Philippians 3:2; Word for the Day: Pernicious – 4.9.2014

“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. (3) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh –“

Have you ever heard of the Judaizers?  They’re not that new band you’ve been hearing so much about (at least I don’t think they are)…they are actually who Paul is talking about in this passage. The Judaizers were a group of people who believed that Gentile believers (and Jewish believers) had to follow the Jewish Law in addition to following Christ.  They would say, “You believe in Jesus – great!  Now go get circumcised, put down that bacon sandwich, follow the rest of the Jewish Law and everything will be good.” 

Paul attacked this belief vigorously any and every time he ran across it.  Why?  Because in essence, this view says that salvation is not by Christ alone.  You must believe Christ AND follow the Jewish Law.  The Judaizers were Legalists – you must DO this and this and this to be accepted by God. 

The Gospel – the Good News – is that Jesus has accomplished everything to restore relationship with God by His sacrifice on the cross.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. ⁹Not by works, lest any man should boast."

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves; salvation comes only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  If we begin to require additions to Christ, we say that His sacrifice was not sufficient to save us.  The entirety of scripture teaches the exact opposite – salvation is by grace alone, not by works.

My question for you today: are you adding something to the sacrifice of Jesus so that you can be acceptable to God? 

Is faith in Christ enough?  Or do you have to read your bible every day for Jesus to accept you?  Do you have to attend church every week so God will be happy with you?  If you forget to tithe do you think that God is angry at you? 

This plays out in our relationships with others to.  Do you judge other believers because they don’t listen to Christian music or go on mission trips or attend a small group or do things that you don’t or don’t do things that you do?  Do you pay more attention to what others do instead of who they are?

Have any of those thoughts taken root in your mind?  Legalism is a sneaky trap to fall into.  Ask God to point out any area in your life where it has taken hold, repent, and ask God to wash you clean in the freedom of Christ that was purchased with His precious blood…

“We insist that God must surely lead everyone as we believe He has led us. We refuse to allow God the freedom to deal with each of us as individuals. When we think like that, we are legalistic.” – Jerry Bridges