Can you imagine how any of the Olympic games would be played if there was not a rule book? Every team or player would be able to do whatever they wanted to win. Chaos would prevail rather than order. Fairness would be a thing of the past. Therefore, all 35 sports and close to 400 events are governed by rules.

Over the years there have been attempts to break the rules. When the athletes are found out they are disqualified from the event. Even the cities holding the Olympic Games have rules that they are to follow. Over the years charges of rule breaking have been levied against such places as Sydney, Australia (2000 Olympic Games) and Salt Lake City, Utah (2002 Winter Olympics).

There has to be some authority in everything. Our topic has to do with obeying the rules of God, using the Bible as our "Rule Book."

One of the most common of all statements by those who do not want to follow the rules that God has set down is, "It does not matter what religious belief you follow, as long as you are sincere in what you believe. Besides we are all going to the same place anyway." If the proceeding statement is true then there is no absolute truth to be known. Mankind can never be united on what God wants because there could be no standard to follow.

The statement above goes against plain Bible teaching. To start with if it were true, why did Jesus command his disciples to go into the entire world and preach the gospel? According to the statement there is no standard to follow, so being told that there is a standard would only cause confusion in the minds of the listeners.

If the statement is true, what was Jesus talking about in one of His last prayers on earth? What was He talking about? "I have given them thy word; … Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:13 - 21). Jesus did not believe the statement, for it is false. Paul also disagreed with the statement, for he wrote to the brethren at Corinth, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment " (1 Cor. 1:10 - 13).

If the Olympic Athletes are going to be successful in achieving the gold medal, they will have to abide by the rules of the games. If man is to be successful in receiving the crown of life, he must obey the Rules of God’s book.