I think and pray a lot about what the Christian life is supposed to look like. The more I study, the more I realize how corrupt our society has become and are desensitized to ungodly and wicked behavior. I recently saw this quote, "We are not supposed to act like other Christians we are supposed to act like Christ." The line between legalism and obedience at one time was very blurred for me. It is becoming more clear everyday due to God's grace. I used to fear being aloof and alienating those I could touch for Christ, and then on the other hand, compromising obedience to God's word to be more spiritually appealing and acceptable to others. I have considered this verse. What does it really mean? "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law,that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;" 1 Corinthians 9:19-21.
What that means is: To meet people where they are; to extend grace and mercy to the deceived and mis/uninformed; to not let cultural, racial, economic, and national differences divide and distract from the one true message of the gospel. The message that there is one true God in the form of the trinity, God the Father, God the Son [Jesus Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. The message that Jesus Christ created the universe and everything in it. He, to redeem the fallen soul, became flesh, lived a perfect life, and sacrificed himself to pay the punishment for our disobedience. He literally defined and determined all that would be true and righteous and in turn defined what is wicked and corrupt and would be for all eternity. Those things cannot and will not change. But while living a godly and holy, set apart life we must not compromise. For us to live like the world and take part in the cultural norms that go along with it devalues the message.
Our opinion of the importance of the precepts given to us in God's word is irrelevant. "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." Deuteronomy 11:1. Our love for the Savior is the motivation to obedience above the desire to please ourselves. Notice that the "love the Lord your God" comes first! To question His charge, statutes, judgments, or commandments, is prideful above what the word prideful can covey. To base piety on ones ability to be obedient is the definition of legalistic. To obey for the sake of being spiritually superior is legalistic, offensive, religiously elitist and alienates people from Christ. The flip side of that same coin is to obey and deny myself out of pure love and devotion to Christ who sacrificed Himself for my salvation.
How easy is it for us to convince ourselves that to enter into a sexual relationship outside of marriage is ok because that command is old and outdated. We tell ourselves that gossiping and slandering a struggling believer is ok because we shared it only in the strictest confidence. Filling our minds with sexually explicit or violent images that eliminate the value of human life in movies is ok because it is fiction. God specifically speaks to all of these issues and many consider taking them seriously is prudish or legalistic. No, it is obedience at its most beautiful not when we do it to expound about our piety, but when we do it out of pure devotion to Christ, knowing it is because Christ knows it is what is best for us. He knows that a sexual relationship outside of marriage damages and scars the heart. He knows that slander and gossip divides the body of Christ and causes challenges in the heart of the one gossiping, making a heart of unity almost impossible. He knows that violent and sexually explicit images affect the way we view reality and wants our hearts to remain pure and soft. His laws are always for our best interest.
The closer we come to Christ in our daily lives and the more familiar we are with His heart, the clearer it becomes that the purpose for God's law is not to oppress but to liberate. Legalism glorifies and celebrates human effort and self.
What that means is: To meet people where they are; to extend grace and mercy to the deceived and mis/uninformed; to not let cultural, racial, economic, and national differences divide and distract from the one true message of the gospel. The message that there is one true God in the form of the trinity, God the Father, God the Son [Jesus Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. The message that Jesus Christ created the universe and everything in it. He, to redeem the fallen soul, became flesh, lived a perfect life, and sacrificed himself to pay the punishment for our disobedience. He literally defined and determined all that would be true and righteous and in turn defined what is wicked and corrupt and would be for all eternity. Those things cannot and will not change. But while living a godly and holy, set apart life we must not compromise. For us to live like the world and take part in the cultural norms that go along with it devalues the message.
Our opinion of the importance of the precepts given to us in God's word is irrelevant. "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." Deuteronomy 11:1. Our love for the Savior is the motivation to obedience above the desire to please ourselves. Notice that the "love the Lord your God" comes first! To question His charge, statutes, judgments, or commandments, is prideful above what the word prideful can covey. To base piety on ones ability to be obedient is the definition of legalistic. To obey for the sake of being spiritually superior is legalistic, offensive, religiously elitist and alienates people from Christ. The flip side of that same coin is to obey and deny myself out of pure love and devotion to Christ who sacrificed Himself for my salvation.
How easy is it for us to convince ourselves that to enter into a sexual relationship outside of marriage is ok because that command is old and outdated. We tell ourselves that gossiping and slandering a struggling believer is ok because we shared it only in the strictest confidence. Filling our minds with sexually explicit or violent images that eliminate the value of human life in movies is ok because it is fiction. God specifically speaks to all of these issues and many consider taking them seriously is prudish or legalistic. No, it is obedience at its most beautiful not when we do it to expound about our piety, but when we do it out of pure devotion to Christ, knowing it is because Christ knows it is what is best for us. He knows that a sexual relationship outside of marriage damages and scars the heart. He knows that slander and gossip divides the body of Christ and causes challenges in the heart of the one gossiping, making a heart of unity almost impossible. He knows that violent and sexually explicit images affect the way we view reality and wants our hearts to remain pure and soft. His laws are always for our best interest.
The closer we come to Christ in our daily lives and the more familiar we are with His heart, the clearer it becomes that the purpose for God's law is not to oppress but to liberate. Legalism glorifies and celebrates human effort and self.
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21. Obedience to the law is out of love and devotion to our Lord and knowing that His precepts were given out of his great love towards us. We are to never be disobedient to God under the pretense of not alienating others. Yes, many times devotion to Christ will alienate people. Read more about this in the post entitled "They Will Hate Me." It is well documented that when followers of Christ have been persecuted and reviled and died a martyr's death because of devotion and refusal to compromise their beliefs, those are the times when the world has been impacted for Christ. We must not compromise. When we are obedient even to precepts that go against what modern culture and often the modern church embrace we glorify God by valuing what He has ordained to be good and right. Obedience out of love does not equal legalism.
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