Legalizing Love

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,

and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1

It’s the law!

Imagine if it were the law, that when you met a young man or woman and became ‘serious’ you must write love letters, you must hold hands, or you must buy flowers. It certainly is an inane concept isn’t it? It’s silly because when you fall in love with a person these types of things come naturally — they do not need to be legislated.

Love Does More

This is essentially Paul’s message to the church.

We are free of mandatory rites and rituals of religion; we are free because love does more than legalism. Legalism (just so we’re on the same page) is that doctrine that says, “Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ ~and~ something else.”

There is no something else.

It’s just faith in Jesus Christ. If anyone adds the word ‘and’ after the sentence, “Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, ” run away. Jesus proclaimed that He finished the work on the cross.

It stands to reason that if legalism can drain the passion out of an earthly relationship, it will consume a spiritual one as well. All we need do is examine the church to see all the depleted souls who have given up on Christ because of man’s imposition of religious duty. This ought not to be.

Faith in Christ Jesus on its own will result in free display of passion; enthusiasm, zeal, and love. They cannot be legislated.

If that statement is true, why then do we see flocks of faithful people, those who had routinely declared, “It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship,” walking away from the church?  It’s no wonder why legalists felt it necessary to impose rules and regulations as an aide to salvation.  In that slim, sliver of light, legalism is an admirable, albeit misguided, gesture.

What’s the Answer?

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

Focus.

The reality is that many seemingly faithful people leave the church because they have not been properly discipled. In far too many instances they don’t even know what the word faith means!  Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word in this manner:

Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent (obedience) of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God‘s testimony, accompanied with a cordial (sincere) assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God’s character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God’s testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.”

Chances are if a person struggles with a definition that implies belief, submission, and obedience to God, they probably won’t stay in church very long. Then there are others who remain, but choose to redefine the Christian vocabulary to meet their own desires.  As a result we have always had false teachers who impose their liberal and concocted interpretations on the unschooled, which is all the more reason why Christians must be discipled in the Word, the Way, and the truth of God.

The properly discipled believer will gratefully subject himself to the authority of Jesus Christ — simply put: rules and regulations are not necessary.

Bashing Religion

Never!

Although I used the words religion and religious in a negative context, I am not bashing those institutions. I savor the components of religion (prayer, worship, communion, baptism, marriage, etc), for these are the things I get to do. I do not consider them the things I must do.

Nor do I worship the components — I worship Jesus!

For me, religion is the word that defines the elements of my faith that can bring me into a closer relationship with the Lord. In that context, being religious is not the horrible thing that some believers have made it out to be.

I willingly confess, “I am religious!”

I pray religiously, I study the word religiously, I go to church religiously, I partake of Communion religiously, but I only worship, honor, serve, and obey my Lord and Savior.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Romans 5:11

How about you?

1. Are you a victim of legalism and/or religion?
2. Are you faithful in the truest sense of the word?
3. Are you allowing yourself to be discipled in God’s word?

Related articles

• Over Our Heads and Under His Feet (compassiondave.wordpress.com)
• Salvation’s Need Of The Scripture (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Salvation through Jesus Christ (michaelgaither.wordpress.com)
• Who Knows That You Know? (compassiondave.wordpress.com)

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Is the End REALLY Near?

Is the end really near?  I would suggest, as Gary Kah does, to read your Bible and look around; then decide. Gary Kah makes no predictions as to when the end shall be, but strongly argues (that) we are very close.  Christian, you need to watch.

Are you a fan or supporter of President of Obama?  Then you need to watch.

Are you a fan of Rick Warren, or Bill Hybels, or Tony Campolo, or Brian McLaren, or Tony Blair, or the Pope?  Please don’t defend your man until you watch the video.

Please watch (and share) the video, then share your thoughts.

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A Little Poo

The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest . In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes…Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!” …And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.” Judges 17:5-6, 13; Judges 18:6

In the book of Judges we have been provided a prophetic illustration of what Christ’s church is not supposed to look like. Micah, our main character has created for himself a place of worship; one that has a semblance of authenticity, but in reality is a sham of what God desires or allows. Micah gets an ‘A’ for fleshly creativity, flexibility, pleasantry, and holisticism, but fails miserably in every area that is of divine worth. Simply said, Micah took what was holy, perverted it, and then bought into the lie that it was somehow real. In the end when all his religious stuff was stolen Micah discovered that his hand-built faith was indeed hollow.

Beware

The warning for us is to not repeat Micah’s error. Why is it then that we see churches like Micah’s popping up all around us? We do not have to look very far to find churches that espouse creative approaches to worship emphasizing feel good sermons where self worth and prosperity are stressed and where sin and hell are two themes rarely if ever spoken of. Where there is a flexible approach to theology where individual beliefs and moralities are tolerated and oft times celebrated. And finally, where there is a desire to analyze the Bible beyond the scope of its Divine authorship, omitting and inserting text as the body deems appropriate. These have the appearance of Christianity, but in reality are impure and tainted.

But They’re Preaching Jesus?

That’s true, but when ungodly things are allowed in, the entire batch is polluted. And it really doesn’t matter how small the contaminate—it still pollutes. Imagine your Mom made two beautiful cakes. “What’s in them,” you ask.

“Well,” your mom says,“for this cake I went into the backyard, scooped up a big pile of dog poo, and put it in; about a cup’s worth.”

“Umm, ok Mom, whatever, what about the other one?”

“Oh, this one has hardly any poo in it at all, maybe a small piece the size of a pumpkin seed.”

Which cake are you going to eat? A wise person realizes that any amount of contamination is too much. The same principle should hold true for the churches we attend and the preachers we listen to.

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