You Don't Need Rules

Have you ever had a conversation with someone concerning their take on the Christian faith? I'm sure you have. You may not have asked that specific question, but somewhere along the way you have heard someone share their understanding. I have heard people say, "Well...I know you believe in Jesus. And you don't ______________..." It is almost inevitable. So many people see our faith as a great system of rules. And in the process they miss out on the beauty of its expression.

In Romans 13 we read that the one who loves another has fulfilled the law, and that love is the fulfilling of the law. Twice in the span of a few sentences we are reminded of this all important principle of life and faith. If the GREATEST commandment is love to the Lord and Love to our neighbors, and if our love for one another is proof that we really are His disciples; then why don't we spend more time talking about it instead of talking about the rules? Why do the people I talk to rarely, if ever, say that they believe the Christian faith to be centered around belief in Jesus and loving others?

WHY RULES?
When did keeping the rules become the main focus of our faith? If love fulfills the law, then why haven't we done a much better job of conveying this reality? Instead, it seems to me that we say that if you will keep the rules then that will show the world that you really do love God. Notice the difference? We have organized the faith in such a way as to emphasize the rules and minimize the heart. That it really doesn't matter what's going on inside of us, as long as we are able to check off our religious mandates.

Think of it this way:
Do you need rules to love your spouse?
I'm serious! Do you need a list of rules to adequately express your heart for the person you married.
What about your kids? Do you need rules to love them?
This list could go on and on, but the reality is that if we need rules to love then we have missed out on what love truly is.
What love will do is seek to express itself full on behalf of the other. Love does not insist on its own way. Therefore, love doesn't need rules, it simply needs an object of affection to fully give of itself.

WHY LOVE WORKS
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind."
- This is a full expression of love. Nothing is left out. It's not simply a giving of your heart. Not just a few good thoughts. More than just a few acts of kindness. It is a complete abandonment of interests, and a complete giving of ourselves. That we see in our Heavenly Father the worth of all that we have possess. And please note that this is exactly the way that He has given of Himself to us. God is not asking you to do anything that He hasn't done already in Himself.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."
- In a world where people often possess a bad self image, this verse can get a bit confusing. But the reality is that in a healthy state of mind we take care of ourselves. We make sure that we are well fed, that the basic comforts of life are taken care of, and that we do no damage to ourselves. It's this understanding of how we treat ourselves that Jesus carried into another teaching. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." How would you want someone to treat you? Speak to you? Care for you? Love does the same for the other. And yet, love has a way of doing even more for another than we would do for ourselves. It goes above and beyond.

As soon as I put these things out there, people are going to say that this is the "Golden Rule." Let me just say that Jesus didn't call it the golden rule. I think we got that from our Catholic brothers. It also demonstrates how quickly we reduce an incredible principle of life to a checklist of do's and don'ts.

Here's what I believe Jesus is saying (strictly my opinion):
If you want to carry what is in the heart of your Heavenly Father, then love Him and love your neighbor. If you really want to know what it means to be a disciple of mine, then love one another.

It makes perfect sense. Which is why John makes a big deal about the person who says they love God but hates their brother in his letter to the church. Why Paul makes sure we understand that love fulfills the law. Why James would say that the one who seeks to fulfill the "royal law" does so by loving their neighbor.

IN SUMMARY
This is what religion fails to understand. Namely that love does not seek its own way. That love carries us beyond the letter of the law and into a greater reality. That love fulfills any and every law. That love expresses the depth of our faith. And that love is you being conformed to the very image of Christ. Love doesn't need rules, it just needs an object of affection. Once it has obtained that, then it seeks to express itself in a way that will be received by the other. It's a beautiful thing. A way of life that the Holy Spirit is all to ready to guide us into.

Then what does God want me to do?
He wants you to love.
It's not that complicated, and only becomes complicated when we seek to insert our own way into the equation.
When I read through 1 Corinthians 13, I see the true nature of love and its expression. A way of life that has to be learned, no doubt, but a way of life that will take me farther than any rule or commandment every could.
"Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends."
I honestly believe that if we can get this understanding of love deep into our spirit that the rest will take care of itself. That we will see an expression of the Christian faith that the world has not witnessed in thousands of years. That we will return to the heart of God for the human race. That we will see His kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Enjoy the journey!