For Believers: Following Jesus or the Church Culture?

 

“Are we following Jesus, or are we following church culture built by men? Is the modern church producing true disciples of Christ, or just loyal church members?” These questions are not easy to answer, yet they cut to the heart of what it means to live a life of faith in today’s world. For centuries, religion has created structures, rules, and systems meant to guide human behavior. These rules often serve a purpose: maintaining order, protecting tradition, or establishing moral boundaries. But in the process, the essence of Jesus’ message—radical love, compassion, and inclusion—can be lost.

When we look at the life of Jesus, it becomes clear that following Him was never about rules. It was about people. Jesus consistently broke every expectation, norm, and religious restriction in order to prioritize mercy, justice, and connection. Take the leper, for example. According to the religious law of the time, touching a leper made a person ceremonially “unclean.” Yet Jesus did not hesitate to touch the untouchable. He did not see a disease or a rule; He saw a human being in need of healing and dignity. Similarly, the woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years broke social norms simply by approaching Him, and He welcomed her faith without hesitation, ignoring the “purity rule.”

Jesus’ radical inclusivity did not stop there. When confronted with the adulterous woman, He refused to join the crowd in condemnation. He did not ignore the law, but He reframed it through justice, mercy, and truth. By protecting her, He demonstrated that God’s justice is not a matter of punishment alone, but of redemption and compassion. He met the Samaritan woman at the well, crossing ethnic, gender, and cultural boundaries that the religious establishment had long enforced. And He included women in His ministry in ways that defied societal and religious expectations. Each act was a deliberate choice to prioritize love, mercy, and inclusion over rigid adherence to tradition.

Even His engagement with social norms was radical. He called Matthew, a despised tax collector, to follow Him, signaling that social class and societal labels do not define who can experience God’s kingdom. He ate and drank with sinners, the marginalized, and those deemed “unclean” by religious authorities. And He healed the paralyzed man on the Sabbath, directly challenging the rigid interpretations of the law that had long oppressed the vulnerable. Each of these acts reflects a central truth: following Jesus is about people, not rules.

The modern church, however, often struggles with this distinction. Church culture—what is taught, expected, and celebrated—can sometimes focus more on loyalty, appearances, and rule-following than on true discipleship. Attendance, giving, volunteering, and outward obedience become the measure of faith, while the deeper work of mercy, justice, and personal transformation is overlooked. Rules and traditions, while important, can become barriers to truly living out the radical love Jesus modeled.

Religion, in many forms, tends to say: “Follow the rules.” It creates systems designed to regulate behavior, maintain order, and protect values. These systems have value—they provide structure, guidance, and accountability—but they are not substitutes for the heart of God. Jesus, by contrast, says: “Follow me.” It is a call to intimacy, obedience, and transformation. It is a call to see the world as God sees it, to value people above tradition, to act with courage even when the rules would tell us otherwise. Following Jesus means asking hard questions: Whom do we exclude in our communities? Whose suffering do we ignore because it is inconvenient? Which rules are we prioritizing over love, mercy, and justice?

This is not an easy path. Following Jesus often requires breaking rules, challenging culture, and risking misunderstanding or criticism. It is uncomfortable because it pushes against the human tendency to maintain order, conformity, and control. Yet it is precisely this discomfort that makes discipleship real. The gospel is not meant to make life easier; it is meant to transform hearts, societies, and relationships. True discipleship is messy, challenging, and often countercultural because it reflects the radical, world-changing love of Christ.

Reflecting on Jesus’ life invites us to consider our own priorities. Are we more concerned with maintaining the status quo, with keeping religious rules and appearances intact, or are we truly following Him? Are we shaping our lives to reflect His values, or are we simply conforming to the expectations of human institutions? The answers are not always comfortable, but they are necessary. Because following Jesus is not about perfection, rules, or approval. It is about love. It is about courage. It is about stepping beyond comfort to embody a God who sees, values, and redeems the marginalized, the overlooked, and the broken.

In the end, the contrast is stark: religion says, “Follow the rules.” Jesus says, “Follow me.” One asks obedience to human structures; the other asks surrender to God’s heart. One prioritizes order; the other prioritizes love. One produces loyal members; the other produces disciples. And it is this distinction, often uncomfortable, always challenging, that defines the path of true faith.

So, the next time we examine our own lives, our own communities, and our own understanding of God, the question remains: Are we following Jesus, or are we following the church culture built by men? The answer may not be easy, but it is essential. Because faith is not about conformity—it is about transformation.