People of Principle

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!'? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings."
Colossians 2:20-22

This scripture is perhaps the most direct assault on legalism that is written in the Bible. Many Christians live their lives obeying religious rules rather than pursuing a relationship with God. Religion and legalism go hand in hand. If we choose to live this way, we are robbing the cross of its power. We are discrediting the work of Christ.
    I lived many years of my Christian life believing that these rules and regulations were somehow imposed by God. I thought he was the author of all the 'do nots.' But I have been set free from this lie. God is not a God of do's and don'ts. He is a God of freedom. I have found that I retained my convictions about what activities to participate in and what not to participate in, but now, these convictions are based on a deep desire to express my love for God through the things I do. Before, I simply denied myself to follow the rules that were set before me. In the church I grew up in, we could not dance, go to movies, play cards, or go to roller skating rinks. There were rules, and we dared not break them. "If Jesus came back, would he go into that movie theater and get you?" they would say. We believed the answer was no, so we didn't go.
    But here is the thing that really comes against this type of thinking: Jesus spent the majority of his earthly life hanging out with sinners. He went to their houses, he went to the places they were. If he were physically here today, he would be in bars, movie theaters, clubs, sporting events, and festivals. He would be with the people who needed him the most. So, how dare we walk around with pious faces, proclaiming that we don't do the things the people of the world do. I am not advocating that we take up drugs, excessive alcohol, or any other worldly thing. I am simply saying that living by a set of human imposed rules does not work...period.
    We are to live our lives in the righteousness that Jesus provided. We are to strive for holiness by following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we do these things, we are building eternal dwellings. If we choose religion, rules, and regulations as our moral compass, we will surely fall because these things will perish. So let's be people of principle. Let's become the reflection of God's glory in the world. How else will Christ be preached? If we are living in a human imposed puritanical world, we will be ineffective for the cause of Christ. Freedom, blessing, and love are found in an intense relationship with God. When we are in love with him, there are no regulations.