26/08/2026
𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 "𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗧"
Was Jesus being legalistic when He said, “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀”—speaking of false prophets and, by implication, those who falsely profess faith?
There has been an ongoing objection from those who overemphasize grace to what I am preaching. They hear the call to holiness, obedience, and visible fruit and immediately label it 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺.
So let me affirm this clearly:
Yes, 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵.
Yes, 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀.
Yes, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
But then we must ask: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱?
𝗔 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.
Listen to the words of our Lord Jesus in John 15:8–10:
“𝐵𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝐹𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀. 𝐴𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒, 𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑘𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝐹𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒.”
Notice what Jesus says: 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀.
The evidence that you truly belong to Christ—that you have truly been made alive in Him—is not a perfect life, but 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. There will be repentance. There will be obedience. There will be a growing hatred for sin and a growing desire to please Christ.
These fruits are not the basis of our salvation. They are not the foundation upon which God accepts us. Christ alone is our righteousness, and faith alone receives Him.
But these fruits are the necessary evidence that salvation has actually taken place.
We are not saved 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 we bear fruit.
We bear fruit 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 we have been saved.
Therefore, calling professing Christians to repentance, obedience, holiness, and the bearing of fruit is not legalism.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁.
Grace does not produce a person who merely claims Christ while remaining comfortable in sin. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.
-- Pastor PJ
