Cornerstone Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 8

WHEN MY FAITH BECOMES MERELY RULES CIA MATHEW The most compelling part of Christianity, for me, is its unwarranted grace. Meaning - there is nothing we can do and nothing we cannot do to change how much God loves us. Whether I had a one-night stand the night before church or whether I have practiced abstinence my whole life - the God of the Bible loves me the same. If you see Christianity as a list of do’s and don’ts, you’ve got it wrong. This is because, at the heart of Christianity, it doesn’t matter what I do. Christianity isn’t about following a rulebook. It isn’t about not having sex, not drinking, not lying, not gossiping, not stealing, not anything. It’s not about me being a good girl; it doesn’t matter how good I am or how bad I am. If my religion were only about me following rules, my faith would be imprisoning and stifling. I’d be guilt-ridden, constantly feeling like I’m not good enough for God. The Bible states these truths – “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6). Grace means that God’s love for us is not dependent on our actions. The Christian message is that Jesus’s death covered every mistake, disobedient action, and sin we committed, allowing us to be perfect and blameless in the presence of a holy God. So knowing what Jesus’s death did, why d