For I am aware that good is not making its home in me (that is, in the flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be affecting the ideal is not. For it is not the good that I will I am doing, but the evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice.
Paul to the Romans 7: 18-19, Concordant New Testament
I got to thinking the other night, after perusing a recent podcast by author Wayne Jacobsen. The title of his post caught my eye right away, "A path out of legalism." I immediately thought back to my own days in the legalistic mainstream church system and the journey I have been on since leaving the church. At the time I left the church I had attended for so long, I had no idea that doing so would eventually lead me into a deeper relationship with the Lord. It would seem that my own path out of legalism started with leaving the church. Legalism is partly defined, in a religious sense, as a dependence on moral law rather than a personal religious faith. I believe that this, in a nutshell, describes the mainstream church perfectly. For the church is big on placing scriptures and demands upon people all in the name of doing right by God. I recall pastors speaking to how I could defeat sin in my own life by adhering to the scripture and behaving in a way that was pleasing to God. The difficulty with this approach is that its easier said than done. By his own admission, the apostle Paul himself struggled with bad behaviors that he knew were wrong. Paul admits that "The evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice" {Paul to the Romans 7:19}. I can testify that I have often felt as Paul did. I think a lot of well-meaning believers have. Paul has also made the bold statement that the law kills {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3:6}. The law does not give us life, it is the spirit which does that. Therefore, if ever there was a church which was adhering to preaching to abiding in the law, I would seriously question it. Yet far too many churches these days are doing just that. Speaking legalistic demands of the old system upon their congregations. The words which Jesus spoke to the Pharisees of His day could well have been spoken to the pastors of today as well. Like the Pharisees of old, these men "Are binding loads, heavy and hard to bear, and are placing them on men's shoulders" {Matthews Account 23:4}. In contrast, my own journey to knowing a relationship with the Father has been free from those imposed burdens.
Then Jesus speaks to the throngs and to His disciples, saying, "On Moses' seat are seated the scribes and the Pharisees. All, then, whatever they should be saying to you, do and keep it. Yet according to their acts do not be doing, for they are saying and not doing. Now they are binding loads, heavy and hard to bear, and are placing them on men's shoulders, yet they are not willing to stir them with their finger. Now all their works are they doing to be gazed at by men, for they are broadening their amulets and magnifying the tassels. Now they are fond of the first reclining space at the dinners, and the front seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the markets, and to be called by men 'Rabbi.'
Matthews Account 23: 1-7, Concordant New Testament
My own memories of the legalistic church system are still with me. How the pastors and church "staff" were afforded the best seats, front and center in the sanctuary each Sunday. Could it be that one of the reasons for the exodus of many believers from the mainstream church is due to practices such as this? I believe it is. I also believe that the modern church has not been a place to discover a relationship with the Father, but to adhere to a man created religious system. This is what men have given us. There is a reason that I was not able to discover the truth of my own life in the Father while I was still in the church. For God was not the focal point. The focus all too often was on the church leadership and religious system they perpetuated. My own revelation of my life in the Father came without conditions. I did not need to adhere to any tithing challenges, performance based systems or requirements which were contrary to me {Paul to the Colossians 2:14}. Could I have discovered the truth of Christ Jesus in me while still in the church? Absolutely, but it definitely would have gone contrary of the separation theology spoken by the church. The theology which speaks to our sin separating us from God. In reality, we have never been separated from our creator. Yet the man made church system will continue to speak to that which is contrary to God.
~Scott~
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