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Creative Ways to Use Jesus to Disobey the Bible

Where do kids learn to play their parents?

Is there some secret memo being passed around at school that I don’t know about?

I’m not sure where she picked it up, but somehow my teenage daughter learned to use Mom to disobey Dad (and vice versa).

Don’t tell her I said this, but it’s actually quite genius.

If you know Dad is going to say no, ask Mom. Or if you already asked Mom and she said no, use the information you have from Mom to strategically ask Dad in a way that he’s forced to say yes.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my daughter: “We are on the same team. If Mom says no, it’s no. If I say yes, it’s yes. Same team.” Someday, she’ll get it.

And someday, we (Christians) will also get that Jesus and the Bible are on the same team.

Please don’t miss this: Jesus and the Bible are on the same team. If the Bible says yes, Jesus says yes. If the Bible says no, then Jesus says no.

I think deep down we know they are on the same team, but like spoiled kids who want what they want at whatever cost, we play the game. We constantly try to pitch Jesus against the Bible.

5 ways we use Jesus to disobey the Bible

1. “Jesus and I are still talking.”

“I’m praying about it.” Great, praying is good. But you do know that throughout the Bible, Jesus has already spoken directly about your situation, right?

You do know you don’t need a special prompting to know what he wants you to do, because he already said what he wants through the Bible?

No, you didn’t know that, or no, you’d rather keep “praying about it” so you don’t have to do what you already know you should do?

Example: I’m still praying about whether I should give or serve.

2. “Jesus told me otherwise.”

It’s the ultimate trump card, isn’t it? If you ever want to do the opposite of what the Bible says, just say, “Jesus told me otherwise.”

You say that, and you’re free as a bird to do whatever you want because what are they supposed to say in response? He didn’t tell you?

Example: I know the Bible says not to date an unbeliever, but it’s OK; Jesus told me to.

3. “Jesus was really complicated.”

It’s amazing how simple the Bible is when it comes to verses we love. Jeremiah 29:11? God has plans to prosper me? Sweet. Give me a hefty serving of that all day. Who cares what the context is?

Verses we don’t like, though? Not so simple.

Example: I know Jesus said to cut my arm off if it causes me to sin (be drastic), but what exactly did he mean by “cut” or “off”?

4. “What Jesus really meant in Greek was…”

Isn’t it amazing how people know the Greek/Hebrew of verses they don’t like? “Oh, no, Paul didn’t really mean that. You see, in the Greek, that word could mean 10 other things like…”

Wait. Slow down, professor. Since when did you study Greek?

Oh, I see, you Googled that verse and filtered through hundreds of pages to find that one article explaining why it doesn’t mean what you were hoping it doesn’t mean? I get it.

Note: Please don’t build your theology on the Internet. You can literally find justification for every action on there. I bet if you Googled why interracial marriage is not biblical, you’ll find enough “research” to believe the Bible condones something that stupid. That was free.

Example: Hell? Well, what Jesus really meant was…

5. “Jesus and I have worked out a deal.”

I’m convinced one of the biggest red flags in decision-making is when someone plays the “no one understands us but us and Jesus” card.

Example: I know the Bible says to be generous with money, but Jesus understands life is hard right now, so we worked out a deal.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. You can play the game, and the game is fairly easy to play, but here’s the thing: You lose. We always lose.

Yes, my daughter has successfully gotten a yes from one of us even though the other had already said no, but in the end, we find out and she loses.

The truth always comes out.

I know it’s not what you want, but I promise if you stop playing games, you’ll save yourself lots of headaches. Jesus cannot be played. He’s God. He knows and sees all, including the motive of our hearts.

And most of all, he wrote the Bible.

Jesus has never and will never contradict the Bible.

Can you add some other examples under the categories above? Ever seen anyone play this game? (In other words, what are some biblical truths people have disobeyed in the name of Jesus?) Also, be honest, what stood out to you on this list?