Faith that frees

Let me tell you guys a quick story, and you tell me if it rings true. In a culture that values freedom as a good in itself, the deceiver's strategy has been to convolute the concept of sin and brand Christianity as a rule-based system.

The strategy was an unqualified success. Because a free society must have legal boundaries, crime became a distinct category of sin in the cultural consciousness. Crime hurts other people, whereas non-criminal sins are "victimless." This popularized the "I'm a good person" rejection of faith. Someone who hasn't done anything wrong doesn't need to atone for his sins, so it goes.

For many people, biblical literacy is being able to quote the Ten Commandments. Seven years after becoming a Christian, I've never heard of someone inspired by that list of shalls and shall nots, or from the rest of the Mosaic law. In the Torah days, God assumed His people were faithful and His words would be written on their hearts. They were not. The Pharisees distorted God's to an end unto itself, transforming faith to pedantic rule following. Strikingly, the same image pervades a hedonistic culture's view of Christianity today. Various denominations' weakening of doctrine, rather than defang that view, enforced it.

The post-war liberal consensus, ever fearful of sectarianism, adopted as a core feature suspicion of men and their ruling passions. Rather than use these energies for good, peace-seeking churches squelched them, denying men a faith aligned with how God created them. Suddenly manners mattered most and doctrine mattered less. Good little boys mind their manners. They don't break the rules and they don't get in trouble. They also don't fight wars, don't start businesses, and don't spread the Gospel.

Bold, flawed, inspired men do those things. Bold, flawed, inspired men respond to calls to action, and the call that resounds loudest is the one sounded by the Creator, as in Ephesians 6:13-17:

Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Fight the deception with truth. You are a Man, a soldier of God. Your flesh is not a prison; it is His temple, His outpost in enemy territory. He made you imperfect, but in your imperfections lie your spiritual gifts. Use them forthrightly for good.

Whether you're a creator or not, you're always on the lookout for independent voices outside the corporate entertainment machinery. Give my books a try, and visit the author blogs listed in the sidebar. I've made available the first 4 chapters of Seeds of Calamity for free. If it piques your interest, get yourself a copy at Amazon. I appreciate the support!