Dear family
Are you a legalistic follower of Jesus Christ? Maybe you live with a formula: Faith in Jesus + Rules (participating in a few church activities and trying my best to live a morally sound life, etc.) = a life pleasing to God. The problem with that is, it is not the gospel. Paul wrote to the Galatians that if we add anything to our faith in Jesus alone, even as Christians, we are believing a “different gospel”.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
(Gal 1:6-7)
Believing a different gospel turns us away from our heavenly Father to a distortion of Him. Our concept of God becomes twisted. Rather than living by faith and enjoying a love relationship with Him, we live in bondage to fear, guilt and shame rooted in religion. And we always feel that regardless of how much we obey God, He is never pleased.
Adding rules, even rules in the Bible, is legalism. Legalism is using the Bible as a rule book rather than a relationship book. You can even approach the Gospels legalistically by trying to figure out what to do, what fruit to produce. It is a system to try to gain God’s favour. Grace is a Person – Jesus Christ. As Christians, we experience God’s grace by faith through our union with Him. Grace invites you into a relationship, not a system.
Is it possible that as a sincere follower of Jesus Christ, you have been misled into believing a “different gospel”? Maybe that is why you struggle to believe and enjoy God’s love for you. Maybe that is why you don’t have the desire to share the life of Jesus in your daily life. Maybe that is why a lot of people give up on church and Christianity because they don’t experience the God who loves them, but believe in a god who is always telling them that they don’t measure up. I don’t blame them. They are not really turning from God but from a distorted gospel.
I love God’s Word because it keeps pointing me to Jesus Christ. I obey my Father because I love Him. I sometimes see in His Word where I am not obeying Him, and then I ask Jesus to enable me by living His life through me.
How about you? Is your relationship with God negatively impacted because you have been led away from the pure simple gospel of grace? Let go of rules and cling to your union with Christ alone. Let He freely live His life in and through you – that is discipleship and disciple making.
On another note:
Kingfisher wants to distribute our monthly letters and news items via WhatsApp as well. This will be a no-reply group with only admins able to post. If you want to receive it, click the following link to subscribe.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/CLchRFMqfrRDUl1dXyT747
Blessings and Love
dirk