Reflections on Somewhere in Between

There are 2 kinds of people that really irk me as a Christian. The first is the guy whose biggest concern is arguing what you can get away with--you know exactly the kind I'm talking about: the one who always wants to argue that there's nothing wrong with being a Christian who drinks or goes to clubs, the one who's always talking about how judgmental and hypocritical Christians are, saying their non-Christian friends are nicer than their Christian friends, talking about "Christians"as if they weren't one themselves. And their biggest hot button: "Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to go to church!" These are the people who want to argue EVERYTHING. You'll more frequently find them using the phrase "I don't think Jesus would..." than "Jesus said..." or "Jesus did..." Their primary concern is boundaries--how far can one go and...still be a Christian, still get into heaven, still whatever. What they're really asking is how they can manipulate in order to be able to do whatever they want without a guilty conscience. This person will gladly stand on his soap box, stating all the things the Bible doesn't have to say on such subjects, and yet, when I encounter these people, which I quite often do, my first reaction (after realizing they can't be argued with) is this: they don't have a true relationship with Jesus. It's sad when you think about it, but it's true. It's the people who don't really have a relationship with the Lord who always want to argue the details, test the boundaries, muddy the doctrine, point the finger, make excuses. The truth is that's all they have--their theories. But most often I find that these people are hollow-- grasping for a theory in lieu of a relationship, wanting to argue semantics because they are devoid of intimacy, they ask "how far can I go?" rather than "how close can I get?"

The second kind of person is the other extreme: the legalistic Christian, always keeping some kind of score. These are the ones who judge people who aren't in church every time the doors are open, the ones who are more concerned with outward sins than inward ones, the ones who are looking for a reason to correct. You probably know the type: they want to label everyone and everything, make formulas for the way God moves and speaks and works. To them, things are more important than people, church is an institution rather than the body of Christ, and appearances are foremost. They're the ones who give group #1 their bitter fuel, and would probably proudly admit it. They take it upon themselves to be judge and jury, and are grossly under-qualified for such a task. They are far more concerned with details than with relationship, something they have in common with group #1. They cling to tradition, rarely questioning what they've been told or finding the truth out for themselves in a loving relationship with their Father. And in this quest to uphold tradition, they heap unbiblical teachings and false guilt on immature followers, like the Pharisees did in the New Testament. I actually sat in a church service not too long ago when a preacher began talking about how some churches are changing their service times from Sundays to Saturday nights to accommodate their congregation's schedules and try to get a different type of crowd into the church who couldn't or wouldn't come on Sundays. I sat listening to the preacher talk about how disgusted he was by this, saying how it was wrong not to have service on Sundays. What? Do you think Jesus cares which day of the week you meet for church service? I think He probably cares more about how you meet with Him the other 6 days of the week. Religion steals one's ability to see the obvious. This preacher was caught up in tradition so much that he was willing to bad-mouth another church for trying something new in an attempt to reach more people for Christ. The legalist is more concerned with tradition, surface issues, the law than with true relationship. They ask "How much must I do for Him?" rather than "How close can I get to Him?"

The truth is I've been both--the line-maker and the line-walker, so I can't judge either group except to say that the truth lies in relationship. True, intimate relationship with the Savior is the only way to keep your bearings and find yourself somewhere in between the sinner and self-proclaimed saint. I find in my own life that when I'm closest to Him, I don't feel the need to argue over what I can get away with, nor do I find myself so concerned with what others are trying to get away with, but instead I feel privileged to be in the family of God, honored that He would count me worthy to bear His precious name, and determined not to smear it. And when I do, humbled to know that I serve such a merciful God, who entrusts the light of the world to humanity.