The topic for this article came after watching a Christian Influencer’s video on obedience and it got me thinking. The post consisted of messages like “every single thing you do needs to be in accordance with God’s will” and “if you want your life to be good and in line with what God has for you, you have to follow EVERYTHING He says at all times” and “if you look in the Bible, it shows people being obedient and things turning out a certain way because they were fully following God’s will for their life.” Although there is truth in those statements, I felt convicted to share my thoughts on this subject.
Legalism is excessive adherence to law. And at the root is the sin of pride, because the legalist thinks that he or she is able to commend themselves to God by their own good deeds. We are saved by grace, not through works. A lot of times, Christians miss a key opportunity to show God’s true character on this topic. The statements above don’t leave much room for those wondering, “what does obedience look like?,” “what if I don’t hear His voice and make a mistake?,” “so I have to be perfect to live in alignment with Christ?” I’m writing this because we are called to spread the good news to the world. We are called to leave the 99 (Matthew 18:12). We are called to show people that He loves them regardless of where they’re at. There are so many instances where legalism is being taught and judgement takes over, instead of first encouraging a relationship with Christ. The more a person knows Jesus, the more their heart changes and the more they desire to obey Him. They don’t get there by being shamed into it.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say “follow God’s will in everything you do, OR ELSE His purpose will NOT come to pass.” Actually quite the contrary, the Bible is filled with stories of flawed people who fail over and over and Jesus STILL uses them for His great purpose. I am not saying to use this as an excuse to sin. But remember, nothing could ever stop His divine plan. Read that again. We tend to give too much power to human beings. As if God wouldn’t have his purpose fullfilled because you have an issue with trusting Him. Should we obey Him? Absolutely. Will He teach us lessons? Yes. Will He allow us to deal with the consequences of our actions? Yes. But in no way is He relying on us to make all the right decisions so His purpose can come to pass.
Like Abraham, we will mess up because we are human. Thankfully, He uses all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). I implore you not to be scared of Christianity because humans tend to be judgemental, too focused on works or behave hypocritically. Instead, focus on the Bible and God’s heart. We are called to obey but we are also called into relationship with Him. It is not that He is waiting on us to be holy and worthy of Him, He came because we can’t be holy without Him (The Chosen).
