Grace Filled Community

The following is from 'No Other Gospel; 31 reasons from Galatians that salvation is by faith alone', by Josh Moody, p259.

Here are five comparisons of a legalistic community and a grace-filled one.

1) A grace filled community seeks to restore those who make a misstep, whereas a legalistic community  condemns them.

2) In a grace filled community, the mature are those who, like Jesus, reach out to restore and save, whereas in a legalistic community, those held up for honour are, like the Pharisees, seemingly able to achieve more personal, if superficial, moral attainment than others.

3) A grace filled community encourages those who are secure and have an appropriate self-confidence, which is really a confidence in what God is doing in their lives through faith in Christ, whereas a legalistic community encourages insecure individuals to try and prove their worth by being better than others.

4) A grace filled community is full of individuals who think very little of themselves, not because they do not have self worth but because they are thinking of others, and how they can help them, whereas a legalistic community is full of individuals who think highly of themselves and are thus self-decieved. Anything good comes from God, for naturally none of us is good.

5) A grace filled community is filled with energy service and outreach. Each one carries his load of restoration, other peoples burdens, whereas a legalistic community is full of individuals who do very little, because they are always wondering about whether they've done enough to be saved. Rather than focussing on what God has done, they are focussed on what they need to do.