Gospel Renewal and Roadblocks (#4-6)

This is the final installment on this subject.  Last time, we looked at the first three roadblocks to gospel renewal.  Now we will consider three others--bearing in mind that the list is not at all exhaustive.

4.     Religion [AKA Moralism AKA Legalism]

Religion, moralism, legalism—they all are referring to the idea that “we must obey the truth to be saved” and/or “we must obey the truth to maintain God’s favor”.  This is probably the biggest roadblock to gospel renewal faced by believers in our age.

Moralism (legalism, religion) is an absence of God’s grace—instead, it is a dependence on one’s ability to obey.  It also includes man made, extra-Biblical rules and regulations (think: Pharisees), resulting in condemnation by the moralist of those who do not “measure up”—the idea is just like the Pharisee who prayed “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector”.  [Luke 18] 

The Apostle Paul, prior to his conversion, is a perfect example of one who was “religious”, one who performed out of guilt, one who was a legalist when it came to his religious life.  In Galatians 1 and Philippians 3, Paul talked about his life before Christ, how he put his confidence in the flesh—his own performance and accomplishments—about his Jewish pedigree, and how zealous he was for the traditions of his fathers.

Church historian Richard Lovelace wrote that many believers “below the surface of their lives are guilt ridden and insecure…[and] draw the assurance of their acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.”[1]

Obedience and good works are important to our lives as believers, but they do not earn us one doggone thing!  Obedience and good works do not earn eternal life, they do not earn God’s approval, and they do not maintain God’s approval!  That is such an important concept to “get”! 

Mind Games

Introduction

So, think about this: what goes on in our minds?   Sure, there is lust, covetousness, or envy.  And there is hatred, lying, or a desire to harm someone.  In a discussion of what goes on in our minds, we might examine pornography and its fallout.  Then there are the things that we hide in our minds that no one knows about.  Have you ever found yourself harboring bitterness against someone?  Be honest.  Don’t just call it by a different name just to minimize how it sounds.  I know I’ve done it.

That is what we will look at this morning—what the Scripture has to say about bitterness and reliving the evil that is done to us.  And I’ll ask you straight up—are you bitter?  Are you reliving some horrible event in your life from the past?  Don’t immediately say, “oh, no, I’m good”.  Think about it.   If there is one thing I’ve learned in my six decades here on earth, it is that we all experience the same kinds of things—some seemingly have more such experiences than others—but the same kinds of things nonetheless.  Paul points that out: