Legalism is Death

Got your attention? I hope so. This is a message I pray will change someone's life.

9 times out of 10, from my own experiences, when people think of Christians they think judgment. Unfortunately, this often times comes from their experiences with Christians or the church. It is my desire to live my life in a way that changes these people's perspectives. Not by anything in my own power, but by loving them as Jesus loves me.

Legalism: the direct or indirect attachment of behaviors, disciplines, and practices to the belief in order to achieve salvation and right standing before God; excessive adherence to law or formula

I grew up around a lot of legalism, and it's toxic. It has a tendency to cast a bad light on the gospel, shadowing the love and freedom Jesus offers (Ephesians 2:9). Notice how those definitions have negative connotations? It is a dangerous game of thinking our works alone make us right with God. Legalism is something that at 21 I feel I am still unlearning.

My brain, for some reason I cannot fully explain, is prone to overthinking. I can never make a decision without meditating on every possible outcome for at least a day or two. While this is sometimes a great trait to have, it often becomes a stumbling block, freezing me in my tracks and keeping me from moving forward.

I have two questions I have begun to ask myself when at one of these frequent crossroads: "Does it honor God?" and "Does it dishonor God?" Hopefully, by answering these questions, the path should be clear, but for me at least that is not often the case. The overthinking and the deadly grip of legalism continue to have a chokehold over me.

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So as someone who has experienced it, witnessed it, and been suffocated by it, allow me to say this - THERE IS FREEDOM IN CHRIST. The gospel is inherently offensive in its nature.

It tells us the truth that we are wrong in our hearts and that there is nothing within us that can change that. However, it does not stop there. The good news comes when we hear about the perfect life Jesus lived and

how He gave it up to satisfy our debts. It is finished. For real.

There is nothing we can do in order to be holy or righteous, we are only made right through the gracious gift of Jesus' sacrifice, covering us and erasing our debts. But don't let His grace be an excuse to continue in sin!

There are so many examples of Jesus' loving kindness I could reference, but for now I will just talk about the woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders brought the woman who was caught in the act of adultery before Jesus, and His response was this: "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" (John 8:7b, NLT) The accusers, those pointing their fingers at her shame, left one after another, unable to cast a stone at her for they neither were free of blame.

Jesus turned to the woman and asked if any of the accusers had condemned her and when she responded no He said "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." (John 8:11, NLT)

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It is my sincere prayer that each of you feels the weight of the words Jesus spoke. The only man who has the authority to condemn showed compassion and forgiveness. He did not overlook her sin or pretend it wasn't there, but He didn't hold it against her either. He offered freedom then told her to live her life free from sin.

The Father offers us this same grace, this same invitation. Nothing is too public, shameful, or heavy for the Lord to free us from. There is no gift like the Father's love. Allow it to free you from whatever is anchoring you to death.