Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! Galatians 6:15 (MSG)
Today, some people believe that the church should preach such a harsh message that every sinner either runs to the altar for forgiveness or out the back door in shame. Yet I can’t find Jesus or the apostles doing that.
When they preached the Gospel in a city, it would explode with great joy! Jesus consistently attracted massive crowds, and when He received persecution it was never from the crowd. It was always from the legalistic, religious people. In fact, those same religious people nailed Jesus to a cross because He brought a message that said, “You don’t need the rules of religion to please God. You need me.”
You see, following oppressive, legalistic rituals or trusting in our good works won’t bring our hearts to life or earn us better standing with God. And teaching people that they are dirty sinners doesn’t change their hearts, either. It only loads them down with more guilt, causing them to think God rejects them for failing to be “good enough.” Jesus didn’t operate like that.
He extended mercy (John 8:1-11), forgiveness (Luke 7:36-50) and incredible compassion (John 4:1-42) to people. He offered people the joy of being loved, accepted and forgiven.
As believers, the more we realize that it’s not what we do but who we believe in that truly matters, the more freedom we experience.
No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, “May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!” (Galatians 6:18, MSG).
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