As Christians, we need to be rooted and built up in Jesus, strengthened in the faith as we are taught and overflowing with thankfulness like I discussed last week. Why? We live in a world will all sorts of hollow and deceptive philosophies. Everyone seems to have their own version of what is right or wrong, what is true or false, what is real or fake. This world is full of knowledge that depends on human tradition and elemental spiritual forces rather than Christ. How do we know what is right? How do you know what I am saying has any truth to it?  How do you know what you professors or preachers or parents or government officials or favorite celebrities are saying is right or wrong? Do I even know what I believe? Fortunately for us, we have a collection of words from the One who created us. Every day I have the joy of sitting down with a book that contains the words of the One who created me. The question is, do we know what God is saying? There was an interesting article in Relevant Magazine about how we misinterpret the bible. I am not going to discuss it here but I’ll let you dive in if you want: Click Here

But here is the Gospel: In Christ all the fullness of God lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have be brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also brought in to the family with an adoption not performed by humans, but with the eternal seal of God. Your whole self ruled by the fallen state of this world was put off when you were adopted by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working God, who raised Jesus from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and outside the family of God, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having concealed the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us. He took it away and nailed it to the cross—which we just celebrated—and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross… This is the gospel.

Rules and Regulations
But too often we get caught up in rules and regulations set by our society, our community and even our friends. Because of the gospel, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival or certain day of the week. Don’t become legalistic in the rules created by men. All these rules made up by religion and tradition were merely a shadow of things to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of anyone else but Jesus (The President, A celebrity, their girlfriend, A false Prophet, a preacher, Mother Mary, angels, whatever) disqualify you from the grace of Christ. It is because of the self-righteous that the sinners God wants are rejected from the church. The self-righteous go in to so much detail about what they have seen and learned and experienced; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost the connection with Jesus, the head of the body. Are you connected to Jesus? Do you know Him? Does He know you? Are you connected to the head of the body? We cannot grow unless the head wants us to grow.

Since we died with Christ to the basic spiritual forces of this world, why would we still act as if we belonged to this world? “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch! Do not live there! Do not associate with those people! Do not where that! Do not eat that then! Do not fast! Always fast! Do not miss church! Vote! Don’t sing like that! Don’t dance like that!” These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. These regulations have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in the restraining sensual indulgence.

The glory of the gospel is that human rules have no hold on us. We are free! As Augustine said “Love God and do as you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is beloved.” If you love God, then whatever you do on top will please Him. But how do we love God? By doing what He commanded, not what man commanded.


A practice that has always helped me grow is asking myself: Why do I do what I do? What are my intentions? Am I doing this because I love God or myself? Will this offend God?

If we can be a people who loves God without the added baggage of religion, tradition, rules and regulations, then people will have no choice but to see God and praise Him.