M-G: 6.7.17 // What Are You Hung Up On

Ever sliced through a filet mignon that plied like butter and savored every bite? It is one of the reasons I cannot give up being an omnivore. I love red meat, fish, and pork; I guess that makes me a mean lean Gentile grubbing machine. Naturally, I also love my vegetables, fruits, and nuts. I have had herbivorous friends accusing me of being a flesh eater, but I will not resort to name calling, like, tomato killers, or accuse them of condemning vegetables to a liquefying death in a blender; it’s too ghastly to process….  

Now, I can accept a person who wants to avoid any kind of meat as long as they are not attempting to achieve a higher level of spirituality by doing so and condemning others who are not vegan. This is where I draw the line and treat it as another rule in the bag of religion which is just another word for legalism. Religious people are more interested in external religious activity rather than a personal relationship of giving God preeminence in their lives.

There is a subtle distinction in this context between doing and obeying. Doing is based upon a set of rules; obeying is based upon a relationship of agape love. Doing is treated as an external obligation; it is the religious or spiritual thing to do. Obeying is motivated by a spontaneous love for God. The prime directive of all of Scripture is very clear that loving God with the totality of our being is all about relationships. We obey or keep His commands because we are in love with Jesus (Jn 14:15). If we are not doing it out of love (agape), it is disobedience that is reflected in failing to do His will.

It is that love for God that motivates everything that we do for Him. It is how we show our love for Him; unlike the list-keepers who do a lot of good things for others in the name of God but fail to see that keeping a bunch of rules does not convey a personal relationship with Him (cf. Jn 6:29). It is akin to honoring God with the lips but the heart is far from Him; life and lip are not in harmony. There is no evidence of abiding in Christ (Jn 15:4). Their confidence is in their works rather than obeying God’s will (cf. Mt 7:21, 22-23).

Tony Evans observed rightly that structure is often confused with surrender.  Surrender is a negative term in our culture. We are the most powerful nation in the world; we boast! Capitulation is not an option. There is no pride in surrender! The truth is there is no victory apart from surrender in the Christian life, surrender to God that is! This is another powerful paradox of Scripture. We must surrender to achieve victory in our lives, and we wonder why there is no peace, hope, joy, power, or victory. The answer resides within this paradox. Remember that old Gospel song, “I Surrender All?”

“All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.”

That message never grows old!

Avoiding meat in your diet, abstaining from dairy products, or refusing to wear things made out of leather, or whatever will not get you one millimeter closer to God than lovers of red meat and dairy. Service in the name of God without a heart for God is nothing more than religion. It is from this culture that the bacteria of legalism breeds.

Such people are using the health angle and the command to glorify God in your body (1 Cor 10:31) to justify their religious rules of spirituality. The larger question is this; are we magnifying God with our lifestyle? The second question is likened unto it; is this for the good of others (1 Cor 10:32)? This is where the focus needs to be. Both of these questions are patterned after the first and second commands (Mk 12:30-31a). How important is this? “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk 12:31b).

There are people out there who literally run “glorify God in your body” into the ground. I would rather hear them say,

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psa 34:8)!

Such a taster will do the right thing. But religionists are not going to do that. They peddle legalism; lack of conformity is construed as unspiritual. In fact, what all legalists have in common is they see serving God through rules, regulations, and observances rather than through a healthy personal relationship with God.

Legalism in any shape or form does not glorify God. It is not about love but list-keeping. It only makes Pharisees out of people. Do you know anywhere in Scripture where there was any good thing said about the Pharisees? They were hung up on rules, regulations, and observances, not love. What are you hung up on? <><

(Jer 15:16) Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.