Week 6: Freedom vs. Legalism: Avoiding Two Extremes

We either create an excessive set of rules and regulations that cover our behavior, which defines us as ‘holy’ (legalism), or we try to shake off all the rules and brag about our ‘freedom’ in Christ (as if His sacrifice covered all our sins for good and allowed unrestricted behavior).

For many Christians, this is not a problem. They know grace helps create our love and our works. But for some, there is a great internal spiritual struggle. Either they never gave up their guilt and still feel they must earn grace, or they never really felt that guilty and feel forgiveness allows for careless moral behavior.