scripture: colossians 2:6-2:23

Christ's death on the cross set us free - free from our sin's penalty, and its power, but also free from all the other futtile ways we tried to reach God, like rules, regulations, or religious activities. So why do we sometimes want to run back toward slavery? Partly familiarity, and partly because we like feeling like we can control our relationship with God. But Christ came to set us free from that trap, too.

Our hearts long to be legalists. We look for all kinds of big and small ways to add to the work of Christ, trying to do something, anything that will make us more acceptable to God. But we can't. All our efforts fail because Christ has done it all.