Every day we went to two Bible classes in the mornings. They were on all sorts of topics, but all related to the theme of the weak which was "Lead Me". So we had classes about "Lead Me" to serve, to forgiveness, to humility, to partake, and to obey. One class in particular held my interest though. It was about doing right.
I think the main point the teacher wanted to make was that there is a wrong way to do right, and that is when we try to attain righteousness on our own. This was a class in which God revealed an area I ought to have more grace in my life.
To illustrate his point, he talked about the Pharisees' attempt to protect the Sabbath laws. Here's what went down:
God gave His people laws regarding Sabbath. The Pharisees wanted to protect those laws, and ultimately God's word. So they implemented "suggestions" for themselves and their people. These suggestions were crazy things including: you can't spit on the ground, because that makes mortar which is used for brick making which is work; or, my personal favorite, wearing jewelry is not a good idea because the earrings weigh down your earlobes and thus cause them to "work". Anyway, they Pharisees were imposing their suggestions onto the people and treating them as law.
That reminded me of certain things some Christians do nowadays in the name of being Biblical
.**Let me first interject by saying it is certainly noble to do all you can to protect God's word, but it takes special discernment. It is fine to implement practices for yourself but we must be careful about what is truly essential for others to practice as well. Is it a command of Christ or a personal safeguard?**
For instance, Christians who do not homeschool or attend a private Christian school are looked down upon sometimes by the ones who are. Or women are told that in order to be modest you must wear skirts only. Or even sometimes women are told that working outside the home is being feminist and rebellious to God's plan.
That is where the issue gets sticky. Are they the way to righteousness? By no means! We must tread extremely gracefully because even though these are excellent lifestyle choices, some Christians may not be convicted toward them as other Christians might be.
So the wrong way to do right in this instance would be to frown upon those Christian families who do not, for whatever reason, live the way we do. That does not make them wrong, nor does it make us right.
That is the beauty of grace through Christ. His love unites all sorts of different people, with diverse backgrounds and walks of life. This issue had been on my heart for a while so I was really thankful for that class which helped me tie all these thoughts together!
I hope this could be thought-provoking and encouraging!
