Has legalism kept you from pursuing the fullness of your relationship with Jesus?
In an interview on His Glory’s Take Five with Pastor Dave Scarlett, Alexander Pagani discussed his new book, Manipulated and how to live free from the bondage of legalism’s grips.
Pagani first started by giving a description of how none of us start off legalistic, but end up finding ourselves in this category when we start making the rules more important than the holiness of God.
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To pre-order Alexander Pagani’s new book, Manipulated, visit Amazon.com.
“Sometimes these bylaws or dogmas that are designed to help us walk in holiness end up becoming the ends to the means,” Pagani says. “So, the rules that are designed to help us keep the rules end up becoming the main rules.”
Pagani notes that when we add in rules that were not commanded, it can even drive us to want to break that which was given to us by God for our own benefit.
“We end up in dangerous territory, and nine out of ten times we end up violating those very laws that we put in place to help us maintain the law,” he says.
When the focus shifts from intimacy with Jesus to an obsession with rules and control, we miss the freedom and grace that the gospel offers. Christ came not to burden us with man-made regulations, but to invite us into a relationship marked by love, truth and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. True holiness flows from a heart surrendered to Him, not from fear of breaking rules or striving to measure up.
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For believers who have struggled under the weight of legalism, Pagani’s message is a call to return to the simplicity of the gospel. Ask the Lord to reveal areas where rules have replaced relationship, and allow His Spirit to lead you back into the joy of knowing Him. As we embrace the freedom Jesus purchased for us on the cross, we can walk in genuine holiness—rooted in love, empowered by grace and unshaken by the shifting demands of religious tradition.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
