You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. Galatians 3:1
Years ago I listened to Pastor Charles Swindoll's radio program. He did a teaching on Galatians and grace. Pastor Swindoll said every Christian should read the Bible book of Galatians at least once a year to remind them to avoid legalism. I agree. Legalism creeps up on you.
Too many churches and Christians are captives of legalism. The "do's and don't's of religion". Some churches have actual lists of rules and regulations for its members to obey. Many of the rules are completely outside of anything Biblical. One that comes to mind is a church I grew up in that insists all its members only read the King James Bible even though its language is quite dated and difficult for its members to understand.
Beware of Jesus plus. Jesus Plus Anything else is a warning sign that you are getting into legalism. At its core legalism suggests, or even promises, that to be a "real Christian" you must work for it. You should follow certain rules or traditions, and fall into line with everyone else.
Of course when you begin to speak of depending upon Christ, His sacrifice, and His righteousness accredited to our account, the super religious say: Aha, you think you can just live like the devil and go to heaven!
Yet the Apostle Paul had an answer to that statement:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24
Paul explains we are given the Holy Spirit and through the Spirit we will bear fruit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Sometimes the problem is that we get into the mindset that we are already good enough without God. Many times people who are not Christians, or even those who are Christians, seek to justify themselves and explain how they are good enough on their own aside from God or anything He does.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6
Without Jesus we are lost, both here and in eternity. When we begin to think of a list of rules or certain practices and behavior to qualify us, to earn us the right to go to heaven, we deceive ourselves. There is no way we will ever be that good on our own.
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 3:28
Our faith, trust, and dependence upon Jesus will help us to become better people. But make no mistake, nothing can qualify us for heaven apart from Christ. The criminal hanging on the cross beside Jesus at His crucifixion merely asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus promised the man that he would enter heaven with Jesus. What good works did the criminal do? How was he good enough? How was he righteous enough? Nothing could be done from that cross as he hung there beside Jesus except to believe, to offer a seed of faith. That was enough to save him and for him to enter the kingdom of heaven. All because of Jesus and the sacrifice Jesus made on that cross.
We are often tempted to get into the mindset that we are good enough. We do a few good works and become proud of ourselves. Somehow we even foolishly can begin to believe that God owes us something for our actions. Nothing we did or will do can save us. The only things that matter are trust in Jesus and faith in His goodness and grace.
Prayer: Dear Lord, whenever we become righteous in our own eyes, remind us of You hanging on that cross and the high price You paid to redeem us. Amen.
