Most people attempt to live a life without regret. It's easier to do whatever we want within the moment, then try to turn those actions into something with a positive outcome later. Lots of people my age wander into this lifestyle through alcohol or drugs, which consumed in excess clouds judgement and results in choices that wouldn't had been made otherwise. Some people find themselves battling to find financial security within an addiction to consumerism. Even relationships, if entered into without caution and intentionality, can be extremely harmful to the life we form, or more importantly, our relationship with the God we love and serve.
You can pick up any magazine, newspaper, or open any news website and see a story about someone in a position of fame or power who was living a life without eternal intention. Bill Clinton decided it was worth it to have an affair. Justin Bieber decided it was worth the DUI. A quick google search finds a list of 66 professional rappers who thought their choices were worth the risk of jail time and found themselves behind bars. Every day we have a choice of whether to just take what the day brings in whatever form it comes, or whether to live intentionally and with a purpose.
There's a word going around in the church recently called "legalism". Some would say that legalism is failing to understand the power of Christ and turning a faith into a religion, an outline of do's and don't. I think the power of Christ is actually best understood when considering those things most people would consider "legalistic". Instead of saying the word and running away from it, let's dig in a little deeper.
The modern day church seems to completely divide the Trinity into three parts. Most denominations focus on one member of the Trinity and fail to discuss the other two members. Even the newest movement, non-denominational, focuses more on Christ and not much on the Father or the Spirit. It's easy to consider certain thoughts or mindsets legalistic if the entire Trinity isn't taken into consideration, but it's important to see the whole picture if we're truly going to live our lives in faith and in worship.
The Old Testament teaches a lot about who God is as our Father. God continually laid rules and regulations down in front of His people in the Old Testament as ways that He would be glorified through their actions. He was so just in those rules that when they were broken, He often made the decision to end their life as punishment. In Genesis 19, Lot's wife turns around after God tells her not to and she dies immediately. In Numbers 25 24,000 people die because the culture had grown sexually promiscuous. In 2 Samuel 6, God ends Uzzah's life because he touched the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Kings 11, God removes the lineage of David from kingship over all but one tribe of Israel because Solomon started building idols for his many wives. God is too just to allow sin to be present around Him. We often forget who God is as our Father, or we ignore the past because Christ has come. We fail to recognize that Christ didn't come to remove the opportunity to worship God by being obedient in the things He taught in the Old Testament, but because the only way for us to receive salvation was for Him to die on a cross. The opportunity to worship God through obedience is still present as much as it ever has been. Thanks to His love and His Son's obedience, we can now find forgiveness in our moments of weakness.
This is not to say that rules and regulations can't become legalistic. It's important to look at Biblical lifestyle guidelines as opportunities for worship and not as a checklist of do's and don'ts. Following the rules and guidelines for a Christian lifestyle that are set forth in the Bible shouldn't be looked at as a list with gray spots, but as a template for how to live a life above reproach. We never want to give anyone a reason to question our faith, our relationship with God, or God Himself.
Let's take a quick look at how something can be seen as legalistic versus how it can be seen as a greater opportunity for worship
It can become legalistic to teach that people should give more to the church than a 10% tithe. It would definitely be an opportunity for worship and financial obedience to give more than 10%, but no one is going to be cast into judgement for not giving.
We can be legalistic in views on alcohol and drugs. In Ephesians 5, we're told to not get drunk, but beyond that there aren't any restrictions. Proverbs 20 tells us perfectly though that "Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler." It would be legalistic to teach that alcohol needs to be avoided, but it's another opportunity to show God our obedience in greater ways. Teaching that alcohol should be avoided in certain social settings could be considered "legalistic" if taught as a rule, but could be a great guideline and recommendation for how to live above reproach.
It's even possible to be legalistic in church attendance, dating relationships, words that we use, activities we participate in and many other things. So many people make the mistake of seeing these things as a list of do's and don'ts, when the way that worships God the most is to see it as a list of "do what you can's". 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 both explain that leaders in the church should be above reproach. This isn't referring to just pastors and elders, but to the entire community of saints who would be identified as Christians outside of the church community. We should desire to live lives that attract people to Christ in an open and honest way, not lives that could be considered fake or hypocritical due to acting in ways that differ from what people believe Christians should act.
What can we do to worship God in even greater ways?
Instead of living every day looking to take advantage in the freedom of gray areas, let's use those areas to be above reproach. It's very easy to live in a way where we seek the approval of man, and when we have their approval, we assume we're doing everything the way we need to be doing it. Instead of finding comfort in the approval of man, we need to find comfort in knowing that we're living exactly how God wants us to live.
Worship is shown outwardly but is experienced by God inwardly. If our inward mindset toward worship is not seeking to serve God in every opportunity, then our outward actions and emotions are only meant for man to see.
The truth about the Trinity is that God is worthy of all of our worship and all of our obedience. Fortunately, He understood that human nature is sinful and gave His Son for us to be free from the harsh punishment of sin. The Holy Spirit is now available to be present in our lives to help us understand God's word, and to lead us and convict us in ways that allow us to be obedient in ways that God experiences as worship.
What areas of your life are you standing around looking for God in where you should be on your knees with hands raised knowing that He's already there?
