When Others Try To Put Expectations On You

One of the greatest changes grace brings to followers of Jesus when we are set free from legalism is the release from being controlled by the religious expectations others try to put on us. The essence of religion is that it binds you up and controls you. (The origin of the English word "religion" is religare (Latin) and means "to bind." See http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080404080629AAginSu)

Legalism is religion in its glaring ugliness. My definition of legalism is "the viewpoint that we can make spiritual progress or earn God's blessings based on what we do." In contrast, grace "is the system of living in which God blesses us because of what Jesus Christ has done on our behalf and for no other reason."

Legalists (rules-based religionists) always seek to impose their behavioral expectations on others and judge people when they don't live up to those expectations. This has been the history of religion from the beginning. Their fundamental belief is, "Our way is the right way and if you don't believe exactly like we believe and do what we do, you're wrong!"

Jesus encountered the religious legalists in His day and described them this way: But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn’ (Matthew 11:16-17)

In other words, they became angry because Jesus wouldn't do what they expected. They played their discordant music and He refused to dance to it. They sang their sour dirge and He wouldn't act like they wanted Him to act. He refused to submit to their expectations.

As you walk in grace, don't be surprised when you are criticized by rules-focused religionists. Make no mistake about it - they simultaneously hate your freedom while they envy it. Their plausibility structure for their lives leaves no room for the kind of freedom you know. Deep down, in their spirit, they want it but they have been so indoctrinated with faulty teaching that they sincerely think they would be compromising at the least and denying the faith at the worst if they were to abandon their prison of behavioral bondage and begin to run barefoot and free in the fields of grace.

Because they don't understand the transforming power of knowing our true identity, they're scared that if they surrendered to grace they might go off the deep end into sinful actions. They've never been free to live a godly lifestyle but have spent their lives trying to squelch sin so they think that to stop trying to squelch sin would empower it. They can't focus on Jesus because they spend all their energy trying to fight sin, not knowing that it has already been defeated once and for all at the cross.

They don't know that understanding the efficacy of the Father's grace in their lives would actually be a fire extinguisher to the blaze of the suppressed lusts of every kind that they constantly battle. The just don't get it, that grace ignites holy passion within us. They can quote the Bible verse, "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace, (Romans 6:14)" but don't have the slightest clue what it actually means.

If you come from a religious background, you may find yourself vulnerable to their criticisms and judgmental attitudes. You may find yourself wondering at times if you have accidentally veered off the path of orthodoxy. If you've ever lived in the Landfill of Legalism, they know how to push the buttons in you that may cause you to have doubts about the way you understand grace.

Don't listen to those doubts. Paul's words to the Galatians are meant for you too: It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). The legalists at Galatia were trying to get the believers there to turn back and Paul cried out, "Don't do it! Stand strong!" His instruction to them will serve us well today too.

Walking in the freedom embedded in grace provokes the ire of the religionist, but for your own peace of mind, for the sake of others who need to know the truth of the gospel of grace and for the honor of the finished work of Jesus, don't turn back. Stay the course. Stand firm. Endure the criticism. Accept the sanctions from others. And keep your eyes on Jesus because He has set you free and "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed!"