Q3. Legalism and Pride

[emcclinton]

Legalism always glorifies the flesh.  Putting any trust or faith in self will always prohibit us from being Christlike.

Pride has prompted me to live up to the name and character the world wants to see.

[lighthouse2014]

On 8/28/2019 at 12:10 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q3. (Philippians 3:7-8) How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him? How has your pride in yourself kept you from drawing closer to Jesus?

Legalism and spiritual pride will keep us from trusting and having faith in Christ because we are totally depending on church doctrine for our righteousness. We become prideful in our achievements and the inherent goodness and because of this goodness we think God will accept us into his kingdom.

Even pride in the work I do for the Lord can keep me fr be hard to keep a om fully coming to know Christ, it can be hard to keep a humble spirit.   

[Brother troy]

How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him?

A. I have gotten caught up in self doing it my way. Growing up took care of family members at a young age I got caught up doing it my way thinking I knew what was best. But in reality didnt, meant well but didnt. Since coming to Christ been a struggle to put all trust in Jesus after doing my way for so many years, being honest here been hard. But Jesus has been really kind and gentle and merciful to me in my growth with him he truly has been. I'm not trying to make excuses just being real. So the Lord has had to break me from pride in all shapes and sizes keeping me humbled, which is good. I believe pride hautiness, arrogance are things he doesn't like at all separates us( not his love). So doing it my way I was trusting self not Jesus. I was on the throne not Jesus, so I ask Jesus to kick me off please, he be King not me. I must remember to always stay humbled.

 

How has your pride in yourself, kept you from drawing closer to Jesus? 

A. Well pride in self draws me closer to self not Jesus. When that happens I constantly have eyes on me not on the Lord.  I must examine myself and be honest with self and JESUS. Have been in wilderness for sometime a lot of transparency of coming to understanding who I am in Christ with the Lord and self, being honest with the Lord is good he knows it anyway. So coming to a place of trusting him to share my heart open to him is good I believe he really likes us to open our hearts to him and share with him. Am I there yet? Nope not yet but step by step day by day. 

 

 

[Debra Grant]

Q3. (Philippians 3:7-8) How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him? How has your pride in yourself kept you from drawing closer to Jesus?

 

1. Legalism results in spiritual pride which focuses on the persons efforts and achievements. That deprives a person from dependeing on the power of Christ for salvation.

2. Wanting to take my dressing and look so superior than I should to an unnecessary point.

[Temidayo]

Q3. (Philippians 3:7-8) How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him? How has your pride in yourself kept you from drawing closer to Jesus?. 

It depends on how we look at the situation. I am a single parent and a reader in the church, to a pastor who believes that it is not legal for me to teach the word since I am not under an authority; his legalism does not affect me because all I believe is in the word of God and my salvation is important.

All my life I have always been asking God for the spirit of humility. No matter what I will withdraw and go back to God in prayer to energizes me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

beli+

 

[DonzellaMaupin]

We are not reading the word, praying,  and fellowshipping with God.  We can stay strong spiritually if we do the things that keeps us from falling.  It is so important I feel when God uses us we must remember it was God's power that prevailed through us not nothing that we did.  I see some legalism but it can't remain in the midst if the majority is walking in the spirit to not fall in the hands of that enemy (pride).    I truly stay away from people who come to me exalting me and not God.  I direct them to God.  I know when my flesh starts screaming and I fight for my life not to lose.  There is no good thing that dwells in the flesh.  Pride is one of the things that God hates.  We are either hot or cold and God prefers us to be hot and not even lukewarm.  We have to keep our flame burning at all times so when the enemy (pride) comes in like a flood the Spirit of God that is inside of us will fight for us.  It goes back if you are not studying the word there is nothing inside of you to fight for you and legalism and pride will win because there is nothing there for Almighty God to use.  The Hoy Spirit doesn't dwell where sin lives so there is no strength within my members to draw close to Jesus. That mustard seed faith is standing alone because the flesh is ruling. There is one Holy Spirit but many refilling.  David tells us in Palms "Lord create in me a clean heart and renew my spirit."  This is a daily cry for me because we are in the world but not of the world.  Each individual person needs to guard their anointing.

[William Richardson]

Legalism is exactly what got all those Sects in the Jewish world into so much trouble, so much that Jesus calls them a "brood of vipers." One of the greatest slams ever leveled against a human being but it just slid off of them like rain on a duck's back. In extreme contrast, we see Jesus time after time, mete out fountains of compassion and forgiveness, even to the Samaritan woman with 5 husbands, and the woman caught in the very act of adultery. He had so much compassion on the people of His day that He almost totally exhausted His Human body. 

