Categories
Faith

Obedience without faith

RulesIf you decide you want to be a Christian, how do you know what you’re supposed to do in following Jesus? There are four main approaches to this question. Using grossly oversimplified stereotypes, the “Catholic” approach is to do what the Church tells you to, the “Protestant” approach is to do what the Bible tells you to, the “Charismatic” approach is to do what you think the Holy Spirit is telling you to do, and the “Cult” approach is to do what your favourite guru tells you to do.

If you take the view that following the Bible is more likely to keep you in step with the original type of Christianity, then you have to decide how to follow the Bible. How are you going to interpret the Old Testament commands in the light of the New Testament? Which principles are “commands” and which are merely “suggestions”? What rules are things which were appropriate for the cultural context at the time, but are inappropriate today?

The problem with an obedience-centred approach to Christianity is that it inevitably leads you down the wrong path. As Jesus repeatedly explained to his followers, honouring God isn’t about obeying rules; it’s about trusting in God. As he said to the Pharisees in Mark chapter 2 when they were complaining about his disciples’ failure to obey the rules of the Sabbath, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” Forget about the rules; learn to rely on Jesus, and everything that is necessary will follow.