1:30 AM
So, in focusing on something beyond standards and
convictions, I fear I possibly took a step back over that line into legalism
(or Phariseeism, as I prefer to call it). It has bothered me all week that I
wrote that line about “lingering over photos of attractive men online.”
It bothers me because there’s also the principle that it
isn’t wrong to appreciate beauty. And because I’m a writer, with a Pinterest
account, and sometimes I find pictures of people who remind me a lot of my
characters. There’s a terribly thin line between looking for story inspiration
and, well, going beyond. And that line may be different for each of us.
Here’s the problem: the human heart is drawn to legalism. We
want the lines to be cleanly drawn, so we know exactly which side to step on,
and which not to. And even when we say that we won’t define convictions for
anyone else, we can catch ourselves saying, This is wrong, about something that might not be, or maybe not for all.
But it’s more complicated than that, and yet simpler. God
wants us to be led of the Spirit, not by rules.
Always, always, our hearts twist back to the rules. The
brazen serpent, once shaped as a symbol of temporary salvation for a wayward
people, later became an idol. The Law itself, embroidered upon and propped up
by the rules of men, because it wasn’t definitive enough on its own.
Rules give us something solid to gauge by. They’re safe,
comforting. They let us know exactly where we stand.
Being led by the Spirit, however is an intangible. While it
might sound appealing in theory, there’s no hard-and-fast measure to show us
what it looks like, or to give us a sense of how well we’re doing. (Except by
how we extend love and grace to others—but that still isn’t very measurable.)
Being led by the Spirit requires more faith, more surrender,
more discipline, than merely following rules.
It requires us to lay down our pride, our grasping for
control, our self-protection and insecurity.
So ... what’s the benefit?
Life. An unparalleled intimacy with the Creator of the
universe, the Giver of that Spirit. The assurance that every step we take is
ordered by Him, and the ability to choose the good rather than being enslaved
to our darkest natures. The freedom that comes with the surrender of our
impulses and passions, knowing that God can and will use even those.
And then, when we come too close to a line that God Himself
has laid down, we’ll know to pull back before we cross it.
Stand fast therefore
in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again
with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if
you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I
testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep
the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who
attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For
we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but
faith working through love. (Galatians 5, NKJV)
