THIS is why gospel Christianity is frustrating to legalists and to the legalist within ME... namely that the heart, the WHY behind what we do or don't do... is what matters.
Paul: Neither circumcision or uncircumcision matters.... the only thing that matters is FAITH, expressing itself in love.
Quote: "We must remember that abstinence per se is not weakness. The decisive factor is one's motive for abstention. To abstain for non-religious reasons does NOT make one weak.
What, then, constitutes strength? The strong, quite simply, are those who correctly perceive the truth of 1 Tim. 4:4-5 and Rom. 14:14a. Paul was strong (cf. 15:1). The strong are those who, by reason of their knowledge of God and grace, enjoy the full range of Christian liberty without being condemned in their conscience. --Sam Storms
