“but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Mark 7:6-7)
We Christians may often err on the wrong side of the gospel just as did the Pharisees. We like to talk about behavior, law, and morality especially when we look at the things others in the world are doing. We complain about the media, the politicians, the celebrities, the trends being emphasized by our culture. We are quick to label and criticize the ungodly. We demand change.
Now we must never minimize sin or ignore it, but perhaps we should be quicker to understand the mindset of the sinner. For one thing, they may not see the world as we do. For another they may not see what they do as sinful or if sinful, not really that bad. And we must remember though they think they have free choice, they don’t.
But why do they do what they do? That is a hard question to answer. Perhaps they don’t know any better. They follow the pronouncements of media and culture. Or perhaps they just want to be loved, to be part of a group of like minded individuals engaged or involved in something greater then themselves.
This is where the church comes in. We are involved and deeply rooted in something greater than ourselves, the cause of God’s Kingdom. Consequently, as Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees, we should not be teaching or stressing those things that detract from God’s love, nor should we stress our own little pet doctrines, the behaviors we thing are the essence of righteousness. None of us are righteous without the love of Jesus so that is what we must tell others about. Faith in Christ as our savior is the key, not the actions we cannot or can do.