In this episode Miss and Rach talk about the difference between Biblical convictions and personal convictions, and what happens when we put our personal convictions on others—legalism! They share examples from their own lives and talk through what the Bible says about it.
Show notes:
- There are things the Bible lays out and we should attempt, as best we can, to interpret, apply and adhere to them (murder, adultery, lying, etc)
- There are things the Bible is not clear about and each person should rely on the Holy Spirit to direct, discern and convict. (Alcohol, tv, how we spend our money, etc)
- Then there is legalism, and that’s trying to impose a personal conviction on someone else, as if they are conditions for salvation, or meant to be universal standards for holiness.
- That gets real ugly real fast:
- Self righteousness (I am better than you, or holier than you, feeling morally superior)
- Pride (a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements
- The Bible calls us to live with grace and humility, the opposite of those two things:
- Forgive others and bear with one another (Colossians 3:13), treat others as we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12) Love others (Romans 13:8, Matthew 5:44) this all points to grace.
- John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
- Humility - Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
- “Those who major in legalistic religion often fail the final exam. If you miss love, you flunk the course. Compassion is a vitaL sign of spirituality. Disregarding others reveals ungodliness, regardless of how much Holy talk or Christian speak you use. (1 john 4:20)”
- What do we do when we feel legalism creeping in?
- Confess, surrender, repent.
- Judging isn’t our job
- But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7
- What do we do when we feel legalism being put onto us?
- Pray and ask for clarity, is it a conviction we’ve missed? If not, surrender and forgive
Challenge: Evaluate your mindset, do you find yourself putting your personal convictions on others? How will you plan to change that moving forward?
