The transition needed is not into yet another ‘denomination,’ but rather total separation from the hierarchical and mediatorial, performance based religious systems of men… to a walk of living by the indwelling life of Christ as Lord. This requires an unlearning of religion’s false precepts. As with the sheep of John 10, there is a ‘door’ through which we must pass if we are to escape the ‘folds’ of religion that door is found in union with Christ alone (John 10:9. Only then may we may come to enjoy  the liberty of a living relationship of with Jesus Christ as our “Lord” (Gk. kurious, master, controller).

There is an “unlearning” that follows as we come to enjoy our liberation from religion’s bonds. We will come to realize these understandings below. They permit us to have an all-sufficient inward relationship with the Lord.

1. It is no longer possible to live under condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) In fact, our sins and our own ‘good works’ are not “counted” by the Lord as they would be under the Low. (cf. Rom. 4:5-8). We have a loving Father who may correct us, but He never condemns us. We will never see the angry face of God’s wrath. (1Thes 5:9)

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁶  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:5-8 (KJV)

“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:6 (KJV)

2. We no longer heed the instruction external voices of external religious instruction, unless they are confirmed by the indwelling Spirit within us. We do need each other as members of “His body.”
3. The inward leading of the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Scripture that applies to us in our “dispensation of the grace of God.”
4. We are not to be measured and valued by the externalities of what we have done and may do.
5. We no longer live by written Laws, outer rules, or precepts – we are “under grace” and “walk” according to the rule and guidance of His Spirit as peace within our spirit (cf. Gal. 5:16, 18, 25).
6. We view “all things working for the good,” including negative circumstances. These are all used of the Lord to conform our soul to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-30).
7. We can expect that our soulical relationships with groups and people of the past, that are not good for us, may likely be broken by the Lord.

Voices & Guidance from Outside of Us:

If we are to make the passage to liberty, we must abandon all outer voices that try to instruct us. The indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is our life-guide, our instructor.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine….

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold (Gk. aule, a pen): them also I must bring, and they shall ‘hear’ my voice; and there shall be one fold (Gk. poimne, “flock”), and one shepherd.” (John 10)

Paul instructs us to “let the peace (of Christ in us) of God rule (guide) in your hearts… (Col. 3:15a)

Religion tells us we should heed the outer instruction and doctrine, Pastors, elders, teachers, etc. which often is erroneous and contrary to grace living. These outer sources are versus the inner, spontaneous, intimate leading of Christ that all Christians have by the inner sense of His life. Jesus said all His sheep hear his voice. The Father may at times use the outer voices of other people and preaching or speaking to us, but it is always to be weighed against the and our sense within and “the word of God” rightly divided as our final arbiter. The only outward external word is the Scripture that is “rightly divided” (2Tim 2:15) and it should be witnessed by the indwelling “Spirit,”  We need to heed and apply only Scripture that applies to us during today’s  “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:5), as taught by the Apostle Paul.

Taking elements of the outer Law of Moses to apply them to ourselves would be like reading Israel’s mail. The ‘law and covenants’ belongs to Israel only – not the “the church which is His body.” Rather, Paul repeatedly pointed the saints to their spirit as the way to “walk in,” or walk under the influence of, “the spirit” of life. (cf. Gal 5:16, 18, 25)

Doing Vs. Receiving - Escaping religion’s bonds also requires a deliverance from religion’s merit-based performance system of works, based upon what we do and won’t do – the do’s and don’ts of religion. Religion requires us to perform to external standards (usually manmade or man interpreted standards). We’ve all lived under merit until we came to “the grace of God.” Even our own parents told most of us we had to merit, saying, “If you are good, you will get this; but if you are bad, you will get that”. Most of us have only known this “merit system” in our families, religion and relationships. No wonder most have difficulty receiving “God’s free unconditional gift of the grace of Christ as our life.

You cannot merit God’s favor. He will be a debtor to no man. Sadly, this worldly way has become the way of religion, the way of the vast majority of the neo-evangelical Christian “church.” Most of Christianity promotes the same standard as the world taught us, do good and don’t do bad – but they call it Christianity. But I am counted as a Christian because of my trusting faith by which I received Christ, not because of what I did or will do. Atheists can do good things but that does not make them a Christian. Much of Christianity practices bait and switch; advertising grace to be saved, but then switching, saying or implying that … now that your saved you must do this and perform in such and such a way to really please God, or even to be kept saved. True Christianity is not based upon anything that you do, except to believe and thereby receive Him whom God has sent. We have only one work.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe (trust in) on him whom he hath sent.

The practices of works-based religion stand in stark contrast to the way of God our Father as expressed in the Pauline gospel of grace that operates through faith. We know Paul is our Apostle and that men will be judged according to Paul’s gospel of grace (cf. Rom 1:16, 16:25). Paul says,

1 Cor. 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. Paul’s way of life under grace is direct opposite of the Law.

God’s way is for His children to receive the grace of Christ’s life to be their all. Christ is “fulness of the Godhead” (Col 2:9-10) and He is grace to us (2Tim 4:22). The Father regenerated us to a new and complete life in Christ. The full blessing of God is that of His “only begotten Son,” and we received it as our inheritance “in Christ.” He has come to dwell in us, making us also the literal sons of God.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name [Jesus, meaning Savior]:” (John 1:12)