The Point of Friction

It seems that many Christians in my generation don't want to be limited by anything. They want to be Christian, but they also want absolute freedom to do what they want and to do what comes naturally to them. One example of this concept is an organization of George Fox alumni that is pushing for a change in the college's lifestyle agreement to allow homosexual activity on campus Here's a link to an article that explains more about that.

Anyway, the issue here is that freedom and nature are given the seat of honor above all else, even above things like holiness, wisdom, love, or justice. People don't want to be pigeon-holed into living a certain lifestyle outlined by a certain section of scripture or having specific biblical character traits that do not come naturally to them. They think that unless they have absolute freedom to choose what they think is right, it doesn't count. I believe that is an unbiblical position to take.

I believe God has given us free will. We aren't robots programmed to do His every bidding, but He has spelled out for us the rewards and consequences for the actions we freely choose to take. In this way we are free to do what we want, but there are certain guidelines that we are to adhere to as Christians. We are called to repentance. We are a new creation in Christ. Our heart of stone has been replaced with a heart of flesh. All of those are calls to a change in who we are, which fundamentally affects what we do. If you want to call yourself a Christian but are not willing to commit to letting Christ bring about change in your life, if there are words but no action, there's a problem.

The natural. Christians in my generation seem to be consumed with nature, with what comes naturally. There seems to be an assumption that since we are free in Christ, if something is natural, then it's good. I think this is a dangerous way of thinking. We are naturally sinful, and as long as we still live in these bodies on this earth, we always will be. What comes naturally is not always good. Each person has gifts, and God has given them a capacity to use them, but He has also set limitations around how, where, and when they should be used. For example (I'm about to open up a can of worms here), my mom is gifted with leadership capabilities, but that doesn't mean that she should exercise that gift to be the sole leader in her marriage or be the lead pastor of a church. God has a very specific way gifts are to be used, and it's not just arbitrary. His guidelines are for our joy and our benefit and our happiness and, most importantly, our holiness.

What's wrong with living in line with the bible? Why not take scripture at face value? Why try to twist and turn what the bible says to make it fit with your life? Why not completely give yourself up to Christ and do the things He commands of you even if you don't like it, if it doesn't sit right with you? We are assured that we will suffer for the gospel. We must. We are called to be like Christ, and since Christ suffered much, we know that we will also suffer much. It's part of being a son of God (Romans 8:16-17).

Deal with it.