Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? – Colossians 2:20-21

Today's Scripture Reading (April 17, 2021): Colossians 2

"I don't drink, smoke, or chew, or go with girls that do." It is an old saying, so old that it predates me by almost a century. The expression's roots seem to go back mid to late 19^th century and a campaign to improve public morality in the United States. It appears to find its origins within the fundamentalist Baptists. Its power was in its rhyme and its ability to stick within our minds. And so, pastors liberally applied the verse to teach what was considered to be a moral lesson. And the lesson has stuck. But the problem with the rhyme is that it defines Christianity in a negative way; what it is that we don't do.

Times have changed, and we might have forgotten the old Baptist rhyme, but we still haven't changed our negative ways. Christianity is still often defined in secular settings by the things that we oppose, especially what we oppose that our culture embraces. Our hot button issues are not things that we want to do positively in our world, but instead by what we don't do. We are opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and, in some denominations, women in leadership. In a move that mystifies me, we are against common-sense gun control laws that might keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and people who are mentally unstable. But the common theme is that we are defined by what we are against.

And none of the negative responses by which our culture defines us is actually central to our faith. In fact, some aren't even mentioned in the Bible, at least not often. It is not that they may not be important, but they are not central to what we believe. Abortion isn't mentioned often in the Bible, and usually, you have to read between the lines, but there is a good reason for that. It was not necessarily a predominant problem in the biblical era. In a culture where many pregnancies ended in stillbirths, why would anyone want to purposefully end a pregnancy? Jewish culture circumcises male children on the eighth day partially because infant mortality was high during the first week of life. Does that mean that abortion is unimportant in our culture, where the desire to have sexual interactions without children is high, and stillbirths and infant mortality are low? Of course not. But it still shouldn't define us.

Paul asks the Colossians why they allow themselves to be defined by what they don't do; "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch" (Colossians 2:21). Paul's question is really, why do we insist on being a legalistic religion when we serve a Savior who has freed us from legalism? Maybe we insist on being legalists because following the rules is much easier than making a positive difference in our world.

Christianity has never been about what we don't do. It is about the positive things that we do. We are the authors of love and acceptance, even when that love and acceptance are uncomfortable. We are the ancient believers in a peaceful revolution. We are the ones who receive the insults and pray for and bless those who insult us, who turn the other cheek when we are hit, and go the extra mile when we are unfairly used. And that is hard, but it is also a positive difference. We will never change our world through legalism. But love will slowly chip away at the things that need to change in our society.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Colossians 3