Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1 NKJV
A bit of back story for this verse. The Galatians heard the gospel from Paul and became believers by faith in Christ. They were Gentiles and did not learn, nor follow Jewish Law. They eventually started to practice parts of Jewish Law that were no longer necessary because of Jesus' sacrifice. Paul had to remind them to hold fast to their freedom from sin through Christ, rather than trying to practice the old way of "salvation" that was nullified by Christ taking our punishment upon Himself.
There are many things we do as believers. We go to church every sunday (sometimes multiple days a week), pay tithe, serve others, worship, study our bible, etc. Do not misunderstand me - these are very important practices for us to grow in relationship with God. However, none of these ensure our salvation. Only our confession of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour is required for salvation. The activities mentioned above should come from the love we have for Jesus. We've almost all heard the phrase "it's not a religion, it's a relationship." Pharisees relied on their good works and rigid laws to come closer to God. The disciples drew close to Jesus, and as a result, followed his commandments. When we do fall short, He is right there to forgive us of our sins and cleanse of from all unrighteousness. Our motivation is not guilt and condemnation, but rather a love for Christ who has set us free.
P.s. Im proud of whoever knows what musical the title of this blog references.