As Far as Slippery Slopes...

People have always been afraid of the Gospel. And by people I mean religious types. The Gospel speaks of a forgiveness freely given and not earned, of surrender to the Lordship of Christ instead of a list of changes. Religious people want to simply stick to a thought free set of rules. They are afraid that if the Bible is taught as it really reads that people will slide down a slippery slope into heathenism. They simply do not believe that the Gospel has any power to change a person, in spite of what the Bible teaches.

The Rule of Love is no easy thing. For example legalism teaches that one only owes 10% of what one earns and it only counts if you give it to a local church with a proper building. Instead, the Gospel teaches that one has to manage everything one has aware that it is given by God to be used for His glory. Legalism is easier and requires little to no thought or decision making.

Ultimately, few people will ever argue that complete antinomianism is what the Bible intends and even fewer would understand complete licentiousness to be the picture of Christianity. However, legalism, in spite of the fact that the Bible regularly teaches against it, is frequently understood to be a good approach to the Christian life. So, which distortion of the Gospel is the greater danger to the message of the Bible?