Are You A Penal Code Christian?

Are you a penal code Christian ( a PCC )? Can you talk about Christianity without either talking about sin or standards of conduct? If you are incapable of discussing Christianity without mentioning sin or a standard of conduct, you are a Penal Code Christian.

There are many aspects to Christianity. Some aspects of Christianity are more important than other aspects. Let me give you an example of an aspect of Christianity that neither mentions sin nor a standard of conduct.

We tortured Him but He did not stop loving us. We killed Him but He did not stay dead.

The two sentences describe the heart and soul of Christianity. On the foundation of these facts the house of Christianity is built. Notice that neither sin nor a standard of conduct are mentioned. In the two sentences, something is being said about God.

The penal code of the Church is an aspect of Christianity. It is put in place to govern us as we make our escape as part of the new exodus led by the new Moses, the Church, through the hostile desert of godlessness from slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh to freedom with God and their holy family in the promised land. The penal code of the Church is an element of the big picture of Christianity but it is not the big picture. The big picture of Christianity involves the following elements:

  • the escape

    • the new exodus

  • godlessness

    • sourness

    • slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh

  • paradise

    • sweetness

    • freedom with God and their holy family in the promised land

  • the potential difference between the sourness of godlessness and the sweetness of paradise

  • the current of salvation

    • the Push

      • the sourness of godlessness

    • the Pull

      • the sweetness of paradise

  • the escape route

    • the holy places that define the escape route

      • close encounters with the living God

    • the map of the holy places

    • the conductor

      • carries the current of salvation from godlessness to paradise

      • the Son of God is

        • the conductor

        • the bridge between the world of godlessness and the world of God

        • the way, etc.

        • the escape route

        • the love note

        • the invitation

    • through the bloody wounds we opened in the body of Christ, the new exodus led / served by the new Moses, the Church, is making its escape from godlessness to God.

  • Our Response to the Invitation

    • Acceptance

    • Indecision

      • Indecision is tantamount to rejection

    • Rejection

  • Reunion with God and their holy family in the promised land

As you can see, there are many aspects of Christianity besides its penal code.