It was my sad experience to watch my father go through the passing of my mom and then live a total of 95 years of age. Toward the end, he was showing more and more symptoms of dementia and extreme irritability, so much so we had to put him up in an assisted living facility, which really broke his heart. Most of his problems centered around his pride. I'm convinced we can conquer "the **** of the eye and **** of the flesh" with old age but that "pride of life" is incredibly tough and very difficult to overcome. It starts early in a person's life, especially here in America with the business world molding their winners of agression and negotiating. The world preaches and is very proud of its stance on "Tolerance" all except when one wants to live the Rules and Principles set in the NT. What a shame, how tragic.

God Bless you all.

[Rolande]

Acts 9:10 :

Notice Ananias answers as each of us should: "Here am I Lord".

 9:11:

Sometimes the places the Lord sends us look hopeless in the flesh. In fact, sometimes we feel that it is dangerous to go where the Lord sends us. It is really none of our business though. The Lord can send us wherever He wishes. Our only part in all of it is to do exactly as we are instructed of God to do.

Whether we are successful or not, is not our concern. We just do what God tells us to do, and God does the rest. Success or failure is up to Him.

9:12:

This would be a frightening thing for Ananias to do, but he must do it anyway, because that is what God wants. When he lays his hand on Saul, God will restore Saul's sight. God has gone ahead and prepared Saul to receive Ananias. God tells Ananias exactly where to find him.

9:13

Ananias acts like the Lord does not already know all of this. His fear of this Saul, who has been capturing the Christians and throwing them in jail, is showing. Saul was most assuredly a dangerous man. What Ananias does not realize is that Saul has had an encounter with God.

Verses 15-17: Note that even Saul’s commission does not come directly from God but through a God-appointed disciple. By contrast, his apostolic authority did come directly from Christ, not by succession through one of the apostles (Gal. 1:1, 11-12).

9:15

You see, God, realizes that Saul wishes to please God. That really was why he was capturing the Christians (he did not realize he was working against God). God knows Saul's heart.

9:16

Saul has a great calling on his life. He is to bring his message to the Gentile world. He, as many others, tried to carry it to his Hebrew brothers first though. The greatest call a Christian can have is to suffer for Christ. Only the truly strong, such as Job, can suffer for Christ and still remain true.

Saul's calling is great. I think it is important to note here, that the first king of the Hebrews in the Old Testament was named Saul, and now we see Saul called to service here to actually lead the people that he had been persecuting.

9:17

Saul received the Spirit without any apostles present because he was a Jew (the inclusion of Jews in the church had already been established at Pentecost), and because he was an apostle in his own right because Christ personally chose him and commissioned him for service (Rom. 1:1).

Now, we see an obedient servant in Ananias. Ananias (even though he was afraid of Saul), went right on over and told Saul exactly what God had told him to say and do. This had to be a humbling experience for Saul as well. The very people he had wanted to destroy was where his help came from.

Not only will Saul's physical sight be restored, but his spiritual sight as well. Notice also that God, the Holy Ghost, will empower Saul to witness the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

9:18

As I said in the verses above, the scales fell from his spiritual eyes, as well as his physical eyes. His sight was twofold: physical and spiritual. Now having eyes, he could see. The Light of Jesus had entered into his inner most being and drove out all the darkness.

[Rolande]

Q3. (Philippians 3:7-8) How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him? How has your pride in yourself kept you from drawing closer to Jesus?

Philippians 3:7 "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

All his Jewish religious credentials that he thought were in his profit column, were worthless and damning. Thus, he put them in his loss column when he saw the glories of Christ.

Paul is saying, that he gave all of his position and former beliefs up to follow Christ. At one time, Paul had thought all of those things to be important, but now he has learned a better way.

Philippians 3:8 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,"

Paul was willing to turn his back on all the things he had been taught as a youth. He did not count anything in this world valuable enough to keep him from Christ. The Light of the world had shined in the heart of Paul, and he would never be the same again. Things of this world meant absolutely nothing to Paul, in comparison with Christ.

Paul had expanded his seven credentials listed (in verses 5 & 6), which were actually detriments or liabilities. Trusting in all these religious privileges and human attainments for salvation had not brought him closer to God, but farther away from Him.

Not only does Paul view those now as loss, but expanding on this idea he also regards all things, (i.e., any such human works and religious attainments on which one might depend to secure a place in heaven), as dung or excrement. As one rids himself of his body waste, so did the apostle rid himself of his “gains” upon realizing that they cut him off from God.

“I have suffered the loss”, or I have forfeited, meaning Paul willingly renounced all his earthly advantages and Jewish privileges as a means of attaining salvation.

