People walking away from the church. Why go to church when it is lifeless, When you have a sin issue you can not defeat, and you can't get help, because legalism can only judge you, not help you. You can only hide your sin so long before satan uses it to tear you down, and take you out.
In my prodigal days, I did not go to church, But if someone asked me about God, I loved hi, I knew I was saved, and I would never deny him, I just was lost in my own struggles.
In my example,
I left home to go into the military when I was 17, I felt free. I did not have to hide things anymore, I Enjoyed (or so I thought) all kinds of sin, all the things I wanted to do but was to afraid to (that's what happens when your under law) and prety much wasted many years of my life, I married a gal I should have never married, I finally did get back into church, But it was the same old stuff, having to hide so much, Then I became involved, thought that would help. But my home life was falling apart due to the military, (people do not understand the stress military puts on any family) WHen I got out, I went back to my old church, Same stuff, Only this time I was not so much worried about sins, I wanted to serve others. I taught sunday school, was involved in helping start a christian school, Ran a food pantry, Tried many things, then due to problems in the church, it crashed and burned, and split up. Again, legaism took its tole on a church.
Eventually my wife left me, And thanks to legalism, I was afraid to go to church because I was a failure, I could not even keep my family together, and we all know what God thinks about divorce, I was a sinner of all sinners..
I then fell away hard, I became a prodigal son, who left the church for 5 years.. I was angry, I was hurt, (I did not stop believing in God. or think he left me, But I was confused, and could not understand why things happened, Was it sin, Was it me, What was it,
It was not until 5 years later, My best friend, Who I helped lead to the lord when we were teens, Called me out of the blue, and my restoration started. and I started to really study and find out all the things i thought were true were legalistic hogwash, That God loved me because he created me, not because of what I did or did not do. and he wanted a real relationship with me. I was healed. I had friends I could confess my sins too, I found healing and victory over those sins, I am still to this day working as God says to be sanctified, and knowing that I have not yet made it I still need to run the race.
But my life story has me passionate about legalism, I want people to find the freedom I did. To be released from the prison that enslaves. Whether a person is saved or not, I do not know, I accepted the Lord around 7 years old, I remember it like it was yesterday, I know it changed my life for a few years, then that pastor left, and I got tore down by legalism by the pastors who followed. But I was saved, Continued to be saved even in the darkest time of my life (the footsteps in the sand picture is a reality, God realy did carry me when I thought he was gone, I just could not see it. But I see it now, My life was hard, but could have been so much worse, I am lucky to be alive)
anyway, Sorry to be so wordy, I hope this makes sense.
Your response was not even addressing my points.