Let’s address some beliefs of a toxic faith system with real-world application/testimony.
- Conditional Love: God’s love and favor DEPEND on my behavior.
While we strive to walk in the light of Christ, we often face the challenge of our flesh nature and sometimes fall short of the mark. The book of 1 John discusses this walk and the subsequent fellowship we have with Christ when we walk in the light- the result is a manifestation of cleansing from sin. By faith this was done at the Cross of Jesus Christ, but by manifestation we appropriate this grace, through faith in the finished work of the cross.
Who guides us through this walk? Ultimately, the Holy Spirit. 1 John chapter two discusses that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous- it is by faith in his sacrifice alone that we are accounted righteous in God’s eyes. It has been my experience of being in a toxic-faith-system that our ex narc-elder would say that God is love, but in application subtly promote seeing God as a critical parent, waiting to say: ‘It’s not good enough. You need to fast without food or water for 7 days so you may escape the coming passover angel, or you need to do better IF you want to make it into the ‘man-child’ company or the two witness company, or the bride company,’ Et. Al. This type of legalistic faith is so toxic that a congregation would turn to faith-in-self rather than faith-IN-God, a dependence on performance, not God’s wondrous love and grace through faith.
THE ABOVE SUBTLE LEGALISM IS A TRAP, and can separate you from the grace of Christ according to the book of Galatians. Paul scolded the Galatian church, who started out in the Spirit only to end up in the flesh. Satan and his demons know that if they can get you into works/self-works for justification, they can bring you into bondage as you don’t have the power to overcome the flesh; when this happens they start condemning you through your thoughts, and other people– it is a vicious cycle, but it can be broken by the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and spiritual warfare.
“for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
The good works are a result of the power of God by grace through our faith in the finished work at the Cross. Is it that simple? We must focus on the cross and not look at the snake-bite, even if others are quick to judge, condemn us; we must encourage others to keep their eyes on the cross. Is it a battle? Yes, for we do not wrestle with flesh or blood…
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12