All the world religions can be placed in one of two camps. Legalism or grace. Humankind does it or God does it. Salvation as a wage based on deeds – or salvation as a gift based on Christ’s death.
A legalist believes that the supreme force behind salvation is you. If you look right, speak right, and belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved. The brunt of responsibility doesn’t lie within God; it lies within you.
The result? The outside Sparkles. The talk is good and the step is true. But look closely. Listen carefully. Something is missing. What is it? Joy. What’s there? Fear. (That you won’t do enough.) Arrogance. (That you have done enough.) Failure. (That you made a mistake.) Spiritual life is not a human endeavor. It is rooted in and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Every spiritual achievement is created and energized by God.
God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all your sins. He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow.
Colossians 2:13-14
