The Desire to Be Perfect

“You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4 (NIV) The new believers in the church in Galatia enjoyed the message of the Gospel and accepted Jesus to save them from their sins. However, after they accepted the Gospel message, their day-to-day lives began to focus on their behaviour, rather than on the love of God. Once a person enters into faith in Jesus and begins to live out the moral teachings of the Bible, there is a trap of entering what I call “perfectionism.” It is also called “legalism”—a rule-based life, rather than one based on the love of God. Those adopting an attitude of legalism sin against God, themselves, and others. Legalism misrepresents God’s character, judging Him to put expectations on us that are impossible to meet. This contradicts His love for us, shown in Romans 5:8 (NIV): “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The legalistic believer doesn’t understand God’s work of grace, reconciliation, and adoption. When we adopt legalism, we have not entered into the life God desires for us to enjoy. Romans 3:21-22a (NIV) says, “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Also, we sin against others when we adopt an attitude of legalism. We become like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day—judgmental, cruel, and unwilling to help our fellow human beings. Instead, we should be compassionate towards one another and “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13b). Ask God to search your heart to see if there is an attitude of legalism in you. Allow His Spirit to do a work in you that will free you to become more like Jesus. – Raymond Neckoway   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org