Luke 6:1-11
This past week I was listening to a TV commentator that often refers to his Christian faith, and he said that Christianity is a “rules-based religion.” He used the Ten Commandments to support his assertion.
Was he right or was he wrong? In Luke 6:1-11, Jesus is accused of breaking the big rules, breaking the Fourth Commandment about keeping the Sabbath. First part is about hunger and the second is about healing. This helps us think about the issue of Christianity being a “rules-based” religion.
I would simply say that Christianity is not a rules-based religion. The only thing that makes you a Christian is your belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As far as rules we have the rule of Love, the greatest commandment is to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. We have seen throughout history we have seen the problems caused by people adding rules to the Christian faith.
But don’t think that means the Christian does not have a strong moral basis. The moral and ethical foundation of a Christian are based in a system of hierarchy seen in the Law of God. What do we value most? What is to be our goals in life? And what standard do we use to evaluate what is right and what is wrong? There is a standard of good and evil in Christianity, and that is what actions validate or
undermine that image of God in the other human being. Jesus says in our text, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?”
Human thriving the ultimate good, so this is a foundational principle in our oral system. This is where we must exercise deep humility because it is not what I think is for human thriving, but what is the meaning of “love my neighbor as myself.”
We do back away from rule keeping forms that Christians practice. But we also must not practice a form of Christianity is without morals, ethics, and standards of good and evil.
Pastor Greg
This Sunday is Scout Sunday where we welcome our Scouts and their families to join us for worship. Make sure that we let our guests know they are welcomed and how much we appreciate the word of the
Scout Troop.
