If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14:23
From my previous confession, you might think I was some sort of insubordinate freak among Christian women. You may think I was alone in my rebellion. I think not! In my lifetime, the American Christian community has accepted deep within its fabric a pivotal preference that has shaped even evangelical thinking. This principle has blurred the lines between holy and unholy.
Even in our churches, the Bible is a good book of practical, helpful suggestions.
- It would be nice if you would be saved. Your life will be so much better.
- It’s not a bad idea to be baptized and you might want to consider observing the Lord’s Table when it’s convenient.
- No one really expects a normal teenager to remain pure. So, if you don’t wait until marriage to be sexually active, don’t worry, you’re forgiven.
- Marriage is a contract, sure, but the most important thing is for you to be happy.
- When you have the perfect job and your career is finally on track, be sure to give thanks. In the meantime, pull yourself up and just keep at it.
- You will forgive “So-and-So” when it feels right for you. Trust your heart.
- God is happy with the thirty seconds you give Him most mornings. Don’t fret over missing that time now and then. You have a lot to do.
- Help us out with your spiritual and financial gifts when it’s convenient for you.
- You were never meant to go without ________ (fill in the blank). There’s a reason your credit is good. Use it.
- God must want you to solve this one on your own. You can’t wait any longer to hear from Him. Go with your gut.
- No one memorizes Bible verses anymore. Why bother when you can look at any verse, any time on your phone if you should actually need it?
- Even if ‘Holy’ is still on the cover, the Bible isn’t really considered the absolute authority anymore. After all, don’t Confucius and Buddha have some good suggestions?
If this list seems like an exaggeration to you, thoughtfully read over it again. Think back to conversations you’ve had with fellow believers on topics such as sexual purity, marriage, forgiveness, work ethics, and even salvation. Was the Bible the standard in these discussions or did man’s traditions and opinions carry as much weight as or even more weight than God’s Word? Did the conversations sound any different than the evening news or national talk shows? Would an unbeliever eavesdropping on your dialogue know that it was disciples of Jesus talking to one another?
How often in our Christian socializing are we aghast when another Ten Commandment plaque has been ordered off a courtroom wall? You know freedom of speech and all! But secretly we haven’t kept #10 in a while. And “Thou shalt not steal” is for car thieves and Wall Street hoarders, not for us hard working middle class folks who may fudge on our taxes now and then. Isn’t it enough that we have to listen to that preacher once a week? Well okay, once a month. Oh, alright! Twice a year!
We just don’t like being told what to do or not do. We believe in the freedom to choose and the right to determine our own path. That’s the American way! So to ease our conscious, we have taken the doctrine of freedom in grace and equated it with a god of suggestions, when it applies to us of course. Now, when the preacher or televangelist messes up, well that’s another story. Throw the Holy Book at them and pin them down with each and every commandment that has been broken. It is little wonder the Church is accused of being full of hypocrites.
Let’s think this through. In one camp are the one anothers who don’t want anything to do with “the law.” That’s just too…well…commandment-like. The idea of suggestions is much more appealing. With a suggestion, they may or may not choose to follow it depending on the situation. They want to choose when to submit and how they will obey. They lean heavily on the liberty side of discipleship, having a form of love with little or sometimes twisted truth. They shout across the battlefield, “You don’t love!”
In the other camp are the one anothers who work very hard to keep all of the law and the commandments. They know they were saved by grace and can quote Ephesians 2:8 word for word, but they sincerely believe that the Christian walk can only be accomplished through the keeping of dos and don’ts. If they are honest, they like the idea of suggestions as well: the ones they suggest. Often they keep a list of who is and isn’t living by their list of suggestions. They lean more to the legality side of discipleship, having a form of truth with little or conditional love. They shout back across the battle lines, “You forsake the truth!”
It seems to me both camps in some proportion lean to the god of suggestions. Neither camp would dare admit such a thing, though they are quick to accuse each other. The real tragedy is both sides, all of us, have forgotten who has positioned himself right smack dab in the middle of the battlefield. That ole’ lion himself: Satan! He is the father of lies. We might even say he is the father of suggestions. You may recall a short encounter with Eve in the Garden of Eden when Satan voiced his first suggestion, “…Indeed, has God said…” (Genesis 3:1).
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
If the Devil can keep both camps on the extremes, the edges, of the battlefield with his lies and suggestions, then he has done his job well. It takes great strength, effort, and courage to stay in the middle of the real battle. It’s much easier to toss stones across the battlefield at each other than to take out our sword, run to the middle, and let Satan have it!
Discussion
- The commands to love are foundational to all the other commands of God. See Matthew 22:36-40. Look up the following Scriptures and discuss how each of these depends first on following the command to love.
- Ephesians 4:15 and II Timothy 2:14-15
- Matthew 28:20
- Acts 1
- Acts 13:47
One Another Living 