313. The Problems of a Performance-Based View of God

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The Bible is meant to be a source of "good news" for people, telling of the unconditional love of God and His acceptance of us in Christ. But to many people, the Bible has become a book that only tells them how far short they fall of living up to certain "expectations" that they feel they must live up to. Their view of God is based upon how they think He expects them to perform, and so they never really get to know the good news that He really does want them to know!

The church has come up with words such as "challenge" (as in, "this passage of scripture is 'challenging' me to perform a certain way') and "conviction (as in, "God is convicting me to live a certain way'), and because of this, the all too common view of God that the church presents is a performance-based view that puts people in fear and condemnation, rather than walking in the truth and knowing the grace and love of God, and an intimate relationship with Him that is not based on our performance.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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312. Subtle Legalism and the Danger of Mixing Covenants

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Outright legalism - the straightforward teaching of "pure" law or the "pure" Old Covenant - is usually pretty easy to spot and to understand. In a similar way, it's also easy to recognize the pure, straightforward teaching of grace. But what happens when law and grace mix? What happens when the New Covenant is taught with various aspects of the Old Covenant mixed into it?

This is unfortunately all too common in the church today, and it can be difficult to sort through it all. But not only can it be difficult, it can also be dangerous, harmful, frustrating and confusing for people who simply want to know Christ alone! The work of Christ is a final work and a sufficient work. There is nothing to mix in with it, and in fact when anything is mixed in with it, it nullifies it. And yet this "hybrid covenant" (mixing the Old Covenant with the finished work of Christ) happens all the time in the church!

It's hard to stand on solid ground when two opposing foundations are being mixed together. This week we talk about the dangers of doing this and the importance of teaching and standing on the foundation of pure grace.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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311. Is Our Testimony Based on Changed Behavior?

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It's a common practice in the church for people to give their "testimony." That is, they share what happened to them when they became a Christian. Almost always, a person's testimony revolves around how their behavior changed when Christ came into their life. They talk about how they used to be involved in certain "bad" behaviors, but then they changed. They stopped doing those bad things and their actions became "good."

While we don't want to invalidate the wonderful changes that happen in people's lives, and while there can be value in these types of testimonies, is this really what life in Christ is about? Is our true testimony in Christ based upon changed actions, or did God do something far greater than simply cause a behavior change?

The awesome truth of the gospel is that we are "born again" and that in Christ we are "new creations." Does this simply mean that we've changed from "bad to good," or does our true testimony go so much farther and deeper than a change in our outward behavior?

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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310. Is "Right Living" the Goal of the Christian Life?

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Last week we talked about how our sin has been taken away, and how God's blessings in our lives aren't dependent upon our behavior, and how we are not "cursed" when we sin. And so some people might ask, "What about living right?" Should we strive to be holy? What about good works and bearing fruit? Should it be our goal to "live right"?

Is the gospel a matter of us changing our lives for God, or is there something missing when it comes to that type of thinking? We talk about all of this on Growing in Grace this week!

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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309. Are We Cursed When We Sin and Blessed When We're Good?

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In the Old Covenant, there was a lot of talk about blessings and curses. God's law was full of various blessings for the people if they obeyed, and various curses if they disobeyed. Is this still true in New Covenant life?

Is it only when you're being "good" that you can experience God's blessings? When you're sinning, are you kept from God's blessings, and even worse, are you cursed, judged or punished by God? Are God's blessings based upon our behavior?

We may live with a lot of unnecessary fear and an unnecessary feeling of separation from God if we don't understand His unconditional love and all that was accomplished with the death and resurrection of Jesus. We may not fully experience the blessings that He has freely given us if we think His blessings are based upon anything less than the finished work of Christ!

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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308. Game Changers - Part 9

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The last in our Game Changers series! The final two things that we'll talk about have to do with the concept known as the "Exchanged Life," as well as the idea that life in Christ is not about "Religion!"

We've spent a lot of time on our program talking about how the gospel isn't a gospel of change, but rather a gospel of exchange. Listen in to see what was exchanged, and why the gospel is not about a "changed" life, but rather an exchanged life. Also, "religion" doesn't sound like such a bad word to some people, so why do we say that life in Christ is not about religion? Well, we'll discuss the real meaning of the word "religion," and we'll show how it contrasts with the Life that God has given us!

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

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307. Game Changers - Part 8

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The Bible has been referred to as an "instruction manual" for Christians. Is this really what the Bible is? Do we live "by the Bible"? Check out this week's Growing in Grace for our thoughts on this.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.
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