Are you Seeking to Please God by following Religious Rules?

Why are you seeking to please God by following Religious Rules and Laws?

Grace Vs Old Covenant Law

The Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Galatians in Turkey is a brilliant and Holy Spirit inspired illustration of the difference between being Saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ, and the bondage of the Old Covenant Law.

Paul is abundantly clear in Galatians about the dangers of becoming entangled in the Spider Web of the Law, yet many Believers are still that the observance of the Sabbath Day, or abstaining from certain foods, or Candle and Incense Rituals, or the endless and mindless recital of certain Prayers or Meditations, is essential to their Salvation.

In Galatians Chapter 1 Paul states,

“Paul, an Apostle, not Commissioned and sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ – the Messiah – and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead,

v2 and all the brothers who are with me”

It is important to understand why Paul first of all established his Commission as coming directly from Jesus Christ. Paul wasn’t one of the original disciples, he was at that time a fanatical Pharisee who was extremely diligent in following the precepts of the Law.

Paul knew and understood the Old Covenant Law far better than any of the Believers in Galatia. Paul wrote most of the New Covenant from the revelations that he received directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father, not from the other Apostles. This set him apart with his Divine Commission as an Apostle to establish many early Christian Churches with Gentile and Jewish converts.

Paul was well aware that there would those Self-Righteous and hypocritical Pharisee types, that would try to bring the Churches that he was responsible for back into the trap of religious law keeping.

Galatians 1v2

“To the Churches in Galatia: Grace to you and Peace, inner calm and spiritual well being, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

Notice Paul did NOT introduce his Letter with,

‘May you be fully obedient to the Law at all times, and above all make sure you Keep the Sabbath, you unholy Sinners’

No, Paul establishes from the outset that he is a Preacher of the Gospel of Grace. If Paul were to teach like this in some Churches today he would be classified as a ‘Hyper Grace Preacher’. Paul made it clear with “Grace to you and Peace” because he knew that they would have lost their inner peace and spiritual calm with all the attempted Law Keeping.

If you are trying to please God with strictly keeping the Sabbath, your own conscience will ask you, ‘Are you keeping the Sabbath perfectly?’

If we are going to be honest with ourselves we will have to admit that we are not following Religious Rules and Laws perfectly, and this can lead to internal disquiet and Self Condemnation.

On the other hand, if we tell ourselves that we have achieved Spiritual Perfection and are following the Law without making any mistakes, this then leads to Spiritual Pride and haughtiness.

Copyright- All Rights Reserved – Omega Course

Craig Holme – 2021/2022/2023/2024