I love nothing more than watching a woman discover freedom

That happened recently.

There was a Jesus-PLUS rule a friend had placed on herself. It came from years ago when she was a young believer, and people had told her that the way to Jesus was. . .

. . . what she wore.

. . . how much she read the Bible.

. . . how many times she went to church a week.

And so much more. It was a long list of to-do’s that measured her faith, and she always fell short no matter how hard she tried.

One of the greatest dangers to our faith is Jesus-PLUS religion. It’s what we, or others, pile on top of the words Jesus spoke. It puts a little human twist on them, like this:

We add JesusPLUS rules  — just to make sure we are extra holy.

We add JesusPLUS shame — just to make sure we remain humble.

We add JesusPLUS doctrine not found in scripture — just to make sure we cover all the bases.

JesusPLUS faith is a religious practice that includes Jesus, PLUS something else. 

Why it doesn’t work.

Anything that is JesusPLUS can lead to a distorted gospel, and that’s just confusing. Paul talked about this in Galatians 1. Many had become believers, but then teachers came in and tried to pile old rules in the mix. They pointed out what they weren’t doing (circumcision) and tried to resurrect the old law that Jesus put to death on the cross. In this letter to his friends.

[bctt tweet=”One of the greatest dangers is JesusPLUS religion — adding anything other than Jesus as our hope. It is for freedom that we have been set free. #livingfreetogether https://wp.me/p4jbdw-4Gj” username=”suzanneeller”]

Paul reminds them that he was once the greatest of sinners. The only thing that rescued him was the love of Christ. Not rules. Not trying to be like people. He was justified by Jesus.

Justified.

Exonerated. Vindicated. Pardoned. Cleared. Freed!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

As we talked about Paul’s words, I watched as my friend’s face changed. Her JesusPLUS faith slid away as she embraced this truth. Jesus justified her. It was for freedom that he set her free!

I don’t know if anyone (including yourself) has heaped JesusPLUS faith on you, but will you exchange it for the freedom Jesus offers?

It’s absolutely liberating. And it’s for you. <3

Suzie

Q: What is the problem with adding our own twist to the gospel?

Q: What is one way to stay grounded in the truth? 

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