Lasciviousness - Legalism. by Dean Gotcher

Lasciviousness - Legalism.

by
Dean Gotcher

Caught between lasciviousness ("self" 'justification'), "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness" (Jude 1:4) and legalism ("self" 'righteousness'), turning "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) into "formula 'Christianity,'" i.e., doctrines of men, both the result of "talking" to your "self" instead of to the Lord, order can only be maintained in our lives by our daily dying to our "self" (daily making our will, doing the Lord's will, i.e., talking to the Lord instead of to our "self"), enduring the rejection of others rejecting the witness of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ in our lives, and following after the Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., obeying Him and His/our Heavenly Father, i.e., reading and mediating upon the Word, filled with the Holy Spirit, fellowshipping with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, confessing them before men, continuously depending upon (turning to) them for direction. "[A]nd truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3 If your fellowshipping with others and their fellowshipping with you does not stem from your and their fellowshipping "with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" first and foremost then it is apostate (hypocritical). Building relationship upon "self interest," even in the name of the Lord, is of and for the world only, i.e., it is no and can not be of and for the Lord.