DISCOVER THE CHAINS OF RELIGION AND THE TRUE FREEDOM FOUND IN CHRIST IN THIS POWERFUL, GRACE-FILLED ARTICLE
Christianity is not about rules but about letting Christ rule in our hearts. Christianity is simply Christ in you and Christ through you. Many people grow up believing Christianity is a strict system, a list of rules, expectations, spiritual checklists, and endless attempts to earn God’s approval. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The message of Jesus Christ was never meant to create religious slaves. Instead, it was designed to bring sons and daughters into freedom, identity, and new life.
UNDERSTANDING THE HEART OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY
Christianity as a relationship, not a system
At its core, Christianity is about Jesus living in us and through us. It’s not a behavior-improvement program or a spiritual performance routine. True Christianity begins with a relationship, one built on love, faith in the transforming power of Christ.
WHY DO MANY BELIEVERS FEEL TRAPPED IN RELIGION
Many Christians unknowingly slide into religion because they’re told to “try harder,” “do better,” or “prove their faith.” This leads to exhaustion, guilt, and a constant sense of falling short. But Scripture paints a different picture of what walking with Christ looks like.
Legalism tells you that your worth is based on your behaviour. This creates pressure instead of peace and leads to cycles of guilt and striving.
THE CHAINS OF RELIGION
Religion says:
Try harder. Earn more. Do better. Impress God. Impress people.
But Scripture says:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
— Galatians 5:1
The moment we mix rules with grace, law with gospel, we step back into slavery. The apostle Paul makes it radical:
“If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you… It is all or nothing. Flirting with Moses is cheating on Jesus.”
The problem with religion is not the desire to do good, it’s the belief that doing good is the way to become right with God.
Religion produces:
- Legalism (obsession with rules)
- Fear
- Guilt
- Pretence
- Comparison
- Shame
- Self-reliance
Religion is a cage because it demands transformation without providing life.
THE RADICAL NEW COVENANT: CHRIST AS YOUR LIFE
Jesus did not come to upgrade Moses.
He came to replace the Old Covenant, a covenant of performance, with the New Covenant, a covenant of transformation through union with Christ.
You are a New Creation
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
You are not a slightly improved version of the old you.
You are something the world has never seen before an entirely new species in the Spirit.
Christ Is Your Life
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with Him in glory.”
— Colossians 3:3–4
The Christian life is not self-improvement.
It is Christ-expression.
THE NATURE OF THE LAW: GOOD BUT NOT LIFE GIVING
The law is holy, righteous, and good but it has one job:
to expose sin, not to cure it.
“The law shows us what sin is, but it does not give us the power to quit sinning.”
— Romans 7:7, 13
You Died to the Law
“You were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ…
You are not married to Moses anymore.”
— Romans 7:4
This is why mixing law and grace is spiritual adultery.
We died to Moses so we could be united to Christ.
The Law Is Not for the Righteous
“The Law is not made for a righteous person…”
— 1 Timothy 1:9
If you are in Christ, you are righteous.
Therefore, the law is not your master.
THE NEW HEART, THE FLESH, AND TRUE TRANSFORMATION
Dr. Farley emphasizes a profound truth:
the flesh is not your body.
Your body is holy, good, and acceptable to God.
It is not the enemy.
The flesh refers to the old patterns; the old ways we tried to get a sense of worth or identity apart from Christ. Jealousy, anger, and strife are not “sinful muscles”—they are the flesh’s way of trying to feel “okay” without God.
The solution is not to analyze the flesh.
Not to fight it in our own strength.
Not to obsess over our failures.
The solution is Christ Himself.
“Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
— Galatians 5:16
Believers have been given a new heart, a new passion, and a new desire for God.
The flesh is now warring against what you truly want, not expressing who you are.
This is why Scripture talks about a person who “practices” the deeds of the flesh—this refers to a lifestyle, an identity, an old practice.
Stumbling is not practicing.
Identity is not determined by moments.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: THE RESUME OF JESUS
The fruit of the Spirit is not a list to achieve.
It is evidence of the life of Jesus in you.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
this is the resume of Jesus, not the to-do list of a struggling believer.
There is a third way of living the Christian life.
It is not morality.
It is not lawlessness.
It is Trusting the resurrection life of Jesus within you.
If Christ lives in you, the logical next step is simple:
- Walk by the Spirit.
- Trust Him.
- Be led by Him.
THE BELIEVER’S NEW IDENTITY AND PERMANENT RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness Is a Gift
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21
Your performance does not determine your standing.
Christ’s performance does.
God Remembers Your Sins No More
“Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
— Hebrews 10:17
The cross worked.
There is no record of your wrongs in heaven.
You Are Holy and Blameless
“He chose us… that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love.”
— Ephesians 1:4
Not “trying to become holy.”
Not “working toward blamelessness.”
You are holy and blameless because Christ is your life.
WHAT TRUE FREEDOM IN CHRIST LOOKS LIKE
True freedom in Christ is:
1. Living Loved, Not Afraid
You approach God as a child, not a criminal.
2. Walking in Transformation, Not Trying Harder
The Spirit forms Christ in you from the inside out.
3. Joy Instead of Pressure
Faith becomes life-giving, not exhausting.
4. Authenticity Instead of Pretense
You stop hiding and start healing.
5. Grace Instead of Condemnation
You give what you have received.
CONCLUSION: FROM CHAINS TO LIBERTY
Jesus didn’t die to create religious slaves.
He died to raise free sons and daughters.
Religion binds.
The law condemns.
The flesh deceives.
But Christ frees.
The gospel is not a call to perform
but an invitation to participate in the life of Jesus.
The more you understand grace,
the freer you become.
Because Christianity is not about rules—
it is about letting Christ rule.
ARE YOU WILLING TO STEP OUT OF RELIGION INTO YOUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST?
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