“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” – 1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV
A lot of people see Christianity as a religion of rules; and thus they refuse to give their hearts to Jesus Christ for fear that they might no longer be able to enjoy life. But are rules such a bad thing? Does not life itself consist of rules? Of course it does. You can’t just go out and do whatever you please without consequence. For every choice that you make there is a rule to govern it. Whether human or divine, relative or absolute, rules exist, and for good reason.
What would become of the world if there were no order to it? Could we survive? Absolutely not! It’s the order that God has set into motion that sustains life and keeps things moving in the right direction. So, while many would like to live without rules, thinking that such a life would represent true freedom, they don’t realize that life without restraint is destined for failure and self-destruction. Indeed, lawlessness reaps chaos, and our world is chaotic because people, for the most part, have chosen and choose to be lawless rather than lawful.
Listen, Christianity isn’t a list of dos and don’ts; nor is it just another religion. It’s a way of life. Not just any way of life, but the right kind of life. For it makes the Way of Christ known to us. And His Way is the only one that really results in bringing about true happiness for the soul. Of course, Christianity has its own set of rules by which to live. But such rules should not be seen as orders which rob the soul of happiness, but as tokens of love, given to us by our heavenly Father, who uses them as a means to open our eyes to our true worth and to help us to understand what it means to value life and walk in love.
Indeed, a person can believe many things about something while not really understanding its purpose or knowing its substance. So it is the same with Jesus. You can believe that He died for your sins out of love for your soul. But if you don’t seek to walk even as He walked, how will you ever come to know the depths of His love? It’s when the love of God is embraced that we begin to experience the power of Christ. When this happens Christianity is no longer seen as a religion of rules, but as an expression of God’s love for humankind. Hence mere belief is translated to faith as the face of God is beheld in Jesus Christ; and rules that were once perceived to be a threat to happiness suddenly take on new meaning; that is, they become delightful.
The life of a Christian is a testimony of love, and the rules by which we live are there for our benefit, not to deny us of our freedom. As Paul put it so eloquently, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV
Remember, you are free to do what you please, but not without consequence. What you choose to do will not only affect you, it will affect others too. Therefore if you desire to live a righteous life in Christ, you won’t look for ways to compromise the integrity of your faith; instead, you will foster a desire to know and live by all of God’s commandments. For God given rules aren’t there to make life unhappy, but to make it more meaningful. For in observing them we discover what it really means to love.