March 8, 2026
I am always perplexed at the ongoing debate among Christians over what is really important in our relationship with God. Often the situation is described in terms of relational verses institutional or traditional verses contemporary. What perplexes me is not so much the claims being made by one group or another but that there is a debate at all. A story will help to illustrate.
A few years ago my family and I traveled to Waterloo, Ontario to visit my sister and her husband. There was no long discussion about the purpose of our journey everyone knew it was to visit with beloved family members. That was why we were going. While on the way my wife and I did not once stop to debate the way we were going to turn or if I was going to signal my turns. We didn’t wonder if we should go north or south, we didn’t ask what side of the road to drive on. All of these things were decided based on the point of the journey which was to visit with family. Not one time did I say well they live left but the road to the right looks much nicer for traveling, and the sun won’t be in my eyes. Not once did I say I’m not crazy about Waterloo lets go to Toronto. Why not? Because I knew if I wanted to get to my sister’s place there was a way to get there and that’s the way I was going to go.
In current Christian discussions no one doubts that glorifying God while on earth and spending eternity doing so in Heaven is the point. Meanwhile allowing God’s love to change us so that we can demonstrate it to others is what we are about while on earth. God has revealed to us certain things that relate to how we show him our love, and what we do to express it. Questioning what God has said about worshiping the right way or living the right way or how a person comes into relationship with him is foolishness. It would be just like me saying I don’t want to turn left at this street I like going right and so that’s what I’m doing. And don’t you dare tell me I can’t get to my sisters any way I want. She’s my sister after all, and she loves me so I am sure I’ll get to her house. We know what the main point is and God has told us how to achieve that main point so why argue with him?
Of course a life changing relationship with God and our brethren is the point. No one questions that. But the directions that God has given us for our faith (that is what we are to believe) and practice (what we do as God’s people) facilitate the main point. So, to use some of the jargon, institutional matters allow us to achieve the relational ones.
We don’t want to be like the Pharisees who stressed doing the right activities to the point that the heart was removed from the equation. But we need to remember that when Jesus chastised them he said “you should have done the former without neglecting the latter” (Matt 23:23). He didn’t say forget doing what God says do just have a changed heart because, a changed heart has such a strong desire to serve and obey that there is no room for questioning God (John 14:15). Those who want to argue that because of God’s love and grace we don’t need to be concerned about obeying him need to examine their hearts.
Meanwhile those who want to reduce Christianity to a series of commands need to realize that obedience that does not come from the heart does not please God (Joel 2:13). If we would put down our accusations, stubbornness and opinions and pick up our Bibles we would go a long way in closing the gap that has opened between those who are supposed to be Christian Brethren.
~ Kevin Cleary