Legalist "Christians" vs The Spirit

[JackRT]

by Bruce Bawer in his “Stealing Jesus” --- Labels like biblical Christian and Bible-believing Christian, which many conservative Christians attach to themselves, wrongly suggest that there is something unbiblical about the faith of liberal Christians. We might speak of "exclusionists" and "inclusionists," because conservative Christians, unlike liberal Christians, tend to define the word Christian in such a way as to exclude others -- including, in most cases, a large number of their fellow conservative Christians. But it seems to me that the difference between conservative and liberal Christianity may be most succinctly summed up by the difference between two key scriptural concepts: law and love. Simply stated, conservative Christianity focuses primarily on law, doctrine, and authority; liberal Christianity focuses on love, spiritual experience, and what Baptists call the priesthood of the believer. If conservative Christians emphasize the Great Commission -- the resurrected Christ's injunction, at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, to "go to all nations and make them my disciples" -- liberal Christians place more emphasis on the Great Commandment, which in Luke's Gospel reads as follows: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

* The Church of Law holds that God loves only the "saved” and that they alone are truly his children; the Church of Love holds that God loves all human beings and that all are his children.

* The Church of Law sees Satan as a real creature, a tempter and deceiver from whom true Christians are defended by their faith but by whom atheists, members of other religions, and "false Christians" are deceived, and whose instruments they can become; for the Church of Love Satan is a metaphor for the potential for evil that exists in each person, Christian or otherwise, and that must be recognized and resisted.

* The Church of Law believes that individuals should be wary of trusting their own minds and emotions, for these can be manipulated by Satan, and that questions and doubts are to be resisted as the work of the Devil; the Church of Love believes that the mind is a gift of God and that God wants us to think for ourselves, to follow our consciences, to ask questions, and to listen for his still, small voice.

* The Church of Law sees "truth" as something established in the Bible and known for sure by true Christians; the Church of Love sees truth as something known wholly only by God toward which the belief statements of religions can only attempt to point the way.

* The Church of Law reads the Bible literally and considers it the ultimate source of truth; the Church of Love insists that the Bible must be read critically, intelligently, and with an understanding of its historical and cultural contexts.

* The Church of Law encourages a suspicion of aesthetic values and a literalistic mentality that tends to thwart spiritual experience; the Church of Love encourages a recognition of mystery and beauty as attributes of the holy.

 

[bugkiller]

I have to say that ultimately, the goal is to 'have the whole earth filled with the knowledge of God'. However, there is no mistaking that legalists are opposed to mercy and grace, though they may claim otherwise.

Say, for instance, they have a rule "for their church" for women to not cut their hair, or a popular one, that there must be no consumption of alcoholic beverages. That might sound good *on paper* - forgetting the paper kills, but the Spirit gives life - but, ultimately, it ends up where they view any woman with short hair as damned, and any person they see in a bar, as damned. Not matters they like to trumpet, but quite the reality.

They are *judgmental*. Which is the opposite of the message.

And they are *narrow minded*. Which would shock many as being specifically something condemned in the Bible.

I do not mind appearing narrow minded towards the narrow minded, and judgmental to the judgmental. I have never been a fan of bigots. But, in reality, that would simply be projection of their own self onto me, or you, or anyone who is accepting, liberal in heart, merciful in judgment of others. The reality is that this is where God has placed them, and yes, they can be saved. Ultimately, I believe that they are the very best targets for being saved when Jesus is revealed from Heaven with his angels.

Because they, unlike those who have never even heard the message, are most prepared to realize their situation in the worst way: that they have all along been saying "Lord, Lord" and believing they have done so much for the Lord Jesus Christ... and all along they have been doing it wrong.

It is what you call extremely strong *fulcrum*, or *leverage*.

But, until then, they remain the strongest enemies of Christ and the Kingdom, of course.

They may claim they are for many to be saved, though they just want to gain converts to their own, specific church.

Those of the Spirit have no such concern - the body is the temple, the body is the church - we want people to know the glory of Christ by understanding the message. Which only comes about by the grace of the Spirit.

But, yes, the legalist, does not view the earth as being saved after all of this. They do not have the very unique and powerful understanding of God's great grace and mercy, as Jonah did. They have not been shown the many caveats which can get people "out of hell". And they have never even considered that the condemnation you see in the parable of the goats and the sheep, or the ten virgins may not be forever.

If you are already aware of these matters, then I certainly praise the work God has done in you.

Took me 40 years to be totally free. God is merciful.

bugkiller

 

[bugkiller]

Question? Do believers have to obey the Law?

No, because that isn't our covenant.

bugkiller