Did anyone else spend years doubting their salvation? Wondering if they were really good enough to be saved?
The other night, I was reading in Scripture about the men from Judea who were teaching new believers that, “Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” And I realized that’s how a religious spirit works.
Unless you…
Think a certain way,
Act a certain way,
Speak a certain way,
Look a certain way…
You cannot be saved.
But Jesus doesn’t say unless.
He says, “I AM!”
He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through union with Him, which means relationship with Him is the only way we can be forgiven of sins, set free from guilt, and promised eternal life. No amount of thinking, acting, speaking, or looking can do what Jesus alone can do, and He promises that ALL who call upon His name will be saved.
The spirit of religion says, “Unless… You cannot be.” But the Spirit of truth, wisdom, and revelation says, “You ARE God’s beloved child!” (Romans 8:16)
In Acts, we see Peter addressing the apostles, elders, and leaders, asking, “Why on earth would you now limit God’s grace by placing a yoke of religious duties on the shoulders of the believers that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? Don’t you believe we are introduced to eternal life through the grace of our Lord Jesus?”
A religious spirit tries to place unnecessary burdens on our shoulders and keeps us stuck in a standstill, always wondering if we are good enough.
But the Holy Spirit leads us into deeper freedom, because a transformed life starts with a renewed mind, and a renewed mind starts with being fully convinced and assured of our salvation by grace, through faith.
“And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”
Romans 8:15–16 (TPT)
Grace Waves 