Take This Legalist Test

How to Know If You Are Still A Legalist.



But first . . . a couple notes.

A legalist is not only someone who thinks that works are required for salvation. That brand of legalism is pretty easy to refute.

Often legalists believe completely in grace for initial salvation, but then after initial salvation, revert to a lifestyle of continually trying to earn God's favor and love. I call this performance-based Christian living.

It's one of the saddest phenomena in Christianity, because it results in one of two things:

1. If I think I'm performing pretty well today (usually compared to that carnal wretch over there -- "Can't he get it right, like ME?!!") , it leads to pride.

2. If I think I'm not performing too well today (usually compared to the appearance of that holy-looking guy over there -- "I'm just a jerk. I'll never be righteous!"), it leads to despair and self-condemnation.

O.K., here's the Legalist Test, two questions:

This requires honesty. You don't have to share your answers with anyone, so open up that ol' heart and be honest.

Question 1: Am I better than any other Christian?
If your answer is "Yes, of course I'm better than so-and-so", you don't understand Grace. You may think you do, but you are still infected with legalism. There are only two aspects of "better than", the "flesh", and His righteousness. The "flesh" has no good in it. Paul said, "there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh", so we are no better than anyone else in that respect. His righteousness is total and perfect, so we are no better than any other believer in that respect.

You may whimper, "But I must be better than so-and-so. I mean, look at him!" But you are wrong. Remember the Scripture, "What do you have, O man, that you did not receive?" Anything in us that is good is all of Grace. The old saying, "There but for the Grace of God go I" is a time-honored and true cliche.

Question 2: Am I worse than any other Christian?
If your answer is "O yes! I'm worse than him, and her, and him, and her. . .you don't understand Grace. You are still infected with legalism. The only thing worse than your pathetic self-abasement is your pride for putting yourself down as a worm. Same story as above: The "flesh" has no good in it, so we are no worse than anyone else in that respect. His righteousness is total and perfect, so we are no worse than any other believer in that respect.

(By the way, He gave us His righteousness, so it is our righteousness now, too.)

Didja pass the test? Don't feel bad if you didn't. Few do, because the radical nature of Grace is not taught enough. Performance-based Christianity is taught all the time ("Ten-n-n-n HUT! Are you measuring up, you crummy sheep? I can't hear you! Let's go! Let's go! Perform!"). Pity. And the Shepherd says, "Come to Me . . . again . . . gaze on Me . . . commune with Me . . . and you will be transformed . . . I love you."

My Late Mother's Birthday

Her name is Mary Ann.

Today, October 26, 2004, my mom would have been 74 years old. She went to be with her Lord about 10 years ago. Complications from leukemia.

She was an amazing testimony to God's grace. Full of love for the Lord. Full of love for His people. And always praying for the lost to come to Jesus Christ. She was a selfless person, who readily would sacrifice to help someone in need. Her thousands of pages of journals are a passionate work of art.

This isn't the place to go into great detail, but I'm reminded of two lessons from her life.

1. The power of God to change a heart, even in the midst of a mostly pagan upbringing. He shall save His people from their sins.

2. The importance of a newborn sheep being fed with the truth of Jesus Christ. I say this because although my mom came to Christ in 1950, the year I was born, my dad did not. And so we seldom ever darkened the door of a church. My mom was left to rely on bits and pieces of good teaching here and there, mixed with quasi-Christian bad literature influences. Without a strong biblical foundation, she was tossed by winds of doctrine (as we all can be at times) for 26 years. But she always loved the Lord, as best she knew Him, and she always prayed for me and my sister Jan to be saved. In 1976, I was saved, as was my sister shortly thereafter. When I told my mom, she wept with joy. I began picking her up for church every Sunday. We attended a precious bible-teaching church, and she, and I, and my sister grew like weeds.

Regrets are a waste of time, but I sometimes think, "If only she had been grounded in a good knowledge of biblical truth and life in Christ from the beginning . . ."

Yet God "restored the years the locusts had eaten", and there is no Christian lady I admired more than my new mom. If you knew her, you would agree, and you would glorify the Lord for what He did.

The Material of Spiritual Warfare

Often it's said that the battleground of the Devil is the mind. And there is truth to that. But how is the mind the battleground for spiritual warfare?

Follow me here:

Q. What does the mind do?
A. It thinks.

Q. What does it think?
A. It thinks thoughts.

Thoughts may be divided into two classes, truth and lies.
And that is the real material of spiritual warfare: truth vs. lies.
That's why the scripture speaks of "doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1), because doctrines (teachings) of demons are lies. It's truth that sets us free, and it's lies that put us in bondage of various kinds.

