Rules
The world has never had any rules. The world doesn’t even really like guidelines. How can something like, “Live for today,” qualify for a rule or a guideline?
William Barclay wrote, “One of the characteristics of the world in which we live is the lowering of standards.”[1] Many in the world have no standard at all. The disciple of Christ must live according to the standards of Christ. The only other option is to live in profligacy.
Jesus described his disciples as salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16. Salt was valuable in Jesus’ day. Roman soldiers were often paid with salt, hence the term, “salary.”
Salt flavors food and is a preservative. The flavor of a Christian is behavior in accordance with the standard given in the Bible. If a disciple of Christ obeys that standard, he will have a reputation thereby, or a flavor. If he does not, he cannot hope to be preserved as a Christian.
Light is the other metaphor Jesus used. “You are the light of the world,” he said (Matthew 3:14). Light helps people see where they are going and keeps them from stumbling. The light of God’s word is the standard for our conduct as Christians. If one does not walk in the light, one walks in darkness. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13 NKJV).
The sinful world does not like rules because to it, rules were made to be broken. Christians, however, know God created a world in which there is order, not chaos and anarchy.
Our decision is simple. Either we will live according to the rules of God’s word or we won’t. How are you living?
[1] “The New Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Matthew,” by William Barclay, page 137.