Teachers of "The Law"

Dennis McCallum

1 Timothy 1:5-16

Paul calls out people who want to be teachers of the Law yet they miss the whole point of the Law. It is for the lawless, not for the righteous. Once one becomes a believer in Jesus, they are no longer under the Law. The Law is to teach us of our sinfulness and need for God's forgiveness. It is not rules to live under. The Law is neither focused on love, nor is it life-giving.

Three Deadly Detours

Gary DeLashmutt

Colossians 2:16-23

Paul warns the Colossian church against three deadly detours to avoid in their spiritual walk. Ritualism is relating to God primarily through prescribed rituals which is focusing on the shadow instead of the substance. Mysticism is seeking dramatic spiritual experiences as proof of spiritual maturity. Mysticism actually makes one vulnerable to spiritual deception. Legalism emphasizes extra-biblical rules and prohibitions which defines spirituality negatively instead of positively.

Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler

Ben Foust

Mark 10:13-27

People unfamiliar with the Gospel often approach getting into heaven by attempting to live by Plan A, a plan to live in such a way as to earn their way into heaven by their own effort. Unfortunately, they rarely live up to even their own mediocre standards, but more importantly, they can never meet God's standard for Plan A, which is utter perfection. Fortunately, God has Plan B, which is approach Him like a child and receive eternal life as a gift.

The Newness of Life

Conrad Hilario

Philippians 3:9-14

Paul tells us God wants to forgive our sins and give us new life based on the work Jesus did on the cross for us. Some people never progress beyond receiving His forgiveness, but those who desire to grow and walk with Jesus will encounter suffering and failure. But this the only way for God to break through our fleshly resistance and conform us to the likeness of Christ.

The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ

Conrad Hilario

Philippians 3:1-9

Paul compares two ways of entering heaven. One way is to rely on your own righteousness, banking on your own good works to earn your way to salvation. Paul declares that if there ever was one who could put confidence in the flesh it was him, but after knowing Christ, he counts all his works of the flesh to be worth less than excrement. Instead, he embraces the other way, the only way, to salvation which is to rely entirely upon the work of Jesus on the cross to pay for his sins.

Dumping Religion

Chris Hearty

Philippians 3:1-9

If there ever was a person who could claim righteousness under the law it was Paul, but he denounced all his accomplishments as worthless dung in comparison to the surpassing value in knowing Jesus. Instead he proclaims that righteousness only comes from Jesus not our good works. Paul warns the Philippians to beware anyone who presents a gospel other than righteousness through faith in Jesus.

The Sermon on the Mount - Part Three

Ryan Lowery

Matthew 5:17-48

In part 3 of this look at the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses the nature of God's Law, which had been incorrectly expanded by the rabbis of the time to create an inappropriate focus on keeping the "letter of the law." Jesus instead called on people to follow the deeper spirit of the law, which is far more difficult--in fact, we should understand it to be impossible. Instead we need Jesus' offer of forgiveness to open the door to God fulfilling the letter of the law, and empowering us to better honor the spirit of the Law.

Is Being a Good Person Good Enough?

James Rochford

Philippians 3:1-9

Paul roundly condemns legalism by emphatically denouncing these "dogs," these "evil-doers," for putting any confidence in the flesh. If there ever was one who could put confidence in the flesh it was Paul. He had the best of everything, a good upbringing, a great heritage, an excellent education, the highest religious zeal, but none of these things were good enough to warrant entrance into heaven. Paul counts all his former good deeds as the foulest of excrement. The only thing Paul valued was the surpassing value of knowing Jesus as his Lord.

Beware the Dogs!

Dennis McCallum

Philippians 3:1-9

Paul exhorts the Philippians to beware the dogs, the false circumcision, who want to return believers to the shackles of the Law. Paul and Jesus reserved their harshest condemnation for those who tried to introduce legalism into the believing community. The worst thing about legalism is the negative, untrue picture it paints of God. Under legalism, God is a hard-to-please grump, who is looking to find fault in his followers. That image could not be further from the truth!