rules rules rules...

'The year of living biblically' seemed like a very intriguing book that a non-Christian friend of mine had told me he had been reading and so he told me he would lend it to me. Thankful he has and I am currently reading through it. I have to say it is a very well written book (not that I'm a scholar by any means) and a lot funnier than I had first perceived.

'Angels and demons' just came onto our cinema screens last week and I was busting to see it. I'm not one of these people who thinks we should boycott them because they might have something nasty to say about Christianity but to watch them (not get obsessive about them) but to see what the culture is telling people.) And I have to say, it was a great movie. 

But these two combined, the reading of this book and watching 'angels and demons', it just reinforced  one thing; Christianity is all about rules rules rules. I know some of you will read this and say yeah, but in angels and demons it is dealing with the Roman Catholic church, but I would reply, when you see the film they use phrases that portrayed Christianity... people in today's world might not see the difference.

As funny as 'the year of living biblically' is, it just reinforces rules rules rules, nothing else. That is what is demanded when living for God... apparently, to abide by the rules, to play by the rules, to know the rules.

But the good thing that became evident at the end of the movie and is becoming evident as I make my way through the book, is that old line of wisdom 'rules are meant to be broken' because that is what is shown in the end.

Regardless of what rules people try to live to, ultimately we all fail. The bible tells us 'therefore no-one will be declared righteous (made right with God) in his sight by observing the law(these rules), rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.'

The fact that we all fail at rule keeping should show how far from God we really are, how much we rebel against him and should make us 'conscious of sin'

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not rules rules rules but grace grace grace (undeserved favour, ill deserved favour, kindness).

Let us tell people that to be made right with God, it is not a life of do do do, but a life of done-because Jesus done it all through his life, death and resurrection and by trusting Him, he takes our sin, we gain his righteousness and so we have a right relationship with the one true and living God. Let us tell people about our gracious God, that we 'are justified freely by his grace' so that films like angels and demons and books like 'the year of living biblically' will not win by promoting this false gospel of rules rules rules.