Which leads us to the question, "Where is authoritative truth? Well, it's in the Scriptures. That's why we must betransformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1,2). And the Devil and demons are not our only enemies. There are also the World and the Flesh. Any one of the unholy three (the World, the Flesh, and the Devil) is able to de-rail us, if we are not filled with the Truth of the Word of God.

How are we filled with the Word of God? I would recommend five ways:

1. Reading the Word, especially the New Testament epistles.
2. Studying the Word, perhaps using good commentaries, word studies, Bible dictionaries, etc.
3. Meditating on the Word. Thinking over each passage, asking questions like Who, What, When, Where, Why?
4. Praying the Word. Asking God to teach us, and equip us with His grace, to understand and be able to live each passage, as it is applied to our lives.
5. Perhaps most important, always relating the Word to Jesus Christ, Who is the Living Word. He who is our Life, Jesus Christ, Who is one in spirit with us believers, is the Object of the Scriptures. All Scriptures point to Him, and He is Truth personified. Seek Him in every passage. He is our Bread. Feed on Him. Don't view the Scriptures as just some kind of rule book or map. It breathes Christ! Our Savior, our Lord, our Counselor, our Friend!

When you recognize a lie, renounce it. Put it away. But be sure to replace it with the truth. Practice the truth. Seek it out. Don't let a lie rest. Root it out. Pray for the Lord to lead you in truth, which does indeed set us free. Stand on the truth. That's what the warfare is about.

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." -- Galatians 5:1

It's Not About Us?

How many times have you heard the statement, something like, "It's not about us, it's about Him!"?

The simple biblical truth is it's about both! Him and us! He died for us. He prays for us. He works in us. He loves us. We are His Body. He is in us---Christ in us, the hope of glory. Our bodies are His temple. We are one spirit with Him. We are in Him, and He is in us. He watches over us. He leads us. He has chosen us before the foundation of the world. He wants us to draw near to Him. He wants us to praise Him.

Of course it's about Him! But it's also about us! We are His children...and His Bride...and His beloved.

Friends, let's stop the pseudo-humility that says, "I'm just a lil ol' unworthy worm", and replace it with true biblical humility that says, "He who is in Christ is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new."

God's Grace has made us "Someone" in God's eyes. Now that's not a cause for pride. After all, "What do you have, O man, that you did not receive?" No, we boast only in the Lord. But...

...we boast in the Lord who works all things together for good to those who love Him. That's us!

...we boast in the Lord who so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, for us!

...we boast in the Lord who raised us with Him, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named!

It's not just about Him.

It's certainly not just about us.

It's about Him and us!

Who should get the glory for that? Well, the One who did it, of course! It's all of grace, from start to finish, from Alpha to Omega. The Lord will not share His glory with another. But He will share His Life!

The Prodigal Son's Father

I can't tell you how many sermons I've heard through the years on the subject of "The Prodigal Son". What he did. How he treated his father. Where he went. How he worked with the pigs. How he squandered his inheritance. Finally, how he was restored. On and on about the son, with usually some contrasting comparisons about his elder brother.

It's supposed to be a picture of us Christians when we "backslide", and how we can return to God. And how there's always forgiveness, if we repent, turn 180 degrees, say our speeches to God, resolve to do better, etc., etc.

But is that really what it's about? The son?

Well, sure, but only incidentally. I think it's really about the Father, and His heart toward us, his children. It's a picture of God. The son is mostly a prop, added in to make a point.

So what's the point?

Notice that the prodigal son had a little speech prepared. A little repentence speech. A groveling speech. Sort of, "Father, I'm a low-down miserable worm, not worthy to be your son, so let me be a hired servant of yours."

Did the Father listen to the speech, and judge the son's sincerity by it? No! Remember? He never even listened to the speech! He was too overjoyed by his son's return! It's as though he said, "Oh shut up, you big lug! Give your daddy a hug! Welcome home, son!"

And that's the point:

God is not interested in the content of our little speeches. He isn't interested in our groveling, as if the more miserably we grovel, the more we "earn" His forgiveness. Why? Because He has already forgiven us, and paid for that forgiveness on the Cross.

Well, what is He interested in, then?

You. And me.

He is interested in our fellowship!

"Cut the speech! Get the robe! Get the ring! Kill the fatted calf! My son has returned! That's all I want! I love you, Son! I love you! Just abide in me. I'll produce the fruit. I know you've failed, and you'll fail again. But that doesn't change my love for you! And I'm at work in you both to will and to do my good pleasure!"

Oh, that we "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that [we] may be filled up to all the fulness of God..." (Eph. 3:18,19a NASB)