I Am Living Under the Law

If I feel condemned and worry whether I am performing well enough to satisfy God.
This shows I do not yet understand that Jesus is my righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). God said, "[Jesus] is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," and it is only Jesus who pleases Him. My own works never please God, but when He sees His Son in me, He is well pleased. The less of me and the more of Jesus that He sees, the more pleased He is. Trying to please God by my works is a frustrating impossibility because one failure totally condemns me

If I think it is more difficult to be a Christian than not, and I think the world has more fun than I do.
This reveals that I am mostly concerned with externals and am missing the glorious freedom and joy of surrendering my life to God (1 Peter 1:8). Serving God may have difficulties, but it is infinitely better than the alternative (Galatians 4:9). A total surrender to God actually makes life easier because I no longer have to make my own life come out right. God will make all things work together for good and give me true rest. (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:9,10)

If I am constantly defeated by the same sin.
A pattern of failure reveals that I trust my own strength because I am never defeated when I fully trust God for victory. Each defeat proves I did not trust God’s power, but when I humbly admit my weakness it allows God’s power to supply my lack. (2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

If I determine to try harder when the Spirit convicts me of a need in my life.
If I merely try harder, I still think I can sanctify myself by improving my performance. I do not yet understand that Jesus is my sanctification. I also show that my standard of holiness is much lower than God’s because I can attain to mine by sheer will-power. The new covenant’s standard is impossibly high for the flesh. It takes Jesus in me. (1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 3:3)

If I check my spiritual growth by comparing myself to other people instead of to Jesus Christ.
This reveals that I still think it is good enough just to reach a level of performance that makes me an average Christian. Looking to Jesus makes me despair of my own fleshly efforts. (Romans 10:4; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Romans 8:29)

If I think sin is always something I do, and I’m only guilty of sin if I do certain actions.
The new standard introduced in the Sermon on the Mount and lived out by Jesus deals with the root of the problem instead of the fruit of the problem. The main issue now is the condition of the heart. I can be guilty of gross sin even without any outward action. (Mark 7:20-23; Matthew 5:27,28; Matthew 12:33-35)

If I am more concerned with people’s opinion of me than I am about the truth.
For example, if I tolerate rebellion in my heart as long as I yield outward obedience, I show that I am still more concerned with my performance than the real condition of my sinful heart. Admitting the truth will set me free. (Matthew 23:27)

If I teach and demand of others things not found in the Bible.
This reveals a performance-oriented mentality that does not accept God’s standard of inward holiness and claims that righteousness really depends on keeping certain man-made rules. Eventually those rules will actually replace God’s standard, and people will be considered righteous as long as they just conform outwardly to these rules. (Matthew 15:9; 2 Peter 1:3; Revelation 22:18)

If I cannot accept believers who are different than myself.
This shows that my confidence is still in how I look and how I perform, and so I cannot accept someone who looks or acts differently. (John 7:24; Acts 10:34, 35)

If I constantly lack assurance of salvation.
My salvation is insecure if I judge myself by my performance instead of by the witness of God’s Spirit, because each failure on my part casts doubt on my salvation. When my trust is in Christ and the sufficiency of His sacrifice, I no longer depend on myself for assurance. This does not mean that I can continue in sin because my salvation is in Christ. In fact, when my focus is relationship with Him instead of performance for Him, I am more repentant than ever about any sin that grieves Him and quick to repent. My sorrow is that I grieved God instead of just being sorry about the consequences of my sin. (1 John 3:9, 20, 24)

If I am kept from sin only because "the Bible says I shouldn’t do it."
I am only trying to get by, instead of having a relationship with Jesus that makes me desire to please Him above all else. As I grow in grace and become more like Jesus, I will hate sin and desire holiness, not because I fear punishment, but because I have the mind of Christ and personal convictions against sin. The law of the Spirit in my heart can keep me farther from sin than all those laws that have been a burden to my flesh. (1 Peter 1:15, 16; Ephesians 4:20-24; Hebrews 12:14)