Guilty by Reason of Stupidity

There's a major Catch-22 when it comes to the world's perception of Christianity. I've seen it so much lately and it's got me thinking. The catch goes something like this: if a Christian lives life guided by the Holy Spirit, he or she will act in such a way that causes non-Christians to label him or her a legalist. However, if that Christian (or so-called-Christian as the case may be) lives life attempting to do good deeds to convince God of his or her righteousness, such person truly is a legalist and also likely a huge hypocrite. A person who lives life trying to convince God of a righteousness that simply is not there is also likely to judge others who are also failing miserably at convincing God of their righteousness. So, the Catch 22 is either be a legalist or be labeled a legalist.

So, what do we do?  The answer hinges on who we, as Christians, are ultimately subject to and controlled by:  God and his grace, or people and their perceptions (and inherent lack of grace).  For the true Christian, the answer should be obvious.  Those of us who understand the doctrine of total depravity know and understand that there is no amount of "goodness" we can accomplish to convince God of our righteousness.  We also understand how ridiculous it is to judge the actions of others as either righteous or unrighteous and try to brow beat or guilt-trip others into being more righteous.

Lately I've been reading through the gospel accounts and my attention has been drawn to the ridiculous level of legalism in the Pharisees and scribes juxtaposed with the utter lack of legalism in Christ.  Jesus turned water into alcohol (taboo in certain Baptist circles to say the least), healed on the Sabbath, and hung out with the worst of sinners.  I particularly liked his response to the Pharisees when they questioned his healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6).  Before the Pharisees could even get the question out, Jesus asked, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?"  With that one question Jesus declared the Pharisees to be guilty by reason of stupidity.

Are you guilty of stupidity? I have been on occasion.  Is it possible we're making Christian living way more difficult and complex than it should be?  Jesus lived righteously AND exercised common sense.  He wasn't bound up in the letter of the law, which if exercised in some situations would have completely gutted the spirit of the law.  As Christians we need to trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, this will result in a big fat "legalist" label being slapped on us, but that's certainly better than the alternative of actually being a legalist. I challenge you to examine yourself and your motives and make your own determination about who or what you really are.  Just a thought.