Love vs. Rules

Last Sunday, our pastor reminded us that we do not have to be perfect to come to Jesus. We need to go to Jesus and let Him change us.

When I was in youth ministry, an angry parent had to speak to me about the new students attending our youth ministry. This parent informed me that they should not be at church and I should not encourage the young people to bring their friends because these new teenagers were “bad kids.” Ironically, whatever actions and activities this parent was blaming these “bad kids” doing, the actions and activities of this parent’s own child was just as great. I was horrified. I knew people thought that, but it was the first time it was said to my face.

Jesus said he came for the sinner not the righteous. He came for the sick, not the healthy. The church needs to be a place where the sick and sinner can come and find health. If we fall into the trap that only good people can come to church, then we are failing to understand why Jesus even came to earth in the first place.

The religious leaders struggled with Jesus. The people who should have known him and become his faithful followers were the fewest to believe in Jesus, and they questioned everything He did, especially with whom he spent his time. The people who spent the most time with Jesus were the ones who needed him the most. He even had a tax collector among his twelve disciples, which was considered a career that was full of lying, cheating, and stealing. Somehow, that tax collector was allowed into Jesus’s group of twelve, and yet, today the church struggles to allow someone like that into the church.

Romans 3 reminds us that we all sin. Somehow, many of us have forgotten that we sin, or we believe that our sin is not as great as another person’s. Jesus reminds us that sin is sin. If we even look at someone in a lustful manner it is adultery. Since we are all guilty of sin, we cannot block someone with a sin that is different from ours from coming to Jesus. Most people will come to church to find Jesus, and no matter what Christian church they walk into, I hope they find Him.

People who do not know Jesus cannot follow the ways of Jesus until they come to Him and desire to follow Him and love him. The disciples were not perfect when they met Jesus and decided to follow Him. They were not perfect as they continued to follow Him, as Jesus had to remind them to have faith throughout his ministry.  

Following Jesus and loving him is more than just a list of rules to be obeyed. When we reduce Christianity to a list of rules, we reduce Jesus to a human being who only loves those who obey and follow Him. Jesus is bigger than that. Jesus loves everyone, including those who don’t love Him. Jesus loves people who don’t obey Him or even believe in Him. If Jesus can love them, then His followers also need to love them.

A relationship needs to be built on love and not on obeying a list of rules. We will obey Jesus if we love Him, and desire to build our relationship with Him. a list of rules is built so that people can keep others in check. It’s hard to measure the love someone has, so we reduce the love to rules.

With a list of rules, comes guilt. As people try to manipulate others in Christianity to live by a certain set of guidelines or rules, they enforce the emotion of guilt when a rule or guideline is not followed. We should feel remorse for sinning against God, but it should be toward God and not the person who taught us that it was a sin. Using guilt as a motivator only works for a period of time. Then, the person no longer reacts to guilt. I’ve seen it happen with younger and older adults, and yet, I continue to observe Christians using the tactic of guilt to motivate someone to perform a task or not commit a sin. Jesus did not use guilt. Jesus did not have to manipulate. Jesus inspired. It’s time we inspire.

Inspiration comes when we show love and grace to others and invite them to Jesus. When we lead people to Jesus and take down barriers that many think they have to cross, we will see them come to Jesus and change because Jesus is powerful to induce change and growth. When we follow rules, we just keep moving in life. When we show love and grace, we make a difference in life. It is more difficult to show love and grace. It takes a conscious effort to show love and grace, and it must be done. Let us lead others to Jesus as we live our lives revealing his love and grace.