Back during our discussion on alcohol, one of our commenters made a comment about “playing it safe.” Basically the idea is, “If drinking is OK, but I don’t drink, I’m still safe. But if I drink and drinking’s not OK, then I’m in trouble.” It’s an old idea, one that I’ll admit to having used in the past when discussing other issues.

I wonder how far we are willing to go with that? If we apply that rule across the board, then

• we’ll all be One Cup, non-located preacher, non-institutional, non-Sunday School congregations
• we won’t drink anything with caffeine
• we won’t let women wear pants
• we won’t go to the movies
• we won’t allow mixed swimming
• we’ll only use the King James Version
• we won’t let people take communion on Sunday night (just in case that sundown to sundown thing is still in effect)
• we won’t have praise teams, projectors or sing in four-part harmony
• we will only use the church offering “for the saints”
• and we certainly won’t drink alcohol

This argument seems to have been common in New Testament times.

• “Just to be safe, go ahead and get circumcised. If it’s not a requirement, you’ll be OK. But if it is and you don’t do it…”
• “Keep celebrating all of the Jewish feasts…”
• “Don’t eat with the Gentiles…”
• “Don’t eat certain things or drink certain things…”

Galatians has a lot to say about the subject:

• “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:19-21)
• “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” (Galatians 4:8-11)
• “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
• “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:4-6)
• “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Our salvation is not about safety. It’s about grace and freedom.