What is it about rules?
We know that we need them….don’t put your hand in the fire.
But, we chaffe against them….sex is for husbands and wives.
Give us a list of 20 rules and we will find 10 of them that we just don’t like.
Our inclination is to honor the rules that we like and ignore the ones that we don’t like. This way we get to do as we please.
This often doesn’t work well for those around us. Sometimes it doesn’t even work well for us. Ask any woman with an unwanted pregnancy that resulted from “recreational sex”.
In essence, we build a personal list of rules that we like…….a list that doesn’t restrict us from doing the things that we really want to do. Then we try to enforce that list of rules on everyone around us. And don’t kid yourself…….secular humanists are just as guilty of this as Christians.
So…..each of us operates on a home grown set of rules that doesn’t unduly restrict us……..that doesn’t stop us from doing as we please.
But…….is this honest………is this true?
A great deal of the rancor in our world today grows out of the conflict that arises from all of the different lists of personal rules that we each operate under………..and try to enforce on others.
Abortion is murder……..Control of my body is my right.
We must love and care for our fellow man……..we need a wall to keep them out.
How can what is right for you but wrong for me……be true?
I believe that this way of living is intellectually dishonest. We follow a custom set of rules that doesn’t inconvenience us……and we tell ourselves that we are “a good person”……..that we are living a righteous life. But, in fact, we are committing the most dangerous of all crimes……..we are lying to ourselves.
How do you know if you are guilty of this?
There is a fairly simple test. If your set of rules rarely tells you not to do something that you really want to do……if your set of rules rarely tells you to do something that you really don’t want to do……then you are probably dealing with a home grown, custom, set of rules………a set of rules that you have created that doesn’t interfere with your doing what you want. You are probably being dishonest with yourself. Either that…….or you and your set of rules are perfect.
Watch the talking heads on TV tonight. They are all trying to sell your their list of rules……..because, in their hearts, they think that they are right……that they are perfect…..that their set of rules is perfect……or at least close to it.
I don’t trust myself to make the rules…….and neither should you. We are both far too skilled at manipulating others……..of manipulating ourselves…….. to produce a set of rules that is honest……..that is true…….a set of rules that consistently tells us not to do things that we want to do…..that consistently tells us to do things that we don’t want to do.
How do we handle this?
The honest answer, the true answer, is to look outside of ourselves for a moral code.
In my life, I have used two different external moral codes. I won’t pretend that I have always followed them……..but I have tried. You can judge me for how they have worked.
I began with the Bible. In high school and college I drifted away and began using the Boy Scout oath and the Scout law. As an adult I have turned back to the Bible. Both of these moral codes are similar. On balance, they have both served me well.
Why have I settled on the Bible?
The first reason is that it is by far the most widely accepted moral code on the planet. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all use it……or at least parts of it.
The second reason and the more important reason is that Jesus used it.
Jesus died……a squad of Roman soldiers made sure of it. This is a historical fact.
The apostles and hundreds of witnesses saw him alive later on multiple occasions.
The resurrection of Jesus means that he was and is more than human…..that he was and is God.
So…….. if the Bible is a good enough moral code for God……then it is good enough for me………even the parts that I don’t understand…….even the parts that restrict me and my appetites.
I encourage you to explore the Bible as an external moral code……..unless you are already perfect.
The Cliff notes version?
Love God…..Love your neighbor.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
Paul. NIV
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Jesus, NIV
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus, NIV