Legalism vs Gospel

Last week we defined legalism – “if you behave, you belong.”  This week let’s define the gospel – “you belong if you believe.”  To put it another way, it’s not “what I need to do to be good enough for God,” it’s “what God has done for me.”  In Christ, the price for your sin is already paid in full.  Christ, on God’s command, did the work of redeeming your soul.  All that’s left is for you to believe. Can you imagine how things would be different in your life if you truly understood this concept?  Oh I know, most reading this will say they already believe this; they’ll say they've heard this preached for years.  But, if you’re like me (a born-again Christian since I was 5 years old) you unintentionally opt for a performance-based existence (legalism) rather than truly finding your salvation in Christ.

• You measure the success of a day by how much you didn’t mess up.
• You feel pride when you succeed and despair when you fail.
• You work hard at establishing your identity (it's all about you and what you've accomplished).

But No!  God’s not looking at your performance, he’s looking at you.  He’s saying “my sweet child…this very moment you stand before me cleansed, forgiven and purified.  Therefore, I will never deal with you on the basis of your cleanliness or dirtiness - your goodness or your badness – but instead I deal with you on the basis of my Son’s finished work on your behalf.  That’s all I see - HIS work.  Now live like it...be free!”

Are you living free or bound by legalism?  Why not drop to your knees right now and ask the Lord to tell you the truth?  Ask him to give you new eyes to see this important truth; a truth that will change your life.