Freedom means what?

A couple of days back I was discussing God with someone who believes He doesn't exist. The guy's problem with most churches is that they take responsibility away from us for our actions.

It works two ways:

1. Churches are so beset with rules that you cannot decide to take sugar in your coffee without consulting the rule book
2. Everything evil is blamed on Satan [or someone else but certainly not you]
   

What was interesting to me was that I totally agreed with this guy, but had come to totally opposite conclusions. I am tired of churches with rule books the length of your arm or longer. [And before you say all modern churches don't have rule books, try suggesting a traditional liturgical serice in one and see how quickly it gets shouted down!]

I hate the control that so many church leaders, claiming to follow God, in reality become just control freaks. I have just left one church here in this town partly over that. The 'elders' [read geriatrics] are appointed for life. They have hot line to God and woe betide anyone who disagrees. They can do what they like.

And they did. They took the church down a course that was basically another rule book. Good rules. Like reading the Bible, prayer, meeting together, but rules nevertheless. It's called a 'Purpose Driven Life' and has about as much to do with a realtionship with Jesus as sucking a lemon while riding a bicycle up a snowy moutain track. My reading of Scripture is that Jesus came saying 'Guys, you're missing the point, it's not about rules but relationship.' But then at least someone with humour invented the game 'create the church you want the way you want it'.

And that's where the rubber hits the road and why this athiest and I end up agreeing, for God to have a relationship with us we must have freedom to love or reject Him. Love constrained by rules is not love but automatan obedience. None of us would really enjoy a a relationship with a computer we had programmed to say 'I love you' radomly throughout the day. So it is with God, he doesn't want programmed, constrained responses, but a real relationship with us.

Blaming our actions on Satan is part of this lack of resonsibility. Like accountability structures. If you create a structure where you cannot sin, you are not being responsible, you are being a puppet. It's where organizations like 'Promise Keepers' are totally off the rails. God wants us to have a relationship with Him, not follow a set of rules. Even if the rules are great rules.

So, does that mean we can break all the rules? Just taking one verse out of context:

'You say, "Everything is permitted." But not everything is good for us. Again you say, "Everything is permitted." But not everything builds us up.'

That comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 23 and the context around it is about our relationship with Jesus.

What that indicates to me is that God does give us freedom even when we have decided to follow Him we have freedom. Everything is permitted. But not everything is good. That doesn't mean we need rules and constaints. It means we need a greater relationship with Him. The example I use would be of my relationship with my wife. I don't have sex with other girls because it would damage my relationship with her and upset her. So it should be with Jesus, we should not sin because it will damage our relationship with Him and upset Him. But living without freedom doesn't prove a thing.

Its only when we are free to do something but don't that we prove love. We are responsible for our actions. My athiest friend is right. And he's been put off God by churches and christians who understand lots about rules and little about relationship.

We have a saying 'God created man and then man returned the compliment'. Exactly what this friend expressed to me. He felt man had created the concept of God to allow for all these rules. It's funny really, because he understands God better than many people who go to Church, yet he doesn't have any relationship with Him at all.