Legalism Should Be Dead

"Through Him (Jesus) everyone is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Acts 13:39"

You have your choice in life. Either you can be religious or faithful. You can have grace or the law. Jesus makes a new way for us to deal with all of our sin. All of us have sin. We cannot avoid it. It is part of the human experience. We do stuff, say stuff, think stuff and allow stuff that shouldn't happen. We fail to do many things that should happen. This is called the sin of omission. How can anyone possibly not sin? Only Jesus did this. Everyone else has sinned. There is not an exception. Moses sinned, Abraham sinned, Mary sinned, Joseph sinned and all the disciples sinned. We are human. That is not an excuse that is a condition. The human condition.

The only remedy for our sin is forgiveness. Forgiveness cannot happen without reconciliation. Reconciliation cannot happen without sacrifice. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice, replacing the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament. Christ in His death on the cross is the sacrifice that justifies us. The law of Moses was impossible to keep. Man's sins are too many and too complicated. Jesus simplifies the process completely. One man's death (The only Son of God) became the atonement for the sins of all. But it had to be someone perfect. Jesus. The only perfect one. His death reconciles all sin.

When Jesus died He took on the payment price for all sins for all time. Not only did He die for all the sins of the past, He also died for all the sins of the present and future. All sin was reconciled through Him. All we need to do is to accept His justification. Jesus fixes everything and puts it in alignment. Just like when you are typing there is a feature on the computer that justifies the margins. No matter what you do or how you type the margins will be justified. Corrected. Made right. Made perfect. I know inside me that I need justification. I cannot self justify. No religion can do that. I need a program that can do that for me. A program that can justify my margins. Jesus does that for me in my life.

So today we have one question. Are you justified? Are you forgiven? Are you free from legalism and religious efforts to justify yourself? I hope you are. If not, ask Jesus to show you how to be forgiven. Then forgive others as He has forgiven you. Many of us have come to the saving knowledge of His grace yet still keep others under the law. Be set free today, not only in your own life, but in your relationships with others. Grace should not only be freely received, it should be freely given. I am a joyful recipient of His grace. I am also a joyful giver of His grace. What is free for me is free for you.

In His Grace,
Pastor Fred

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