Original or Innovation?

“I do not like National League Baseball,” my friend said. “Who do they think they are changing the rules of the game and making the pitchers bat?”

I thought he was joking; but he was serious. Born near an American League city, shortly after the American League had changed the rules of baseball and stopped requiring the pitchers to bat, he grew up thinking that an innovation was the original and that the original must be an innovation.

The same is true in regard to the church. A church that sticks to what the Bible says will be viewed, by most people, as an odd bunch who have really changed things. Having grown up with religious doctrines and practices that cannot be found in scripture, they think of these innovations as the original. When they meet Christians not practicing what they have always known, they think of these people as innovators. They treat the innovation as the original and the original as an innovation.

Baseball is a human invention, and if humans choose to change the rules they may do so. I prefer the original rules, but the new rules are not sinful. Christianity is from God, and, according to Jesus, any human changing its teachings will be rejected.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21, ESV). “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9, ESV).

Is what you believe and practice the true, original Christianity, or a human innovation? You need to find out. It will make an eternal difference.