This is a great question, and it points toward several other common inquiries I hear about Christianity these days, such as “What’s with all the rules? Why does the Bible seem so repressive? Where do Christian leaders get off telling grown men and women what we can and cannot do with their lives, their time, and their bodies?”
Christians always say Jesus sets us free, but many people feel as though the Bible is a series of rules, boundaries, and limitations around human experience – especially around things that give people pleasure (sex, drugs and alcohol, entertainment, etc.). If Jesus died for our freedom, why aren’t adult Christians at liberty to enjoy such things?
When we look through Scripture, we see God placing such boundaries around those He loves for a few important reasons. First, God’s boundaries are for your protection.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
God loves you like a perfect father loves His kids. Good parents understand how vigilant they have to be if they want to protect their kids. Loving fathers and mothers see the dangers that their children are unable to perceive. In some instances, God will set boundaries around your life in order to protect you from unseen dangers.
Second, His boundaries are for your maturity.
Proverbs 3:5-12 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Confession time: I’ve always had a rebellious spirit. For the longest time, rebelling against authority was my favorite pastime. Time and wisdom have taught me that my rebelliousness was rooted in the sin of pride. And pride is often rooted in what I call the “pretty good guy” deception, which is the lie that, even though I’m not perfect, I’m a pretty good guy, so don’t go telling me what I need to do or how I need to change.
Here’s a question for you to consider: To what extent have pride and rebelliousness affected your relationships with God and people?
I remember a conversation I had with a 30-something woman – we’ll call her Sarah – soon after my family had moved to Houston. Sarah was raised in the Church and baptized as a baby, but after hearing one of my first messages at The Story, she became anxious as she wondered if she’d ever really become a Christian. She said, “Ever since my parents left our home church when I was 14, my relationship with Christianity has been complicated.”
I assured Sarah that, no matter what happened with that church, nothing can possibly negate the gift of her baptism. Then she explained to me the reason why her parents left that church and made her stop going, too.
“One year we got a new pastor, and one Sunday morning during his first month at that church, he stood up with a scowl on his face and, from the pulpit, he called out one of the church’s Sunday School classes because he’d discovered that, for years, they’d been having ‘swinging parties’ where they all slept together.”
Needless to say, I was shocked by this and naively said, “I can see why your parents wanted to get you out of a church where something like that went on for years, but did they ever think about sticking around and supporting that new pastor in his efforts to clean things up?”
With confusion in her eyes, Sarah replied, “They didn’t leave because of the swinging. They left because that pastor disbanded their Sunday School class and made them feel ashamed!”
That, my friends, is a rebellious spirit, and most of us struggle with it to some degree. Oftentimes, God will put boundaries around us to discipline us, to help us outgrow our prideful rebelliousness.
Third, God’s boundaries are for your inspiration. When I lived in Kansas City, I went to hear a very popular, local artist speak about creativity. She looked exactly how you’d expect a popular local artist to look – tattoos, white dreadlocks, her skirt looked like an apron from the Cracker Barrel. She was a free spirit. After her presentation, she took some questions, and somebody asked her how her creative process begins. This was her reply:
“Before I begin, I need a canvas. I need to know its dimensions. I’d love to paint the whole city, but that would be chaos. The creative process needs boundaries.”
The boundaries God sets for our behaviors, tendencies, and relationships work the same way.
Proverbs 4:4 “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.”
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and God’s boundaries serve us like a canvas serves an artist – to bring order and direction to our chaos.
