The Gospel of Christ vs. Legalism: What Ground are you Standing On?

We are in an era of uncertainty, doubt and fear. Many are questioning their life and the way they have been living. I believe we all should constantly evaluate our lives and what we do with the precious gift of life. Everywhere you turn now someone is talking about being "Woke". Information and knowledge is so easy to obtain, because of this a lot that we were in the dark about has been revealed to us. But, what do we do with all this information? Are we as Christians (followers of Christ) allowing it to make us stronger or are we allowing it to deconstruct our faith in the True and Living God? Often I've found that it's the latter and that tells me " Houston, we have a problem". Many are waking up to the fact that they have been living out "Legalism" and not Grace by Faith in Jesus Christ. 

What is Legalism? 

According to Thomas R. Schreiner “Legalism exists when people attempt to secure righteousness in God’s sight by good works. Legalists believe that they can earn or merit God’s approval by performing the requirements of the law,” I will speak for myself, I knew that Jesus died for my sins from a little girl. I knew I could be forgiven for my sin because Jesus died, but I didn't have a true understanding of what Jesus actually did on the cross. I only understood when I begin to search God for myself and ask questions that others couldn't really answer. I realized I really didn't understand the God that I served. Many are waking up to this fact, which is not a bad thing. What is bad is that they're turning on the Most High God because of misunderstandings. They feel they are going crazy trying to keep a law that God isn't holding them to. I was raised going to a Church building every Sunday, Bible class on Wednesday and Choir rehearsal. I was taught a gang of things we are not supposed to do as a "Christian".  I wasn't told why really, I just knew not to do it because that's what I learned from people not God. This is what Legalism is and why many are leaving. You will run yourself crazy with the do's and dont's. This is also why many who think they are saved are not really saved. I say that because many came to the faith out of being condemned by people, many just believed what their parents said believe and some merely was afraid of going to hell so they said " I believe" without a repented heart.  It's time that we make our foundation sure by building a relationship with Christ and not rules.

The Gospel of Christ: Saved by Grace

See Legalism will not sustain you or me because there is nothing we can do to be justified. Justified means we are declared righteous because Christ took our guilt and shame. He took our penalty for sin. To give a small synopsis. God made Adam and Eve perfect without sin. They were made holy and righteous. He put them in the garden of Eden. This was a paradise for them with beautiful trees filled with fruit for them to eat. There was one tree that they were instructed not to eat from and that was the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan tempted Eve to eat from the tree by deceiving her. She then took the fruit to Adam and he ate it knowing it was forbidden. All mankind came through Adam, so because he sinned through him sinned entered every human since. We are born in sin. We are born with the desire to sin. God who is Holy, Righteous and king of kings has his rules that he never breaks. One rule is that Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Also the Bible says Hebrews 9:22 Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. In the old testement we can see all the sacrifices they had to make for sin (uncleanliness). God sent a way of escape for us because he so loved the world his creation, that he sent his son Jesus because he could satisfy the requirement for sin. His blood was sufficient because he had NO sin. So he died and was buried and rose on the third day with power over death. We can't do that no matter how "good" we try to be. It's God's grace, his undeserved favor that we are saved. That's it. The requirements to be saved is to believe that God sent his son Jesus to die for you, Repent which means that you have a change of heart through a contrite (sorrowful) spirit and turn your eyes from the world to God. You make a decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life, to live for Christ. Then be baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Works vs. Grace

Jesus said those who love me follow my commands. Jesus is telling us that this walk is relational. We can't work our way into Heaven. Jesus is the way , the truth and the life. No man can enter except by him. We follow God's Kingdom culture because we love him. That's It! When we become saved we began the process of sanctification. This is not anything we do, this is done by the word of God and the blood of Jesus. Sanctification means you are set apart through the transformation of your mind. Our mind is transformed the closer we get to God, he begins to reveal himself to us and his original plan for our lives. We are washed, cleaned through the blood of Jesus and the reading of God's Word. We are faithful to our spouse because we know it the right thing to do, not because we don't want to go to hell. We don't curse because this is not pleasing to God. We don't murder because it's wrong. We don't steal because it's wrong. I could go on and on. We love God and want to please him because he loved us not because we are scared into it. God wants the best for us because he loves us unconditionally. I also love my children unconditionally, but I'm not pleased with everything they do. I also don't allow them to do whatever they want in my presence because I have a moral code that I stand by. Now, I am in noooo way comparing myself to the most high God. I'm trying to give you a picture of our father in Heaven. You should never feel condemned because Jesus didn't come to condemn us, he came to save us. Condemnation comes from satan not God. When we sin we can go to God and repent and ask for forgiveness. Our God is faithful and Just and will forgive us of all unrighteousness. He loves 👉you. 

If you are confused right now because it feels like you just can't get it right. Stop right now and talk to God, tell him everything you are feeling right now. If you've been taught not to question God, throw it out the window with legalism. We can go to God and talk to him about anything and he will answer us. Tell God that you want a relationship with him, you want to know him without the do's and don'ts. You just want to know his character, love, and his son Jesus Christ. Keep it real with God, he loves your transparency. Don't allow satan to deceive you into thinking you're not good enough because you sinned. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. There are good people of God that are giving the answers to the questions you have. You are not suppose to believe anything just because someone told you to. You are suppose to know why you follow Christ. Below are scriptures to help you drop legalism and build on your faith in Jesus for eternal salvation. 

