As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Religious “Legalism” with a capital “L” is heresy. It’s the belief that one’s personal virtue and obedience to religious norms or standards merits God’s favor and/or salvation. This “do-it-yourself” religion is antithetical to the gospel of Christ and the Bible’s grace-based religion. “For by grace you have been saved through faith,” writes the apostle Paul. He goes on to remark, “This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
“While conservative Protestants have historically been associated with high rates of fertility, dramatic declines in recent generations now make them indistinguishable from mainline Protestants and Catholics, according to a new study.” - C.Post
What is legalism? Technically, legalism is connected to salvation by works. But we are not talking technically here when it comes to this poll.
Our popular definition of legalism might be, “Man made rules of conformity/behavior that are not based directly on Scripture.”
“One of the most relevant aspects of God’s presence in our work is that of trusting him during the job assignment process. Whether you are in the military or not, you can probably relate to what it feels like when your career feels out of your control.” - IFWE
“[T]here are some who will not be content until Dr. Patterson is brought back and pilloried and others that will only rest when that happens to the trustees. ” - SBC Voices
“One of the clearest examples of this problematic yet ever increasing norm in our society came last week when a group of Roman Catholic High School students—who happened to be on a pro-life trip—became the objects of social bullying and bigotry—and, all under the faulty lens of social media manipulation and slander.” - Ref21
“Bomberger continued his writing after the first round, publishing another article last week, this time bringing up one of the 100 guest speakers that Wheaton College hosts each year. …when he did not get the response he wanted, he decided to bring up a new issue—again with misleading information. - CToday
Good judgment is a function of wisdom, and exercising it—in the form of discernment—is a Christian duty. The Psalmist prays for discernment (Psalm 19:12), Proverbs exalts it (Prov. 14:8), and Paul prays that believers will abound in it (Phil. 1:9).
Tim Challies’ definition of discernment is as good as any I’ve seen (I have not yet read the book):
“Faced with shrinking enrollment and finances, Christian colleges face the stark reality of deciding how much they are willing to change in order to continue their ministries. The fundamental question is “Where is the line which we cannot cross in order to stay open?” - Proclaim & Defend
Reposted from The Cripplegate.
Two weeks into 2019 and I’m guessing some of us are already behind in our yearly Bible reading plan. If you’re like me, getting one or two days behind in January can be discouraging enough to want to call the whole thing off.
That’s what happened to me last year. I had an ambitious 10-chapter-per-day plan to get me through the whole Bible twice, and the New Testament three times. But this plan also meant that missing a day or two made catching up a major undertaking.
Discussion