The answer to legalism:

[Aquila]

For those that might benefit from this post, I found the answer I needed with regards to dealing with legalism and it's painful effects in my life.

I served in a very legalistic church for many years. I left to attend a more "moderate" church, but frankly, it was just as legalistics, just more friendly about it. I served in these churches maybe a total of 22 years.

Now... when I left I found myself adrift on a sea of wondering what I was supposed to do. I began trying to draft new lists of rules that I thought were more biblical. I even experimented with Sabbath keeping in trying to narrow my life down to obeying the Ten Commandments. I became my own legalistic task master.

Then I discovered something... a concept that was beyond my wildest dreams... the notion of being conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus. I was given a book titled Grace Walk by a good friend. While I don't agree with every theological point in the book (very easy reading), I found myself "getting" the concept of Christ being formed in us. I began to realize that the gift of the Holy Ghost was MORE than just goosebumps and spiritual gifts... but an experience that ontologically united my spirit with the Spirit of God. That, through grace, I now experience a "oneness" with the Father that they man Christ Jesus shared. "Realizing" this was difficult at first. But today it's as simple as breathing... I am truly crucified with Christ and yet I live. Not I... BUT CHRIST WHO LIVES WITHIN ME.

Allowing Christ to live His own life out through us (because afterall He's the only one who has ever lived the Christian life with total victory) has become my desire and my spiritual aim. This brings me to a more incarnational Christianity wherein my standard is Jesus. It's not so much what I do... it's who I am in Him.

Do I live by any rules? Yes. I live by two. I believe that both Jesus and Paul emphasized these principles:

-Love God with all your being.
-Love your neighbor as yourself.

Beyond these two rules... just BE Jesus.

I hope this might help someone.

[KeptByTheWord]

You have hit the nail on the head Aquila. This is the message that Paul sought so hard to teach the people all through the NT. Yet, it is the hardest thing for us as humans to do, because it is our inherent nature to worship something, and most often that something transfers to the closest human form around us, INSTEAD of Jesus.

Yet, when our worship, our very lives, our very focus is Jesus, and Him crucified, there will be changes with evident FRUIT in our lives that will come about in no other way, and certainly not because a legalistic system demanded it.

Praise God that you have found your way out of Pharaseic legalism, man's way of doing things, and are now walking in Christ!

Thank you for your testimony and your words. May they bring light and healing to those who are still suffering from the blindness of the Pharaseic legalistic church systems (not just the UPC, but every church demonination that puts more emphasis on conforming to THEIR standards instead of conforming to Christ.)

[AreYouReady?]

What is sad is that one has to leave their controlling, legalistic church in order to be conformed to the image of Christ.

You got people telling you that you must obey other men in these assemblies. If that were an absolute, then Christ would not have disobeyed the High Priests and Pharisees when he performed miracles on the Sabbath. Not all pastors are looking out for your spiritual welfare....that is a fact. And the rest of the five-fold ministry hardly balances the pastor in many cases.

In many assemblies, you have to play it their way or the highway. You cannot allow yourself to be conformed to the image of Christ without the pastor's permission. If certain pastor's perceive that you are sincere and may in fact exceed their righteousness (Matthew 5:20), some actually work to prevent this in you.

When one leaves these assemblies, they are trashed by many of the people there and cannot find another church that will accept them in unless those churches are bitter enemies. Sad...and truly a shame that it is, but there are Oneness churches in my region that are bitter enemies with each other. I believe that is what keeps revival from springing up in this dark place.

Some of you tell me just how Christ-like is that? Then those of you who think all "authority" should be obeyed call those who are not in good graces of those men in "authority" bitter, unforgiving, rebellious etc.

The people back in Christ's day understood all too well what going against those in authority would do to them. They believed Christ. He had tens of thousands following him, astonished at what He preached, recipients of His grace and healings.

Conspiracies have gone on for as long as man walked this earth. Who would have thought that the High Priests and Pharisees conspired together to kill the Savior. And they did it because they did not want to lose their positions with the Romans.

Why do "authorities" in a church system do what they do now to people?

Sometimes we are not rebellious when we leave a controlling, legalistic church system. Sometimes we are only trying to find Christ through a maze of churches that each and every one of them think that they are the one true path, the one road that leads to God.

Fact is, Christ is the only way, the door to God and we do not go through men to get to Him. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.