Walking in God's Favor.

People who hold to a performance behavior as the way to a relationship with God believe that "good behavior leads to God's favor" and "bad behavior leads to God's disfavor", as if what God thinks of people or the way He treats people is based on them and their performance.

However, what God thinks of me or the way He treats me is not based on my doing. My focusing on my doing to gain God's favor causes me to be obsessed with my performance and give rise to self-righteousness and hinders me from seeing and understanding what God has done that disqualifies my performance as a way to gain His acceptance or favor. The Gospel is not what I can do or should do for Jesus, it is based on what Jesus has already done for me and is doing through me.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)

When we create rules for ourselves to please God, we become parasitical legalistic and rebellious. On the other hand, Grace provides the power for us to walk in obedience because our relationship is love based not performance based.

Religion provides a bunch of rules to follow. Grace empowers us to follow the way of love...the way of Jesus. For us to walk in God's favor we must live in Grace.

Don't fall into the religious trap of trying to earn God's favor...you cannot earn what is already yours.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

DO NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER! by David Yeubanks

The Abusive Tool of Fear-Mongering.

A Bloggers Take on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and "Hell".