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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806. The 800 Club: Looking Back – Sanctification - It Is Finished

Since our 800th program, we’ve been looking back at some of our most essential conversations when it comes to being established in the knowledge of the truth. One piece of good news that seems to elude religious folks is that our sanctification is not a work in progress, but was completed by Jesus Christ and gifted to us as a new creation in Him. Works-based religion yearns to try and make the gospel about what we do, thereby putting us in the spotlight instead of where it belongs—on the finished work of Jesus. They will dress it up to appear humble enough by saying salvation is an instant gift, but sanctification is a gradual process which we get to participate in through self-improvement while establishing some sort of moral high ground.

God makes it clear there is no boasting when it comes to our sanctification because it’s something Jesus already took care of for us, leaving no doubt that we’ve already been declared holy and set apart. Israel wasn’t able to achieve this by works and commandments … and we can’t either. We can rest from that effort and believe Jesus did enough to complete the job. Being sanctified isn’t something we’re trying to become, it’s who we are and part of our new identity in Him.

   
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659. Walking in God’s Grace in Our Daily Lives

We hear a lot about grace and may talk about the grace of God quite often, but what does it mean when going about our normal everyday lives on planet earth? Ultimately it may begin with realizing grace isn’t just a sermon topic, but its roots are tracked back to the Person of Jesus Christ. Grace doesn’t revolve around various religious practices, but it’s about abiding in an intimate relationship which God has extended to you. As Christ is revealed to us and in us, we can set our minds on Him and what He has done, instead of focusing on self-efforts to change our behavior. The walk becomes much easier in all facets of our lives when we relax and keep our eyes on the One who is the author and finisher of faith.



   

517. Dead to Religious Rules, Alive to God

As we recognize the identity of righteousness that belongs to us in Jesus Christ, we can put away our own efforts and rest in him. Before the cross, the Jewish people were in bondage to the Mosaic law as it demanded a perfection the people could not attain. Their works were based on pursuing their own righteousness because they did not understand God's righteousness. We are declared perfected, justified and sanctified. As the Apostle Paul stated, "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God."

In this podcast we mentioned a couple of past episodes in which we talked about how sanctification is not a process, but is a part of who we are in Christ (our identity). Here they are:
506. The Gift of Sanctification
507. As Jesus Is, So Also Are We



   

429. The Snare of Spiritual Self-Improvement

"I am a work in progress." A phrase that gets quoted by many in Christianity and it's usually in the context of us working to become better. The problem with this is that at any time in our Christian life when the focus becomes about us, we begin to place our trust in the wrong person. Often we try to "do better" in the effort to become more accepted by God. We miss the truth that we are already accepted and Christ has become our life. We are already in Him. He now works in and through us and whatever fruit we bear is His. In Him we have our being. In Him we are complete. In Him, we have been perfected.

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426. The Nature of Grace: Once Bestowed, Never Withdrawn

God's act of grace towards mankind was an action completely independent from us, not dependent on us. Any failure of dedication or devotion on our part does not cause the withdrawal of bestowed grace under the New Covenant. Whether before or after the cross, one could never establish righteousness before God through our self-efforts and devotion. It's something we've been gifted with through the blood of Christ and the covenant established between Him and the Father. The entrance of grace did not arrive through a revolving door.

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417. From Rules to Grace

Morality. Behavior improvement. Trying harder to live right. Following Christian rules. Don't touch. Don't taste. Don't handle. Followed by failure, self-condemnation and starting over by trying harder the next time only to experience the same results. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it? It doesn't have to be the rules of the old covenant either. Plenty of new rules await to steal your joy. What if we could tell you the Christian life doesn't have to be any of that? Suppose you could live in a state of complete contentment, joy and reassurance without the religious side-effects...

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416. Transitioning From Legalistic Behavior to Belief

For the most part, organized Christianity has placed an emphasis on behavior modification and external change. Those with a legalistic foundation are afraid of grace because they are concerned it will cause disobedience and lead believers to a lifestyle that is controlled by sin. The danger is that when the goal is to achieve personal moral improvement by trying to keep a good works list, then the focus becomes more about "Christian living" rather than Christ Himself. It's actually the commandments of the law that will cause people to run wild. Grace empowers the believer with the very life of the Person of Jesus Christ.

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369. Stop Trying to Overcome Sin

A sure recipe for failure: Self discipline and self effort in trying to overcome sin. Jesus has already conquered sin. He defeated it and removed it so that we could be free from the penalty that it brought us under the first covenant (law). When one's focus is constantly on trying to overcome or avoid sin, it will actually result in an even greater struggle. Legalistic attempts to try harder will lead to more failure. Instead, realize He overcame for us and we now live in a constant state of forgiveness. Rest in His life that is already in you. Our focus should be on Jesus, not sin.

Stop Trying to Overcome Sin (14 Min, 9.6 MB)
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192. Us Living For God or God Living Through Us?

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Life truly is God's gift to us! But is it really also true, as a common slogan goes, that "what we do with it is our gift to Him?" God created the universe, and everything in it - easily! Do we really have something of value to offer Him? Can we pay Him back in any way for the gift of Life He's given us?

This week we take a look at the difference between us living our life "for God," and God living His life through us. Rather than trusting in our own strength, we realize that we have died and now have a new life --- Christ lives in us. It's not us doing great stuff for God, it's Him expressing His very life through us. With this in mind, what does it mean to present ourselves as living sacrifices? We discuss this and more on this week's episode!

188. Trusting the Power of God or the Ability of the Flesh

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This is a continuation of last week's chat about God's Work in Us. We talk about the difference between trusting the life of Christ in us/God's power at work in us, and trusting in our own efforts. Are the things we do the result of the life of Christ expressing itself in and through us or are they the result of the abilities of the flesh?

185. Religion vs. Relationship - Part 1

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This week we talk about how life in Christ is not about religion, but about relationship. Religion is man's attempt to get to God. It's based upon self-effort and performance. It puts the focus on us. Relationship is based upon faith and trust, and relying upon the finished work of Jesus.

A little leaven can go a long way. A little legalism, or a little religion, worked into our lives in Christ can blur our perspective of the perfect relationship we have with God that is based solely upon His love and grace.