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Archive - Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff
"Legalists or Realists?"Hi gang,
Have you noticed that much of the church world is speaking out against religiosity and legalism as never before? I've really noticed this growing trend, over the last 15 years especially. In fact--There are several "streams" or "nondenominational networks" of churches in the UK (my second home--love that place AND the people!) known as the house church movement that are noteworthy in this regard. The famous catch-phrase for them is, "Celebrating NONreligious Christianity". In other words, these movements are celebrating and trying to advertise a Christianity that is grace-based and not performance (works) oriented.
However, I'm good friends with one of the leaders of one of these streams, and when I sent him my testimony (Absolute Assurance in Jesus Christ, www.sigler.org/slagle) a few years ago, he blew a gasket! And he wrote me an angry letter, that in essence was protesting--What? No endless hell or annihilation for failures!?? Charlie, you've gone into Cookoo Land! THERE--IS--A HELL! Like it or lump it!
So...
What do we have here? We have leaders of entire movements irrationally hyping "nonreligious Christianity"--while--they ALSO adhere to a bottomline belief structure which asserts, "God gets rid of failures that don't measure up before a given deadline."
So in many quarters the mad scramble to get rid of legalistic Christianity is like the proverbial dog that keeps chasing his tail, isn't it?
Folks want to sweep away the cobwebs of "religiosity" (legalism)... BUT...they don't want to kill the SPIDER. (The lie that God gets rid of failures.) And of course, religious legalism and control keeps taking on new garbs and forms that LOOK "modern" and "nonreligious" while the SPIRIT of legalism is still securely and smugly seated on its throne.
For example, in many quarters it is now almost MANDATORY that we must wear jeans instead of robes or suits and play guitars and drums for worship instead of organs and flutes and harps etc--in order to perpetuate the APPEARANCE of "nonreligiosity." Right? Has anyone noticed this trend besides me? By the way, I like a lot of these changes--I'm just saying that changing the OUTWARD FORM does NOT get rid of the RELIGIOUS (human works-based) FOUNDATION.
For when the "Spider" (the notion of a god that gets rid of failures) still thrives in the belief structure, it is IMPOSSIBLE to kill legalism. And that is simply because SOME PEOPLE are going to take that ideology--seriously! And they should, if it is true. Don't you agree? If God really does plan to trash and burn billions of people because they have failed to love him--and manifest it by DEEDS as well as with words--before a certain "deadline", then those who are called "legalists" are right.
One CANNOT be too careful!
It DOES matter how long or short one's hair is and how often one attends church meetings and how careful one is to "shun the VERY APPEARANCE of evil." Scriptural phrases like this one take on an urgency that CANNOT be overly emphasized--if--the dogma of never-ending punishment is true. And we must also remember Christ's words that "he who is unfaithful in little, will also be unfaithful in much." So the "little things" DO count--if--billions are going to perish "eternally" BECAUSE their little choices caused them to blow the bigger choices. Don't the Scriptures also tell us that "it is the little foxes that spoil the vine?"
Sheesh! Gimme a break! Of course the "little choices" count! How could one be so foolish as to imagine otherwise? After all, the message is, "God plans to get rid of billions of people who FAILED TO PERFORM CORRECTLY and thus failed to exhibit AUTHENTIC faith."
Yikes! We're talking about eternal destinies here!!
Even those so-called "legalists" who believe in once-saved-always-saved will urge us repeatedly to remember that people who are TRULY saved, WILL remain faithful "to the end." Right? And yet... When folks do show up and speak thusly among the so-called "nonreligous" churches they are labeled as "cranks" and "legalists" and "religious pharisees", aren't they.
But are they? I mean, if BILLIONS of failures are going to perish...FOR ETERNITY...are folks that keep harping on exhibiting "authentic faith" by OBEDIENCE in ALL things really religious legalists?
Nope. These folks are realists, not legalists, and I thank God for them, even though I disagree VIOLENTLY with their ideology. At least they are HONEST in the way that they deal with their belief paradigm. They don't talk "grace and unconditional love" out of one side of their mouths, but when their ET dogma is challenged, out of the other start spouting off gibberish like, "Hell is real, so you're in Cookoo Land for not believing in it!"
They might assert the latter, but they WON'T be guilty of the hypocrisy of spouting off the former. (I.E., "Unconditional love" nonsense.)
Well, it's just grandpa Charlie here, sounding off again a bit while I try to unwind before hitting the sack... I suppose one of the greater passions of my heart is to see the body of Christ REACH THE END of religious performance and legalism so we can be that great blessing in our hurting world that God has called us to be.
So I'm just restating publicly how it is simply impossible to have a "nonreligious Christianity"--while also believing--the satanic and religious lie that God gets rid of failures.
In other words, there is NO ADEQUATE BASIS for a nonreligious Christianity under the belief paradigms that ALSO proclaim a god that gets rid of people--whether it be by annihilation or by consigning them to an endless hell.
For as I have said, and I repeat:
SOME PEOPLE *WILL* TAKE THOSE DOCTRINES SERIOUSLY AND *THEREFORE* WILL FOCUS ON HUMAN PERFORMANCE.
But shouldn't they--if they are true?
After all, ETERNITY IS L-O-N-G... and the focus MUST be on WHERE we will spend it...and...on what we must "do" to secure our eternal destiny, if indeed God does get rid of failures.
Wow...
Wonderful news, that, isn't it? "God is love, and Love never fails--unless YOU fail!"
Well, whatever turns you on!
I'm out of here...
Love to all,
CharliePS. Silent reader, are you weary of all the religious double-speak of a god that plans to burn alive billions while he "loves them unconditionally"? If so, and if you would like to discover how our Heavenly Father killed the spider of religiosity in my life and set my heart free to ACTUALLY love Him (rather than TRY to love Him) --visit www.sigler.org/slagle
Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff