Why Can't I Live by a Set of Rules?

A couple of hundred years ago, chapter titles always went like that. They had the great advantage of giving the reader a handy outline of what was coming. But if the title seems too cumbersome for you, you can ignore it and read the next paragraph instead.This chapter discusses three facts about Biblical ethics: 1. They are corporate ethics rather than individualistic ethics.
2. They denounce "legalism," or living by a set of rules.
3. They emphasize the freedom which belongs to true ethical conduct.

Some Highly Unusual Notions

When the enemies of the early Christians looked for a way to describe them, the phrase they hit upon was, "These men who have turned the world upside down" ( Acts 17: 6).

It was an accurate description.

If you were an unsuspecting pagan and one of these Christians got to work on you, before long your world would be turned upside down. The things you had held dear, like the pagan gods, would be knocked off their pedestals. Instead of "looking out for Number One," you would be trying to love not only your friends but your enemies as well. Instead of worshiping Caesar, you would be worshiping Jesus-and maybe getting strung up on a cross for doing so.

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