Legalism insists on conformity to manmade religious rules and requirements, which are often unspoken but are nevertheless very real... There are far too many instances within Christendom where our traditions and rules are, in practice, more important than God's commands.

The pursuit of holiness must be anchored in the grace of God; otherwise it is doomed to failure

Our very worst days are never beyond the reach of God's grace.

God does not delight in our sufferings. He brings only that which is necessary, but He does not shrink from that which will help us grow.

The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross.

We insist that God must surely lead everyone as we believe He has led us. We refuse to allow God the freedom to deal with each of us as individuals. When we think like that, we are legalistic.

Bitterness arises in our hearts when we do not trust in the sovereign rule of God in our lives