What is your Christianity like? Is it focused on yourself or on Christ?  Is it focused on sin and failure or grace and forgiveness?  Chris Brannon continues in our Unrivaled series by posing these questions.  True Christianity is personally knowing Christ, who died for our sins and who was raised from the dead and is alive today!  There are three false practices that Paul attacks in these passages.  The first one is legalism.  This is rule following, especially man-made rules that supersede God’s rules.  It can take many forms in Christianity in what people believe a Christian should wear, drive, act etc.  Chris gives us some observations about legalism.  The next false practice is ritualism.  This is traditions that were begun to address worthy issues, but are now carried out with little value and no connection to the Father.  Chris gives us some samples of those as well.  The last false practice is asceticism.

Chris goes on to give us five observations about replacing Jesus with religion.  The first is that our religious practices alone are no basis for judging a person’s standing with God or standing in God’s family.  There are four questions that you can ask yourself to see if you wandering into gray area issues:  will I cause someone to stumble in faith?  Is it beneficial to others?  Will it become my master?  Is this an opportunity to indulge the flesh?  The next observation is that the fullness of life comes through Christ alone.  Another observation is that the source of life, purity and growth is through vital connection to Christ.  The next observation is that along with Christ, we have died to the basic inclinations of the flesh.  Lastly, regulations demanding certain behaviors do not necessarily create in us purity of heart.