Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word “rote” as, “the use of memory usually with little intelligence.” In my mind, I have always associated it with unthinking repetition, which is pretty close to that definition … so I have always been baffled when Christians appear to try to live their faith that way.
Take, for example, a conversation I saw on Facebook not long ago (I’m not going to link it, I’d rather not publicly call out the participants, and that part isn’t important). The original post was from a person who asked what Christians ought to do about lustful thoughts. The very first response was a picture of a runner, and a reference to 2 Timothy 2:22 – “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” The next response was something on the order of, “But isn’t that just a temporary solution? What about long term?” And the answer given to that was to look at the second part of that verse, and replace the bad behavior with good.
Most Christians would find nothing wrong with those responses, and would consider them good advice. Almost all would nod and agree, “yes, that is what you must do.” Not a few would be silently condemning the original poster in their minds for having such a problem in the first place, and equal number would be determining to show this person loving condescension, that he might turn from his sinful ways.
I think all of them are wrong.
First, the context of 2 Timothy 2 needs to be considered. Paul was writing to a young pastor – he wasn’t giving advice to Timothy on how to dig his way out of a crippling emotional habit, he was telling him to avoid it in the first place. Likewise, in verse 23 he told him in the same vein to avoid useless quarrels … and in neither case is there any evidence whatsoever that Timothy was either prone to argumentativeness or embroiled in lusts. This was advice to never get into those kinds of trouble, not advice on how to get out of them (Rom. 13:14 is similar, I think). But Christians often take such verses out of their context, and wield them like a club on anyone who steps out of line. Throwing Bible verses at someone is not some kind of magic bullet, and falls squarely in the category described in Col. 2:23 – “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” It seems like great advice, and everyone goes along with it because it looks good at first glance, but it is not going to help anyone struggling with lust … or any other sin problem.
In other words, the Christians giving advice in this instance were exercising Christianity by rote. They saw the word “lust” and reflexively fired back with 2 Timothy 2:22 … whether or not it was appropriate. They saw sinful behavior, that much was correct, but they essentially gave knee-jerk advice for overcoming it. Problems like that cannot be solved on Facebook, and no one should even try. They should have sent him to someone who could take the time to ask why he was having this problem. Was he afraid or anxious, and looking for something to drown it out? Was he seeking comfort from an emotional or spiritual injury? Was he depressed, and looking for anything to make him feel better? Was he rebelling against an over structured or demanding situation? Was he stressed, and grasping for whatever relief he could find? Was he not even a believer, and therefore lacking the necessary help from the Holy Spirit? All of those are spiritual problems that need a spiritual solution, and they all boil down to sin of one sort or another, but the sin everyone sniped at is not the real problem, it’s secondary. It’s not a simple issue, and it’s not a simple problem that can be solved by simplistic answers.
But the worst part, in my mind, is that ducking behind simplistic, rote responses is that they are ways to train the flesh in a certain type of behavior. They are not instruction on how to grow in the Lord and how to rely on His Spirit. Look at what it says in Hebrews 7:16-19 – who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.’ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Rote responses are just a new, man-made law. Many of them are actually based on the Old Testament Law. And the Law, as explained by the writer of Hebrews, is a fleshly mechanism. It does not, it cannot, truly make a person spiritual. Only the work of Christ can, and the changing of a life (2 Cor. 5:16-17, Gal. 6:15). To use one of my examples from above, what if our lustful person was that way out of fear and anxiety? He needs to identify his fears, and be reminded that God’s love can overcome his fears (1 John 4:18). He may need help identifying those fears, and almost certainly needs help understanding how God can bring him through them. He is also likely to need a little hand-holding as he faces those fears and learns to remove their power from his life. Once that is settled, the lust will almost certain be something he can simply walk away from, because he no longer is driven to it by deeper issues. But you can’t get to that place by rote, only by growing in the Lord and defusing whatever fleshliness hinders you.
We come to the Lord by faith, and we claim His righteousness by faith. So we need to live by faith, not falling back on fleshly responses to fleshly problems (Gal. 2:16, Gal. 2:19-21, Gal. 3:2-3). Let’s get rid of this entire Christianity by rote thing and truly become what Christ has meant us to be.