Blog Posts containing "legalism"

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. What difference does it make in your family relationships when you try to change someone while you are angry and out of the Grace or instead being transformed by loving them when you are in the Grace?  Read more

Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on the Mount gives us the opportunity to understand the transforming power of Grace. We only know the difference that experiencing Grace makes when it is compared with our legalistic actions to change our life. Our Legalistic response believes to receive God’s blessing we must first change our lives by doing His will. Grace promises to transform our lives through His blessing in order to do His will.   Read more

Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on the Mount gives us the opportunity to understand the transforming power of grace. We can only know the difference experiencing grace makes if we note how our lives change as we shift from a legalistic mode of interpreting scripture to an interpretation based on the Grace of God. Our Legalistic response to scripture is based on a belief that we receive God’s blessing by first changing our lives to do His will; something that is impossible to do through our own efforts. Grace promises to transform our lives through His blessing in order to do His will; possible in the Grace Presence of God.  Read more

Think literal Legalism: Legalism finds no consolation or closure about traumatic events. Feel the spiritual Grace: Grace finds consolation and closure in the Presence of God. Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Think literal Legalism: “With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back.” Feel the spiritual Grace: “With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back spiritually.”  Read more

Think literal Legalism: “Presence” is physical. Feel the spiritual Grace: “Presence” is spiritual. OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 63:7-9 Think literal Legalism: It was no messenger or angel but his physical presence that saved them. Feel the spiritual Grace: It was no messenger or angel but His spiritual Presence that saves them. Legalism looks for the key to happiness. Grace knows there is no key, the door is always open!  Read more

Think literal Legalism: We literally “weary” God with our rational doubts. Feel the spiritual Grace: We spiritually “weary” God with our closed hearts. Old Testament: Isaiah 7:10-16 Think literal Legalism: Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Feel the spiritual Grace: Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you spiritually weary my God also? Legalism hates and remembers. Grace forgives and forgets.  Read more

Think literal Legalism: Literally our “eyes” and “ears” are physical. Feel the spiritual Grace: Spiritually our “eyes” and “ears” are opened to the grace of God within us. Old Testament: Isaiah 35:1-10 Think literal Legalism: The literally the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Feel the spiritual Grace: The spiritual eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the spiritual ears of the deaf unstopped.  Read more

“Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'” Presumption can lead us to believe we are in God’s Peace when we are not. It can have us believe that no matter what happens we cannot and will not ever be in His Peace about certain things in the past, present or future. Presumption leads us to believe that we know how to change the unchangeable by working on it long enough or thinking about it hard enough. We overcome our presumption by knowing as a fact, that when we are in the Presence of the Peace of God we can be at Peace under any condition. St Paul tells it like it is when he wrote in Romans 2:2, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed.”  Read more

Think literal Legalism: The Spirit is literally resting on Jesus. Feel the spiritual Grace: When we are spiritually open to His grace, the Spirit of Jesus is resting on us. Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10 Think literal Legalism: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Feel the spiritual Grace: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on us, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  Read more

The Christmas Peace cannot be found in getting all the shopping, cooking and other ducks in line so we can feel at peace. The Christmas Peace is found within ourselves. It is already there. We need to find the Christmas Peace so we can celebrate the Christmas event. The Peace is all about the Presence of Jesus born into this World. The Word, according to John’s Gospel, is that Jesus came into the World and the World did not know Him. The World is not that place out there. The World is this place in us. It is the place where we often forget about the birth of the Spirit of Jesus that God has poured into our hearts.  Read more