Study 5 – Spiritual Adultery?

Spiritually speaking, Christians have one husband, not two. Most of us may understand this in theory but are often unaware of it in practice. Let me illustrate.

Bob is not a Christian but he knows a believer called Phil and is impressed by him. 'He's different,' Bob thinks. 'There's something wholesome and joyful about him,' and God begins moving in his heart. Bob's first resolve is to clean up his act, so he meets with other Christians and tries to be like them. He desperately wants to do better, but he actually feels worse because he keeps failing. Then one day he hears the gospel and realises that he cannot work his way into God's favour. He goes to the counselling room and is gloriously saved.

But almost before he has had the chance to enjoy his new found freedom, some devoted believer says, 'Right, now you're a Christian, there are things you must do every day such as pray and read the Bible, and you mustn't do this or that, and …' No sooner has he escaped from the law and its demands than he is plunged into arduous 'religious laws', which are presented as a new duty to be performed.

As he goes through the Christian life he meets other believers who are also struggling to keep these onerous rules. 'Lord, we're such miserable sinners,' they lament. 'We fail you so often.'

Needless to say, Bob is swept into the same condemnation.

Then Bob is in a worship meeting and God comes to him and says, 'I justified you. I love you. I'm for you.' Bob feels like the prodigal son. 'Oh, than You, Lord!' he says. 'I receive Your grace and love. I want to come back to You.' Then he adds, 'And this time I really won't let You down. I'll read my Bible every day and I'll …!'

Many of us have fallen into the same terrible trap as Bob. We have been totally set free from the demands of our old husband but are vulnerable to feelings of condemnation from him. To get rid of these negative feelings we try to please our new husband by working harder at a religion of rule-keeping that our former husband, the law, required of us. This is spiritual adultery and it can't work.

Our relationship with Christ is not based on law but on grace. We do not gain greater acceptance with God by our religious performance. We have been discharged from the law. It has no power to condemn us and we must never submit to it again.

To Meditate On

Jesus wants you to stand in grace.

'For the law was given through Moses: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1:17).

'Through our Lord Jesus Christ … we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand' (Rom. 5:1, 2).

'You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace' (Gal. 5:4).

To Consider

WHY do we fall into living by rules so easily?

In the light of Bob's experience, what must we be careful not to communicate to new believers?

To Pray About

If you have become caught in the trap of striving to please God in order to justify yourself, pray now that He will release you from it and resolve never to go back that way again.

DO YOU KNOW people who resemble Bob before his conversion? or after his conversion? If so, spend some time today praying that God will reveal to them that they cannot be saved or please God by obeying rules.

Food For Thought

If someone said to you, 'Christianity is all about rules and regulations,' how would you answer?

WRITE DOWN what Scriptures you would use to back up your argument.

If you need some ideas, try looking back over the last few studies.

Be Inspired

Legalism is … trying to earn God's love through achieving a certain level of good deeds and avoiding certain sins.

C. J. MAHANEY
People of Destiny Magazine, January/February 1987

'I promised you to one husband, to Christ … But I am afraid that … your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ' (2 Cor. 11:2, 3).

'Satan would have us prove ourselves holy by the law which God gave to prove us sinners.'
ANDREW JUKES