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Galations 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, cursed is everyone who hanged on a tree 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.…

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world ;but that the world through him might be saved. 

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. 

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.

Please leave a comment if this blog has helped you in any way. Share so that others that are struggling in their faith may be helped. If you have any questions please ask, if I don't know I will definitely point you to someone who does. Be Blessed my sister, my brother💖

If Jesus died for sin, Why can't I live how I want

 Many people have this question. I once asked this question out of ignorance. I never truly understood this until I did a study of my own. People had tried to explain to me but I just never fully understood. In my experience it was taught with fear of going to hell so don't sin with a list of things you can't do. Now that I understand I don't serve God because of fear, I serve him because I love him. I love him because he first loved me. I know that without God sending his son I would be unhappy, insecure, no hope, and unfulfilled in life. I would be walking around in darkness with no direction constantly bumping into walls. I understand that as a believer in Christ my wants should now line up with God's purpose for my life.

What is sin and why is it here? 

Sin is an act of transgression against God's divine law. God is Holy, no bad, dark, wicked, or unrighteousness is in him. Sin is going against God's moral code. The Bible tells us that in the beginning God made Adam and Eve. The first humans on this earth. There was a place called Eden and there was a garden there. There were many trees I believe but the Bible speaks of two specific trees, one had the power to give life continually and one the power to take life spiritually and physically. God instructed Adam not to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 2:15-17 15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. During this time Adam and Eve only knew about Good/Righteousness because they only new the things of God. God never intended for mankind to know or experience anything bad, evil or dark. Nevertheless, he didn't make robots. You may say why was the tree there? I believe to give mankind a choice to choose their creator over the created. Long story short satan came in the garden and tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden tree by decieving her. She ate and gave Adam some to eat. Since Adam is the first of mankind sin came in the world through him when he disobeyed God. Every human after Adam is descendants of him. Therefore every human is born in bondage to sin. This means we will automatically have sinful desires until we are born again through the Jesus Christ. We are born with a disposition to sin.

Remember I said God is Holy and sin is unholy so sin seperated Adam and Eve from God. This means sin separated us from God. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember God told Adam "the day you eat of that tree, you will surely die." The penalty for sin is death physically and spiritually. Just think the bad things people do end in destruction. It's fun in the beginning, it feels good in the beginning but once it has you in it's grips the fun end and the consequences come knocking. The good feeling is gone. You never get to the point where you are fulfilled. You always feel like something is missing, there has to be more. That feeling is telling you that you are in darkness seperated from your creator. Your spirit is yearning for God but because you're in darkness you don't know it. Nevertheless, no matter how crazy our decision making is/was God loves us. It broke his heart the day he had to seperate himself from his creation. On that day we became enemies to God. BUT! God had a solution. He knew that no matter how many sacrifices we offered we couldn't save ourselves from sin. Knowing what sin was just made it more tempting. Just think you don't really like sweets like that,  but soon as you start a diet you want sweets. When you're told you can't have something you want it more until your thinking is transformed. So God sent a perfect sacrifice to free us from the dispostion to sin. He sent a way to bring us out of darkness into his marvelous light where we belong. He sent us a way to be able to choose him, because our oppurtunity of choice was taken. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Through the death, burial and ressurection of Christ we now have an chance to live a life eternal with God. Once we repent (turn from sinful desires in your heart), be baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit we become a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17  17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. We were made for God's purpose and pleasure. We were made to fulfil his will. God wants the best for us literally. The best is not necessarily the most expensive things that we think about. God does allow us to get those things from our hard work, but he really doesn't care about that. His best is for us to have hope, a future and an expected end. Before choosing Christ we are born with a future of Hell, fire and brimstone. This is not because God is mean, it's because this is the punishment for sin. God keeps his word and stay true to his moral code. We change our minds and actions all the time, God doesn't. He is exact. Since God knew that was our end he sent a way of escape. He paid for our salvation with the blood of his son. God didn't give us sinful desires, satan did by decieving Eve. Jesus didn't die so you could do what you want. He didn't die so that you could live in sin freely, you was already doing that. He died so that you could live the life God intended for you from the beginning of Creation. Jesus look on the sins of the world so we could live an everlasting life with him instead of in Hell. 

Back to the question at hand. 

You are not already forgiven. 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we confess our sins, repent (turn from them) and except his son, then God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Romans 10:9-10That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

The choice you have to make. Do you want to live in bondage to satan and sin? No man has two masters, it's either God or satan. The only way to God is through Jesus because sin seperated us. If we don't believe in Jesus and follow his commandments we are enemies to God. When we live in sin we choose satan as our master by default. Nevertheless, if you want to be saved from eternal damnation and disposition to live a sinful life, THERES NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT. God knows everything you''ve done and still loves you. He is waiting to be reunited with you. It brings him joy at the thought of you choosing him. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, call them out by name. He already knows, turn from your wicked ways. Accept Jesus as your personal savior, Believe in your heart and Confess with your mouth and you will be saved. If you don't have a place of worship that you attend you are more than welcome to contact me. I will give you the number to my overseers so that you can get baptised. We meet on line every Thursday.  God loves you, Jesus died for you and now you can make the most important decision of your life. I look forward to hearing from you.