Here is a question: what has God actually forbidden?
We have lists. Do not drink. Do not dance. Do not watch R-rated movies. Do not play cards. Do not get tattoos. Do not wear jewelry. Do not wear pants if you are a woman. Do not go to movies. Do not listen to rock music. Do not go to bars. Do not cuss.
But where is that list in Scripture? Show me the chapter and verse that says God forbid drinking. Show me where dancing is a sin. Show me where watching the wrong movie sends you to hell.
You cannot. Because it is not there.
The Actual Prohibitions
Now let me show you what is actually in Scripture:
Idolatry. That is forbidden. Putting anything above God. Worshipping false gods. Making an image of God and bowing to it.
Murder. That is forbidden. Taking a life. Even the angry thought counts, Jesus said.
Adultery. That is forbidden. Sexual immorality. The sex you have outside of marriage. The lust you have for someone who is not your spouse.
Stealing. That is forbidden. Taking what is not yours. The time, the money, the reputation, the work.
Lying. That is forbidden. Deception. Dishonesty. Manipulating truth for personal gain.
And then there are the deeper ones: envy, jealousy, hatred, pride, greed, selfishness. The attitudes of the heart that lead to the actions.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, because you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."
Matthew 23:25Jesus cared more about the inside than the outside. And that is where the real sin lives.
The things we prohibit are often about behavior modification. But the things God prohibits are about heart transformation. The difference is huge. One changes what you do. The other changes who you are.
What We Added
Now, here is the question: where did all our prohibitions come from?
Not from Scripture. From culture. From fear. From control. From parents and grandparents who were trying to keep their kids safe, and the rules got stricter over time until they became law.
And here is the problem: we treat the things we added like they are the things God said. And we do not notice the difference. We judge people for drinking when God never mentioned it, and we ignore the hatred in our hearts that God actually forbids.
We have our priorities backwards.
The Twist
Here is what nobody expects: God forbidding something is an act of love.
He forbids things because they harm us. They harm our relationships. They harm our souls. The things He says no to are not arbitrary rules. They are protections. They are the loving boundaries of a good Father who knows what destroys His children.
But when we add our own prohibitions, we are not protecting people. We are controlling them. And that is a different motivation entirely.
Next time you are tempted to add a rule, ask yourself: does this protect someone, or does it control them? Does this come from love, or from fear? And if it is not actually in Scripture, maybe it does not need to be a rule at all.
Try This
Look at your list of do nots. Which ones are actually God's, and which ones are yours? Which ones protect people, and which ones control them? You might find some that need to go.
God's prohibitions are for protection, not performance. And that changes everything about how we view the rules.
Father, help me to focus on what You actually prohibit rather than the rules we have added. Transform my heart rather than just my behavior. Let Your prohibitions be a protection, not a performance. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire