It Starts Small

Yesterday I shared that something God revealed to me was liberty. I was liberated. When I think about the puppy dog on the route, I am no longer caged or imprisoned by legalism. I am no longer bound to the Law of Moses. Christ is the law of Moses. The law was given to us to reveal we are sinners. It shows us what kind of sinners we are and we can not keep to the law. Christ became the law. When we receive Christ as our Savior we are given liberty from the law. There is something else Christ has liberated us from: criticism.

⁴ And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: ⁵ To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Galatians 2:4-5

There were people and are people today, who came in and found out there were people living in the grace of God and rejoicing and worshipping in the grace of God. They came in to be grace busters. They came down with their list of rules, rituals, regulations, and restrictions and began to brown beat people with them. They are the legalists I wrote about yesterday. A legalist is someone who is governed by rules, regulations, rituals, requirements, and restrictions. They do not live by the love, grace or mercy of Christ. They use God’s Word to justify their own selfish sinful lifestyles and have no problem browbeating others with it.

Again, the law’s intention is to show you and I that we are sinners and what kind of sinners we are. The law does not save. Legalists study the law and then make up their own list just as the Pharisees did in the Bible. They added another 613 laws, rukes, regulations, rituals, and restrictions to God’s original law. They added to the Word of God! Everywhere legalists go they measure others by their list.

Paul calls these people false brothers. The list makers do not come from outside the church, they come from within the church. They are false brothers who want to put those living by grace into subjection. They were once told by someone else this is the way to live and do. It was not according to God’s original laws, but a list someone else made and they added to the principles and standard of living in God’s Word.

Why? They want to put people in a box. They want to be able to control people. The problem with living in the liberty of Christ, you are free from the control of the law. People who do not live in the grace of Christ seek to control others through unattainable standards. When the measure a person and see they do not meet the standard of their list, they subject them to judgement and criticism.

¹¹ But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. Galatians 2:11

Paul had to get after Simon Peter for this. He called Simon Peter a hypocrite. Simon Peter had allowed these legalists in to criticize him and others. It caused them to stumble and return to legalism. Paul tells Simon Peter to stand fast! Stand fast in liberty. Do not let people entangle and pull you back into the bondage of legalism.

We need to be careful that we are not subjecting others to the law. Romans 14 gives in great detail, instructions for how not to wound weaker brothers and sisters. We should NEVER intentionally try to wound others with the word of God. Itis not our job or purpose to browbeat others. That is the job of God our Father through the Holy Spirit. It is not our job to point out and poke others because of their sin. We are NOT to use the law to justify anything or any action we have done. The law is broken and replace with Christ. Christ is the love, grace, and mercy we are to be subjected to and made standard to.

However, there are what I would call professional weaker false brothers. They make a mission out of creating a sin committee and appoint themselves the chairman. They put people into bondage by browbeating them with the law. DO not let these people make their problem your problem. They are sick and you cannot make yourself sick to make them well. Standfast in Christ’s liberty!

Under legalism you are in bondage to yourself.

Under criticism you are in bondgae to others.