Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. Galatians 2:16 (NLT) When you watch a football game, do you cheer for the players who have memorized every single rule in the handbook? No. Regulations give the game structure and make it fun, but strict rule-following doesn’t necessarily make a player great on the field. In the same way, it’s possible to obey all the Bible’s rules, yet live out a lousy existence as a Christian. Why? Because Christianity is not about trying to gain God’s approval through following a bunch of rules. Now, of course rules are essential in society. They help us navigate traffic safely, raise our kids and enforce law …

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. Romans 3:22 (NLT) Have you ever struggled with thinking it takes more than accepting Christ to be right with God? The early church struggled with the same issue. Why? Because different false teachers kept trying to tack on rules and legalism to the Gospel and drag it back into the burdensome Old Covenant ways. Acts chapter 15 tells us the Apostle Paul and Barnabas argued vehemently against Jewish Pharisees who had begun teaching that salvation for Gentile believers required circumcision and following the law of Moses. Paul also wrote letter after letter to the early churches, urging believers to …

Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” John 9:39 (MSG) Jesus taught that legalistic, works-based religion can blind people spiritually. How? It uses rules, rituals and guilt to remind people of their continual failure to live up to those same regulations. It keeps them focused on their efforts and shortcomings, blinding them to the awesome freedom found in God’s grace and mercy. The Pharisees considered themselves the best at following religious laws, yet Jesus called them “blind guides leading the blind” (Matthew 15:14, NLT). Why? They …

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NLT) How many ways can you get to God? Jesus said there is only one way and it’s through Him. Unfortunately, works-based religion bypasses Jesus and teaches people that they must keep paying the price by relying on legalistic rules or rituals to get to God. Yet I can’t find Jesus showing up in the synagogues to announce that He had a newly expanded list of rules for the Jews to follow. I can’t find Him teaching crowds of people about all the necessary rituals to follow or behaviours to modify before God loves them. Instead, I find Jesus embracing those …

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? Galatians 2:21 (MSG) Perfomance-based religion is ironic. It teaches people they can get closer to God through methods that actually kill intimacy. For example, let’s say a married couple finds their relationship in a rut. So they talk things out, and the wife hopes her husband gets it. Thursday night, the doorbell rings unexpectedly. The wife is surprised to realize her husband hired a babysitter to watch the kids. Suddenly, he comes out nicely dressed and says, “Babe, go put on something special. I’m taking you out.” She puts on her best red dress, and …