First of All: Resisting Religiosity

I am a recovering legalist. When I think about the Christian life, it's easy for me to revert to a list of dos and don'ts, shoulds and shouldn'ts. I say, "Christianity is not about religion, it's about relationship," but it's challenging to resist religiosity.

In our passage yesterday, we find Paul encouraging the Colossians in the freedom they have in Christ. Some of what the Church in Colossae faced were false teachers telling them that the way to higher levels of spirituality was through observance of Jewish laws and religious festivals. Because of what Jesus has done, we have been set free from the captivity of rules and regulations. Modifying our behaviors doesn't change our hearts!

The problem wasn't in the practices themselves, but they were making the practices the point instead of who the practices point to. They were using "self-made religion" to achieve something they already had in Jesus. Like the Colossians, we are still learning how to receive now what Christ has already come to give.

I find it encouraging to know that it actually becomes hard to be legalistic as we embrace the ideas we've been talking about in this series so far. We resist religiosity as we open ourselves to receiving God's grace, wisdom, fidelity, and - most of all - Christ!