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Being a Christian

It's interesting to me how we as Christians find ways to rationalize and justify doing what we want to. Ultimately, it seems like if we are a) defensive or b) finding ways to justify what we want to do, then c) something's probably not right.

Another interesting thing to me is the idea that it's okay to compartmentalize God by saying that if I have freedom in Christ--then that means that God knows my heart and that I have the freedom to do whatever I want, because God has grace for me.

And a last interesting thing to me is that we when we cry "legalism" that's not really the whole truth-- that cry comes often comes from a rebelliousness against authority--whether it is the authority of the church that you have agreed to submit to as a member of the body or whether it is God.

So, I think that if we are a) justifying and defensive b) claiming our "freedom in Christ" as a license to sin or c) crying legalism, I think it's wise for us to look at our hearts and look closely to see why we're doing these things, because they're really all masks for our own sins.

Please don't think that I am pointing out the speck in anyone else's eye without taking a look at my own heart. It was by looking at my defensive spirit that I saw the root of it in myself. I never claimed freedom in Christ that way, but I struggled through the idea of it and came to an understanding of why it isn't okay to do that. It was seeing that rebellious spirit towards authority and being confronted by my husband about it several years ago, that planted the seed that has been watered, so I now understand what that rebellious spirit can translate into in my life if I don't guard against it.

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