (getting on my soapbox...)

We must be very careful how we preach today... In a market and results driven society people judge Christians by their results. This is a very difficult and precarious position to be in as people charged with preaching the Gospel.

It is quite easy to call a Christian a hypocrite. We dont have everything right, we dont know all the answers, and we never live up to the charge Jesus gave us to be "Perfect as the Father is perfect". It is easy as maturing Christians and leaders of the church to encourage and look for change within the people that we are pouring our lives and the Gospel into. This can be OK, because Christ did come to redeem us and make us new. In addition it is OK to encourage and teach sanctification in the life of the believer, it is promised and it is a benefit of life in Christ. The problem comes when we dont properly teach that sanctification does not grant us justification, and that is an important distinction to make. Grace alone, through faith alone is the only thing that grants us justification from sin through Christ.

When we look for and teach sanctification alone, we need to be careful not to give a new law. People may be looking for a checklist or rules to follow to be a good Christian, but those were given, and they are unattainable apart from Christ. In the sermon on the Mount, Christ taught the true spirit of the law, "You have heard it said... but I tell you that...". Christ came and elevated the law to make it the perfection that God necessitates. We cant be perfect, we've already blown it both on our own and through the inheritance of original sin.

Now Christ taught us that he came to fulfill the law. His righteousness was imputed to us and our faith is then credited to us as that righteousness. This is the only law that there is, the law of the truth and love of God. That law is fulfilled in Christ. He did it for us. This is Grace! We are justified WHILE WE WERE (and are) STILL SINNERS!!!!!! To give people a new law is only to add rules that God didnt give us. That is not grace. You dont have to be anything other than a believer in Christ to take part in Grace. Paul tells us that we cannot add anything to the law, and that we can only listen to the Gospel that he has given us... even if an angel comes and preaches a different Gospel between now and the return of Christ, we are not to acknowledge it. Jesus also said that a false teacher would do better to tie a stone around their neck and jump in the sea than face judgement for their teaching. Christ cares a lot about the Gospel that gets preached.

Now, dont get me wrong, people who are careful with how they live are doing a great thing. But we cannot expect it for the salvation of people. Not only this, but we can help be redemption for people in Christ. There are lots of rules out their for Christians: Dont listen to most music, Dont play sports, Dont dance, Dont drink, Dont smoke. But what does this say to people? That you have to be perfect to follow Christ? Thats not a very attractive set of rules for lost people... Christ said that He came to make all things new, also Paul said that all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial. This is true. My drinking or not drinking, or insert whatever there, doesn't affect my faith in Christ. I can sin in drunkenness and irresponsibility, and we can do this anywhere, too much football or an obsession with a championship, the difference between dancing to hook up or dancing to music, on and on... But as Christians we can also show people who drink to live, how to enjoy a drink in fellowship and responsibly.

In this way we can show people, through Christ, how to live to their Joy and to the Glory of God. That is the Gospel. Instead of giving them a new law, the Gospel transforms and informs how we drive on the highway, sports stars, dancing and music, drinking, and everything else in our lives. What is better to hope for? an end to football? or a league of football players living their lives and playing to the very most of the gifts they've been given? We can have the same hope and joy in redeeming responsible and worthwhile consideration of everything in our lives. Lets not make new laws and rules, but instead live lives that are constantly being evaluated with the Gospel in mind so that we might transform and worship God in every single thing we do.

That is truly what it means to be a light in the world.

Praise God.