November/December 1999
Right Behavior
by J. Michael Feazell
| "This is what is written: The
Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and
forgivenessof sins will be preached in his name to all nations" Luke 24:46-47 |
In certain Christian circles today there is so much talk about Right Behavior that one might get the impression that Right Behavior is the real goal of the Christian religion and that God is simply a power to achieve that end. The attitude seems to be something like, "Everyone must conform to my idea of Right Behavior or be damned, because I have God on my side."
This crusade for the holy grail of Right Behavior for All tends to use the Bible as the Rule Book for humanity, a weapon for condemning people who do not stack up to the holy demands of Right Behavior. Spouting carefully chosen verses at the wicked seems to be a method of upholding the ideal of Right Behavior and putting contemptible people in their place.
There is something dreadfully wrong with this picture. When the Bible is reduced to a holy sword for Christian knights, then carefully selected ink marks have been elevated above God. If moral "rightness" is the true goal of Christian faith, as the agendas of some Christians would indicate, then Christianity has nothing more to offer than any of the moral religions.
The Bible tells us that God is holy and righteous and just. But it also tells us that this same holy and righteous and just God is overflowing with grace, mercy and love. Not only is God overflowing with grace, mercy and love, but according to his own description, the central point of the Scriptures is to show his grace, mercy and love in the gospel. Luke records how Jesus summed up the Scriptures:
"Then he [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things'" (Luke 24:45-48).
The God of the Bible is the God who forgives. This God not only made everything there is, including us, but he also loves us so much that he became one of us and suffered with us and for us so that we might understand the depths of his forgiveness and enter into the depths of his love.
When Jesus sums up the Scriptures, he doesn't see a Law Code; he sees the gospel. Jesus came to save sinners, not righteous folk. The Bible is about the gospel, and the gospel is about God's grace, mercy, love and forgiveness.
What do people need from the Bible? They need the gospel. What do people need to know about God? They need to know that he is a God of grace, that he loves them and for the sake of Jesus will forgive their sins and make them his own children. Such a relationship with God does not come by Right Behavior. It comes by faith, by believing in Jesus, whom God sent to reconcile sinful humans to himself.
The Bible is not there to condemn you. It is there to tell you that if you will put your confidence in Jesus to forgive your sins and invite him to enter your life, God will forgive all your sinfulness. Naturally, he doesn't want you to stay a sinner forever, and as a matter of fact, he won't let that happen.
Your sin does not shock God. In fact, long ago he arranged for your sinfulness to be removed and forgiven, forever. God loves you. He is not out to condemn and destroy you. He is out to redeem you and rescue you, give you dignity and respect and bring meaning to your life. He is on your side. You can trust him with your life. Put your faith in him, and you can stop worrying about Right Behavior. When your confidence is in Jesus, and you let him make his home with you, right behavior takes care of itself.
J. Michael Feazell, D. Min., is executive editor of Plain Truth. He also serves as executive editor of Experiencing the Word -- A Daily Devotional Journey Through the Bible -- available through Plain Truth Ministries.