Phil is back again. No, not Dr Phil, our local church Phil. He has a lot of good thoughts, this time about fig leaves. So, here is Phil…

I know you all have heard of Dr. Phil. He has a lot of insights into human relationships and he gives helpful advice. I’m sure many are able to enjoy self-improvements as a result of listening to Oprah’s favorite doctor.

Seeing, but not seeing, is a common problem. Christians see that Jesus carried their sins, but they still don’t see themselves righteous; Jesus bore their sickness, but they have a difficult time to see themselves healed. We see that Jesus has become our righteousness, redemption, wisdom and sanctification, but somehow we still look for all of the above. Out of one side of the mouth we say, “God has given us everything in Christ,” and out of the other side we claim to be a very “needy people”. On the one hand we agree with Jesus that if we drink the water He gives we’ll never thirst again, while on the other we say, “Lord, I’m so thirsty for you”. Do you see the contradictions? Is this schizophrenic life normal Christianity?

If the current Christian scene were a football game, I’d say we are in the fourth quarter and if you look at the scoreboard legalism has an insurmountable lead over grace. This has been an ongoing battle for 2000 years; the legalism of the Pharisees vs. the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor of God presented by Jesus. There is a line between those who uphold the traditions of men based on merits versus Jesus the friend and transformer of sinners. The Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) dealt with this ongoing conflict where certain “Judaizers” wanted to lay more “burdens” on the new believers.  That time the truth prevailed, and it was agreed that we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Antioch, the same battle continued as Paul had to publicly rebuke Simon Peter and his spiritual mentor Barnabus because they were slipping into legalism instead of standing by the message of Christ alone and grace alone (Galatians 2).