Let me get the rulebook

I laughed when I recently saw someone try to to find the loophole in an employee handbook that would cause them to get promotion. The only problem is the person they were trying to appeal to wrote the book.

Christians are kind of like this.


We don't want to sin if we're going to get punished. But, what if the bible doesn't say anything about it, its probably not wrong, right? Or maybe something is only wrong if you go all the way and not if you do everything, but? So, we live our life doing things exactly what the bible says and nothing else, but that's our rulebook.

This is all true, but sin's not that simple. Sin is not really about exactly what we can find in the bible. Imagine explaining to your wife that you weren't technically cheating, you weren't doing anything that wasn't clearly stated as being wrong in your marriage vows. It wouldn't change the feelings of betrayal and hurt. Yet, we do this to God all the time.

You see, when we really love God it stops being about "technically" and starts being about "because I love God". I do things and not do things not because I'm obligated to, but because I love God, and I want to do things that please him and don't hurt him.
In fact, if we just thought this and believed this we'd probably save a lot of debate over what's right and wrong.

This motivation alone, it would change everything. Everything.