Great Hope Christian Fellowship​
  • New Direction
  • Updates/Reports
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission | Purpose | Vision
    • What We Believe
    • Membership
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
  • Know Jesus?
  • Good News
  • Sermons
  • Online Giving

From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

8/7/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Legalism is a huge problem to the broken human nature. Obeying a bunch of laws, both for the Jews in the Old Testament and for the Christians in the New Testament, only succeeded in making people "feel" holy and not really "be" holy. "But", you say, "I thought God said to obey his laws?" You are right. And Jesus Himself said He didn't come to "abolish the Law but to fulfill it". So – what does all this mean?

It means the laws, the "rules", the 10 Commandments are helpful and good, but all they can do is expose what is wrong. Knowing how bad or weak you are lets you know there's a problem, but, dude, – it doesn't help make you any better! Well, what good is the law then? Comparative analysis, bro, comparative analysis! The "laws" God has given over time have shown us a basic code of morality, sort of an ideal to reach to please God and most wisely and effectively live with others. But that can be as frustrating as asking a quadriplegic to paint a house…it ain't gonna happen!

As we compare what God asks us to be and what we can actually achieve, we all see that we fall short. As that occurs, a number of things can happen. You can just remove the law from your life, as many have today. There, that's better, "no rules, just right" and end up with the moral melee that we see around us. Or, you can dive in and try to obey them diligently and then disappointedly discover you can't ever get there and so you dig in more and more with the fanatic pursuit of legalism. The former gives you enough rope to hang yourself leading to moral death; the latter gives you enough rope to wrap yourself so religiously tight that you never have the freedom and life God says are available in Him!

"Who shall save me from the body of this death", lamented Paul! Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Jesus Christ". That doesn't mean you can go and sin all you want and fall short of the glory of God, expecting Jesus to cover it all. With that attitude, I doubt you have Him in your heart. Nope – what it means is you don't follow the law because you love the law; you follow God's directions as a labor of love of God, not legalism. You do it knowing your nature will always fall short but that you are determined to crucify and fight that broken nature and practice letting only the nature of God rule and reign in you. In doing that, day by day and little by little, you will become the model of God's ways, because He is in you with full vibrancy and life. Let Him be your thoughts, your words, your deeds; you'll never have to have a law show the way again. The love of God in you is His Law! Endure the fire...it's producing pure gold!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.


    Enter your email address to subscribe to blog:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    April 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    December 2016
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011

    RSS Feed

©2011-2022, Great Hope Christian Fellowship, All Rights Reserved | P.O. Box 82609, Tampa, FL, 33682-2609   Phone: ​(813) 244-0897
  • New Direction
  • Updates/Reports
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission | Purpose | Vision
    • What We Believe
    • Membership
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
  • Know Jesus?
  • Good News
  • Sermons
  • Online Giving