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Please note this well: I am not saying that we shouldn't take the law VERY seriously. Obedience is paramount as Jesus said that if anyone truly loves him they will keep his commands (John 14:15). All I am saying is that when we try to make "human righteousness" a substitute for loving Godliness we are committing a fatal error, and it leads people astray into thinking that Christianity is just another works religion, or that we are all just a bunch of constant hypocrites. There actually isn't such a thing as "human righteousness." All goodness finds it's roots in God alone, and everything else is selfish pride and showmanship. Jesus condemned the religious leaders (Pharasees) of His people in Matthew 15 and in Matthew 23 calling them "snakes and broods of vipers."
This was pretty heavy talk coming from Jesus, and it was well deserved. The point that I'm trying to make to all my Legalist brothers and sisters in Christ out there is this. Yes, Jesus loves you, and wants he you and others to obey Him. But He doesn't want you to think of yourself as Holier than thou, to hate the sinner with the sin, to shove the laws of men down peoples throats while passing them off as the words of God, or to condemn the speck in your brothers eye while all the time there is a giant log in your own eye! Plus, you make Christianity look bad when you give everyone an impossible and unreasonable standard that can only be reached by Grace, then you tell us to reach it by effort. In the end both we and you will fail and the world will not be able to take our testament about Jesus Christ seriously.
So please... I love you to death, Legalists, and I truly know that you mean well, but you are only hurting the cause. Learn to love the thieves, sluts, liars, and haters before you go condemning. Then you can truly help the person, just as Jesus met them where they were, and still condemn their sin but love the sinner with a clear conscience.
I'm usually not the kinda guy who goes arround touting the "Judge not that you be not judged (Matt. 7:1)" verse (since I think it's way overused out of context), but this time I think it applies quite nicely.
This was pretty heavy talk coming from Jesus, and it was well deserved. The point that I'm trying to make to all my Legalist brothers and sisters in Christ out there is this. Yes, Jesus loves you, and wants he you and others to obey Him. But He doesn't want you to think of yourself as Holier than thou, to hate the sinner with the sin, to shove the laws of men down peoples throats while passing them off as the words of God, or to condemn the speck in your brothers eye while all the time there is a giant log in your own eye! Plus, you make Christianity look bad when you give everyone an impossible and unreasonable standard that can only be reached by Grace, then you tell us to reach it by effort. In the end both we and you will fail and the world will not be able to take our testament about Jesus Christ seriously.
So please... I love you to death, Legalists, and I truly know that you mean well, but you are only hurting the cause. Learn to love the thieves, sluts, liars, and haters before you go condemning. Then you can truly help the person, just as Jesus met them where they were, and still condemn their sin but love the sinner with a clear conscience.
I'm usually not the kinda guy who goes arround touting the "Judge not that you be not judged (Matt. 7:1)" verse (since I think it's way overused out of context), but this time I think it applies quite nicely.