Page 56 - The Gospel of John - Student textbook
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8.5 Let’s Personalize this Lesson…
Activity: Has any legalism crept into your life? Remember, legalism is doing or not doing
something that you think will give you merit before God. Sometimes we may go to church
because we think God will be more pleased with us than if we stayed home. Of course, God
honors obedience, but thinking that doing something for God brings you into a special
relationship with Him is a form of legalism.
You think your works makes you more pleasing to God. Fortunately, God is 100% pleased with us because we, if
we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, are IN CHRIST. What that means is that Christ’s righteousness has been
transferred to our account. We have been forgiven and we are 100% pure before the Father, because He sees
us IN CHRIST. We don’t have to perform to receive his pleasure. We serve Him in response to the forgiveness
He rains down on us. We love Him because He first loved us. We go to church, not to please Him, but to
demonstrate our love for Him and other believers. We serve to demonstrate our love. It’s a whole new life!!!
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