“That I may win Christ”, that is, divine righteousness is imputed to the repentant sinner through his believing in Christ and depending on Him alone and not on his good works for salvation. One cannot be saved if he confides in his own efforts and accomplishments; these must be renounced before he can believe in Christ as Savior.

The greatest possession any person can have is Jesus Christ. Paul appreciated the greatness of being allowed to know Jesus Christ in reality.

[Maggz]

(a)

[Maggz]

The Bible is full of examples of characters who have been convinced that they could go their own way, and have been brought to their knees in the realization of their total dependence on God e.g. Joseph, the Israelites of the Exodus, Jonah, Peter and Paul himself, to name only a few.   Following Christ is not a question of "following the rules", but of handing ourselves over to His will in joyful surrender.  Only when we cease to glory in our own righteousness and say with the Psalmist "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17), can we begin to know and trust Him, and then we will find that rules do not matter anymore, because out of the love in our hearts we follow His way.

It is much easier to "say prayers" than to listen for God's voice;   to decide that our way is the best rather than seeking God's way;   to follow the easier path of legalism than to trust God.   I have been guilty of all these and more, and the resulting spiritual pride has often held me back from a true trust and dependence on God.

[Paulette Nelson]

If we make things that we deem important more than Jesus Christ. All things our righteousness are like filthy rags once we meet the risen Christ. if we are not convicted by Jesus we be forever hindered by legalizim.

[rigorodgers]

Legalism and resulting spiritual pride prevents us from trusting in Christ by faith in search a way that With legalism ones heart ❤️ is focused on perfecting each and every detail of the law hence drawing a picture that one's perfection is as a result of one's hard work and for pride limits the things God can do in our life for a proud heart trusts in ts self alone.where a man's heart ❤️ is that's  where there faith is.

Pride has kept me from drawing closer to Jesus In search a way that I couldn't listen to the voice of God and follow His instructions and I couldn't even consetrate in quiet time.

 

[rigorodgers]

Legalism and spiritual pride prevents us from trusting in Christ by faith in search a way that it colours out a picture that one's purification is based on one's hard work so you start trusting your own away from God and hence loosing faith in Jesus so there is no reason why one seeks knowing Jesus since they are full of themselves.

Pride in my self has kept me from drawing closer to Jesus in search away that all the years I have spent in this situation of pride I have been working harder to make ends meet acompaned with stress,fear, loneliness and disappointment and I failed to do the most simple act of looking on to Jesus (having faith in him and completely trusting in him).

 

[Ralph Denman]

Legalism is the complete opposite of what Christ wants from us. He wants to produce in us complete trust & faith in him, and only him.

[Irmela]

(Philippians 3:7-8) How do legalism and the resulting spiritual pride prevent us from trusting in Christ by faith, and knowing him? How has your pride in yourself kept you from drawing closer to Jesus?

We trust in ourself or what the "world" has put in place. ? This is not trusting Christ by faith and waiting on Him. 

It stunts ones growth in Him and prevents many "Christ blessings" from reaching us. ?

By the above i am not saying there is no pain or hurt. Life's full of it. 

[AshG]

I believe legalism and spiritual pride prevents us from trusting in Christ because we are pretty much saying, “we don’t need God and we can do it in our own”. It’s taking away from God and glorifying God. God wants us to humble ourselves and understand we do need Him. I feel my pride has gotten in the way because it’s as if I tell myself I don’t need God/that relationship with Him — that I can figure things out myself. This is far from the truth. I do need Him daily to know His word and to have a closer relationship with Him. 

[Krissi]

Many years ago I read an article in which random Christians in different churches were asked to recite the Ten Commandments. Very few -- less than ten percent, as I recall -- were able to recite most of them. Some didn't know any of the commandments. Most Christians could say only one or two of them. These were Christians!  Could it be the case that legalism isn't possible unless the law is known?  Legalism isn't trusting oneself but a fanatical adherence to the letter of the law. 

Spiritual pride is another matter. One can be proud of one's ability to stand in front of the congregation and preach, pray, sing or whatever. One can be proud of the number of converts notched on one's belt. One can be proud of diligent reading and prayer, and of completing these bible studies. One can be proud, then, of good things, strangely. When the thing of which one is proud is a substitute for a relationship with Christ Himself, then "spiritual pride" is a hindrance to knowing Him and trusting only Him in faith.

I struggle with pride even though all I value has been destroyed in the past decade. At times, I feel sorry for myself and angry at God. I beg to die rather than put up with another day on earth. When I gripe to God about how much I hate my life and want either change or death, I feel the heaviness of the Spirit in me. I know I've displeased him. And in a very real way, it's pride that's hindering me. If I were not so proud, I would not believe I deserve more than this.

As I ask God, "Haven't I been humbled enough?" I realize that the asking of that question renders His answer, "NO!"