Passing Faith Without Passing Down Fear
As Christians, we believe in a loving, kind, and forgiving God. We believe, in the words of John 3:16, that God loves us so much that to redeem us and give us eternal life with Him, He called His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. God is our Father in heaven, who calls us his beloved, precious children (Matthew 6:9, John 1:12, Romans 8:16, Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:1). Out of an abundance of love for us, through the inspired scriptures, God gives us a divine blueprint for how we ought to live.
The importance of living according to God’s love becomes clear when you consider who God is to us. God created the universe and everything in it; fashioning humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Why wouldn’t we live the way He calls us to? Imagine you get a new car, and instead of a salesperson from the dealership running through all of the controls and maintenance and so forth, the engineer who designed the car is speaking with you, telling you how to take care of and drive the car. Wouldn’t you be inclined to do what he tells you because of his intimate understanding of the vehicle? Considering that God is the Creator, doesn’t it make sense that God knows what is best for us? And considering that God loves us, doesn’t it make sense that God has our best interests at heart when He gives us commands?
Much like a loving parent protecting their child from hidden dangers or guiding their growth, God knows how to foster our growth and spiritual maturity. He gives us guidance about how to live the lives He has graciously breathed into us, and He corrects us when we stray from the path of faith. Just as maturity allows us to appreciate some of the boundaries our earthly parents set, our spiritual growth draws us closer to God, unveiling the wisdom behind His commands. We understand why Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors and warns us against things like greed, hypocrisy, and adultery (Luke 12:15, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 23:3, Matthew 5:27-30). We understand why Paul tells us to submit in love to each other and even why Paul himself warns about turning faith in Jesus into a religion governed by the law (Ephesians 5:21, Romans 7:6, Romans 8:15, Galatians 5:1).
Standards for Christian behavior are not an impersonal set of rules, nor do they follow the logic of a conditional statement, e.g., if I do these things, then I will receive something good or avoid punishment. The standards outlined in Scripture are guidelines, an instruction manual divinely inspired by the Creator Himself. Because of Jesus’ love, we no longer walk under the shadow of condemnation (Romans 8:1-2). Instead, we are called to uphold two great commandments, namely, to love God and to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:28-31). By embodying these two truths, we naturally carry out the will of God.
Jesus sets us free from the law. Jesus has paid for all of our sins; there is no guilt in the cross (Hebrews 10:22). How then, can we protect our Christian faith from becoming slavery to the law?
We must allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide our steps and shape our sense of justice. Love, rather than the completion of rituals or adherence to societal standards, should define us as Christians. Authentic love cannot be forced; it must flow freely. Our conviction to live faithfully and our reverence for God must come from a place of love, not guilt, pressure, or fear. That conviction flows naturally from our identity as adopted children, welcomed into God’s loving arms. It cannot come from slavery to sin or from an attempt to project Christian ideals merely to fit in with or please others. Instead, it must come from the Holy Spirit transforming our souls to become more like Jesus. When we faithfully mirror who God is and how He loves, conviction and reverence naturally follow.
Jesus Himself says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). External pressures come from all angles here on Earth: jobs, school, family obligations, social expectations, health diagnoses, the loss of loved ones, and financial burdens. This life is certainly not without pressure. However, faith is not meant to be another source of this pressure. Rather, faith in the love of Jesus provides us with a yoke to help us handle the pressures of life. Instead of relying solely on our own strength, Jesus gives us a way to spread the weight across His shoulders, just as He carried the ultimate weight of our sin on His shoulders at the cross. Walking in step with God’s guidance and abiding with the Holy Spirit does not remove the pressures of living in a broken world, but it gives us a way to carry them.
What then, does this mean practically for Christian communities? How can we uphold the standards for our lives outlined in Scripture without inducing guilt when people fall short, fostering an atmosphere of fear, or pressuring individuals to please the people in their church communities?
Firstly, Jesus Himself tells us not to point out the speck in our brother’s eye while ignoring the log in our own (Matthew 7:3-5). We must resist the temptation to nitpick. Before pointing out a perceived flaw about someone’s behavior or lifestyle, we must critically examine our underlying motives. Is our response coming from a place of justice, and love for the other person? Do we want to see the best for them? If so, we may be compelled to speak to them and help them get back on track (Proverbs 27:17, Galatians 6:1). At other times, however, we must confront the uncomfortable possibility that the desire to point out someone else’s mistakes or failings comes from a place of hypocrisy, insecurity, or pride. In those moments, we must examine the log in our own eye. What mistake are we making, what sin are we committing that we may want to distract from, by calling out someone else?
Secondly, we need to clearly communicate both the character of God and the destructive nature of sin. God loves us, and sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). God wants us to draw near to Him, which is why He hates sin, as it is a barrier separating us from Him. God hates sin, not sinners, which is a vital distinction. Jesus famously modeled this as a friend of sinners, likening His ministry to that of a doctor, since doctors do not primarily associate with the healthy, but with the sick (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31). When we are battling disease, doctors stand beside us in the battle. They are not battling us for being sick, but battling the sickness itself and taking care of us during this battle. In a similar way, God cares for us in the battle for the health of our souls and our relationship with Him. He fiercely opposes sin, while fiercely caring for and loving us.
This is the same care and love we are called to bestow upon our neighbors. If the place of love we are coming from is abundantly clear, our neighbors will naturally be more inclined to consider our way of life and may naturally desire to live the way we live. An outpouring of love is attractive to every person, as we are designed by God for it. When we are living apart from God, there is an uncomfortable dissonance as we are living outside of our very design. People are supposed to know we are Christians by our love, and this love is what makes us part of the Body of Christ and allows us to be hands that reach out to others, and arms that allow us to embrace them and bring them into our eternal family.
The simple truth of this matter is in the two great commands that Jesus identifies: to love God and to love your neighbor. If we can faithfully impart the love that defines our faith, then conviction, a desire to live according to God’s standards, and reverence for God is an inevitable conclusion.
