1073. The Remedy to Permanently Treat Religious Legalism

There are no chapters in the Bible specifically dedicated to the word legalism ... but the concept can be found throughout the pages. In a nutshell, it's the human effort to acquire God's acceptance and approval while being rewarded with eternal life and other blessings. There can be varying degrees of legalism, sometimes mixed with at least trace elements of the gospel of grace. But a little bit of leaven (religious law) will affect the entire lump of dough. Whether it's subtle or overwhelming, grace and law were never meant to be mixed.

How does one escape such a monster of a phony gospel message when it seems to be everywhere in a mixed-covenant culture? What is the cure for such a contagious epidemic? Just reading the Bible won't get it done. It will need to go beyond "solid grace teaching" and contextual understanding from the Bible ... which changes with the weather. It is by revelation from the Spirit of God, who assists in helping to grow in our understanding of grace and the Savior who will not allow us to take any of the credit for what He has done.




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193. It's Not About Keeping the Rules

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A recent Barna survey found that "most Christians equate spiritual maturity with following the rules." But if you've listened to this program for any amount of time, you know that we don't believe that the Christian life is about following the rules, and this week we talk about how to not let "Christian rules" rule your life.

We find it quite amazing that Christians continue clinging to laws, rules and commandments, when that's what God has set us free from! So we take some time to discuss how the Christian life isn't about doing things for God but rather about us being in Him, and Him in us. It's not about doing. It's about being. We take a look at how many people are actually being "compliant" by trying to follow God's laws - which anyone can do, whether filled with God's life or not. The key word there is "trying," and so we also discuss the difference between "trying" and simply "trusting."