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July 13, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
The Failure of List-keeping, by Bill Denton
Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and
said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For
they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress
the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew
15:1-3 NASB)
There's something comfortable about reducing Christianity to a list
of do's and don'ts, whether your list comes from mindless
fundamentalism or mindless liberalism: you always know where you
stand, and this helps reduce anxiety. Do's-and-don'ts-ism has the
advantage that you don't need wisdom. You don't have to think
subtly or make hard choices. You don't have to relate personally to
a demanding and loving Lord. (Robert C. Roberts in The Reformed
Journal [Feb. 1987], quoted in Christianity Today, Vol. 31, no. 9.)
If your faith is only the practice of a list of do's and don't's, you
are cheating yourself out of what really counts -- a relationship with
Jesus Christ and the Father, himself. Those who are caught up in that
never-ending, never-succeeding list keeping, are quite often
frustrated, unhappy, and overly critical of themselves and others.
Nobody is suggesting that God has nothing to say about human behavior.
If you read your Bible closely, you'll discover that God is very
concerned that we do some things and that we don't do some others.
Failure to do (or not do, as the case may be) is the simple definition
of sin. Years ago, we heard a lot about sins of "omission" and sins of
"commission." Essentially, they were sins of failing to do what we were
supposed to do, or doing what we ought not to do. So, if you think
anybody is saying God doesn't care about what you do (or don't do)
you're mistaken.
God wants us to obey his will!
It's just that people can get so hung up on lists of do's and don't's
that they miss the whole thing about faith in Jesus Christ. Get into a
conversation about salvation and you may hear what I'm talking about.
When the conversation focuses more on what we must do to be saved
instead of what God has done to save us, you might be hearing evidence
of a list-keeper, not a believer. I know that sounds harsh, but at some
point we must deal with this issue.
For too long, some have put such emphasis on our obedience to what God
wants us to do that they have simply misplaced responsibility for
salvation. To hear some talk, salvation is mostly accomplished by their
obedience. Oh, yeah, sure, there was Jesus, but it's almost as if Jesus
is an afterthought, that he needed our help because he couldn't quite
get it done himself.
Does God want us to obey his will? Yes, he does. That said, faith isn't
about list-keeping: it's about believing in, and trusting, the person
of Jesus Christ. It's about seeing his death on the cross as the
singular forgiveness event of all time. It's about seeing his
resurrection from the dead as the declaration that death has lost its
grip on humankind and life reigns. It's about loving God and responding
to His free-gift of grace and unabashed mercy. It's recognizing no
merit in ourselves, while basking in the merit of our Savior. [Editors
note: See 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 6 for the Biblical declaration of
these points!] List-keepers will never appreciate these things.
---------
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RELATED LINKS:
* Love or Legalism
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200507/20050731_lovelegalism.html
* It's About Him
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200105/20010525_abouthim.html
* Love Doesn't Keep Score
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200012/20001207_keepscore.html
* CrossTies
http://www.crossties.org/
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200807/20080713_listkeeping.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
VELVET ELVIS: REPAINTING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, by Rob Bell
In this provocative, hopeful book, Bell asks what the church might look
like if today's believers fully embraced "the way" of love, peace,
sharing possessions, compassion, risk, forgiveness, and harmony.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?254
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