Daily Java: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. – Colossians 3:12.
The hallmark of a Christ follower should not be his or her drive, or strictness, or even holiness.
The hallmark should be that he or she loves people. Humility, compassion, gentleness, patience – all come out of a heart that is filled with love for others.
A church that is known for its doctrinal purity is a church that is without the basic idea of Jesus. Whenever Jesus had a choice of doctrinal purity over compassion, he always chose compassion. He did this even when the person he was dealing with was clearly in the wrong.
He did it also when it was clear that it would make other people mad.
This is not to say that Jesus “watered down the gospel,” but more that he put it into perspective.
In Mark 2, it reads: One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
There was that argument that the law said something, and Jesus went against the interpretation of the law. He ate what he wasn’t supposed to eat. The audacity of the Son of God coming down to this earth and then breaking a rule.
His comment: rules were made for people, people were not made for rules.
In other words, in my pursuit of what God wants, I do not care about what your rules are.
Any church that puts rules above people is not serving the risen Savior; they are serving themselves.
In any bureaucracy, whether government, clubs, organizations or churches, there comes a time when the group gets together and starts deciding what is right and wrong according to their own ideas. In the church, of course, there is the Bible to blame. But it is the Bible which clearly says, rules are made to serve people; people are not made to serve rules.
Something may feel right to us, and there may be things we do not like to do. But they should not be what defines us. Our compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience should be that defining factor. When people see us, they should see someone who reflects the love of God.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35). Not by rules, or standards, or holiness or anything else, but by love are we known.
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