The Me Gospel

There’s a long existing trend in the Christian circle that, if we’re not careful, turns the gospel into something all about us instead of all about Christ. It’s an issue that divides churches, destroys friendships, steals joy, and turns people away from the church. It rids Christ of His glory, does nothing for the Kingdom of God, and discourages the hearts of God’s people. It’s called legalism, and I was once a slave to it.

Defined as “excessive adherence to law or formula.” Legalism is dependent on moral law rather than on personal religious faith. Legalism is not the rules; instead it is the attitude toward the rules.

Does this sound familiar? It looks like this: to be a good Christian girl you’ve gotta go to church, not do bad things, witness, dress modestly, etc.

Legalism puts the importance on adherence to the rules.

Since legalism puts the importance on keeping rules, we feel it is appropriate to elevate ourselves when we succeed.

2 Corinthians 3:5 boldly reminds all who lean toward legalism “we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” Therefore, we ought to make more of Jesus, and the Spirit of God in us, who is our sufficiency!

Paul goes on, in verses 6-9 to remind us how Moses’ face shone when he came down the mount after spending time in the presence of God and received the law of God. How much more ought our faces, and our very lives, shine if God is always with us and we have received the Spirit of God?

Legalism puts more value on the law of God than the Spirit of God.

“Legalism makes you feel important” someone recently told me. It’s true, isn’t it? It puts us in a place where we can tally up the rules we’ve obeyed, the standards we’ve met, and the temptations we have steered clear of.

So we feel good about ourselves.

Legalism feeds pride.

We believe we have come up with the solution to ungodliness placing more value on our good works than Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

We pride ourselves in the lists we create of what to do to be godly, and what not to do to look more godly. We think we are “sufficient in ourselves.”

Legalism causes us to belittle and judge the people around us who do not measure up.

We view others’ failure to “maintain the list” as a means to elevate our position on the self-righteousness scale we have created. We measure ourselves and others constantly to be sure we are on top. Their inadequacies are used to excuse our less-than holy behavior because maybe we’ve got them beat in another area.

Legalism breeds an attitude of entitlement.

My superior church attendance gives me permission to condemn others’ spotty attendance.

My modest wardrobe allows me to critique the immodestly dressed.

My years being a Christian makes what I have to say about the Bible more important than what the new believer has to say about their Savior.

It does not.

Each one of us is a sinner saved BY grace. Sufficient only in Christ. Our inability to keep the law put Jesus on the cross; his perfect sacrifice breathing life and grace into all who believe.

Salvation provides freedom from the law with the hearing of faith.

Galatians 3:2-3 warns us not to confuse what was offered to us by faith in Jesus as something gained by keeping the law. Verse 13 says “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.” Romans 6 teaches us the freedom is not to be used to sin, but to administer grace to others and bring glory to God. As Christians, we ought to be more concerned about being servants of righteousness rather than our righteousness being servant to us.

Salvation places us in a position of humility.

Salvation gives us opportunity to give grace, nothing more. Saved from spending eternity separated from God, every position we find ourselves in is not to be used to elevate ourselves, but to bend down, to lift up, and to come beside.

Our “entitlements” are opportunities to dethrone self and exalt Jesus.

Every position we find ourselves ought not to be used to elevate ourselves, but to bend down, to lift up, and to come beside.

Our Savior was more concerned with His calling than His reputation.

We crave the label of “good Christian” among our Christian peers, but I wonder how different it may look from what Christ might label “well done, servant”?

Think of what the religious leaders thought of Jesus during His time on earth?

They were upset at him for performing miracles on the Sabbath.

They condemned him for spending time with the tax collectors.

Even His disciples insisted he was too worthy to wash their feet.

I think the legalists of today would have condemned him, too.

We crave the label of “good Christian” among our Christian peers, but I wonder how different it may look from what Christ might label “well done, servant”?

Jesus kept His eyes on the gospel, not His own goodness.

Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. He lost sight of himself- his humanness, his flesh, his deity, his rights, and maintained the heart and mind of God. He kept his eyes on the message of the gospel: God requiring and providing, through Him, a sacrifice for the sins of the world so we could spend eternity with God.

We must remember the gospel.

Though we are entirely human, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. To truly live out the gospel, to truly make much of Jesus, to be a “good and faithful servant”, to truly be a “good Christian”- we must let go of self, of pride, of our tallies of goodness, of our entitlements. Just as Jesus did, we must lose sight of ourselves. We must keep our eyes on God, His sacrifice, the gift of salvation, His promise of redemption and sanctification.

We need grace.

May we never lose sight of our desperate need for grace. We must remember “we are not sufficient of ourselves.” We need Jesus. We need grace. And we must administer grace freely- as Christ did for us.

We must make much of Jesus.

Lord, change our hearts.

May we be faithful to church not for accolades, but for opportunities.

May we be modest not to feel good about ourselves, but to appropriately reverence Your character.

May we get to know the Word not to sound high and mighty, but to know the One Who is High and Mighty.

May our faith be reason to make much of You, not our own goodness.

May our hearts resonate the heart of Jesus.

May we be more aware of the work of the Lord than of our own good works.

May we never pride ourselves in our Christian walk, but daily revel in our Savior.

May we not give way to legalism, but to the Spirit of God.

May we make much of Jesus. The world needs Him. And so we do. Oh, so do we.