Legalism separates us from God by adding things to our salvation. Belief in Jesus is simply that: believing in Him. Legalism and religion are believing plus this, that, or the other. During the time of Jesus’ earthly life, the Pharisee had added numerous “pluses” to belief in God. Jesus made it a point to challenge each and every one. In this passage, He healed a man on the Sabbath after making this challenge: Is it better to do good on the Sabbath or do evil? When we add things to our faith in God, we lose sight of His heart and His will, and our hearts become hard against the truth. Jesus can soften our hearts to His truth and set us free from religion.

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