Legalism in religion

[Lambano]

I like that we should provide works to be saved by Christ. Because without them I don't think Christ will save us. Unless we're disabled or something.

Okay. A couple of points:

First, anybody who takes the Bible seriously is going to get anxious about, "Are my works good enough?" Then emphasis changes from trust in Christ to your own works. And then we become neurotic and self-focused. Or at least, I did.

Second, as I pointed out earlier, the definition of "good works" seems to have morphed to "not sinning". And the you have the people who have besetting sins that they CAN'T fix and they know it. The only thing they have to hang onto is to trust God's mercy. I've known some like this, and one of the characteristics I find admirable is they are less judgmental of others, more forgiving, and more focused on the "Love thy neighbor" commandments because they KNOW they need Jesus.

Which brings up the heart-attitude question. I've seen people claim they are without sin, while not giving a damn about their neighbors and being completely blind to their own pride and self-righteousness. And in writing this about others, I just committed the exact same sins of pride and self-righteousness. See how insidious this is? Why are we to avoid sin? Why are we to demonstrate love to our neighbors? To save ourselves?

I found C.S. Lewis's dictum to be helpful. When standing before God, don't think of your sin, or your own good works. It's best not to think of yourself at all.

 

[Grailhunter]

Well that's partially my point then. In the sheep and goats of Matthew 25:31-46 we learn that people that don't help the less fortunate don't go to heaven. So these works are required as I see it. It is important to observe the do and don't commandments. Do good works and refraining from evil works.

Words mean things. Works is the wrong term. It is not works to help someone if you can. If you could help some one and you do not, what does that say about your character? Again it is not rocket science. And some people can help more than others. Always give at church, even if it is a penny. Sometimes just listening is helping. Give a little to charity is something you can do at work. Walk with Christ everyday....if He wants you to help someone, He will but them in your path.

Personally I think God saves those that aren't selfish. I looked into sin and it all comes down to selfishness in sinning. From adultery and not considering what other people go thru when it's committed to stealing, bearing false witness and then the sheep and goats brought it home for me. And it's a lack of love for those people we harm that leads to sin.

You could call it selfish or you could call it a hard heart. The parable of the Sheep and the Goats does not show a process of salvation it explains that you can go to hell for not helping when you can. But then on the other hand you could spend your life helping people but if your faith is not placed in Christ, you are not eligible for Heaven.

An experienced Christian knows it is important to know what sin is. Christianity has developed its own set of taboos, so much so that it turns life into a minefield of real sins and fake sins and it is easy to step on a real sin trying to avoid fake sins.

When we accept Christ and are baptized we come out of that as born again Christians, meaning our past sins and life is gone from God's memory.....a clean slate. From there we are in the family of God and our sins are between us and Christ. Sins are forgiven but don't play Christ for a fool. We make our mistakes, but we should learn from our mistakes and then we are forgiven. Walk with Christ and talk with Christ. When you sin talk it over with Christ. Explain why you sinned and what you have learned. Don't keep coming back to Christ asking forgiveness for the same sin. This is why I say lifestyle sins are the ones that will bite you in the tail.

 

[Wrangler]

I just want to discuss these legalism brought on ideas so I can get a better understanding of what I believe and don't believe.

Great topic!

I probably have a unique opinion on this subject. For beginner Christians, the OT rules provides the specifics of what one should do and not do. I once had a debate with a Pastor who argued the OT Laws don't apply. I asked you cannot believe that Jesus died on the cross so people can violate the 10 Commandments with impunity?! His answer was somewhat ambivalent.

When Jesus said not all who call him Lord! Lord! will be saved but only those who do the will of my father, a reasonable person might ask what exactly is the will of God? To say 'love God and love others' is derivative, it is too generic for beginner Christians. The only caveat, the only hinge point is we are to do these things to be in a right relationship with God, NOT that this action on our part causes our salvation.

The cause of our salvation is our faith in the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Christ on the Cross.

Faith is not belief. Many say "I Be-Leave." "I Be-Leave." Belief is void of action, just a statement. Real faith is revealed by action. Action demonstrates one's faith. The gates of heaven will not be breeched by mere lip service. If you truly believe, it will be revealed by your actions. F = B + A.

To properly relate our salvation with our actions but transcending legalism, I invoke this metaphor. To be saved, is akin to being in the Will, an heir to our Father's inheritance. If we do not act in a way that is pleasing to him, he will not write us out of the Will. However, he will not be pleased with the actions we've chosen. As a man mature in the Spirit, I shutter to think my actions are not pleasing to God - not because of punishment or reward but purely my desire to have a relationship with my Creator that is on good terms.

Getting back to deriving what is God's will, 'love God and love others,' as one matures and becomes more sanctified, this deriving guide with the Spirit comes into proper focus.

Hope this helps.

 

[dev553344]

Okay. A couple of points:

First, anybody who takes the Bible seriously is going to get anxious about, "Are my works good enough?" Then emphasis changes from trust in Christ to your own works. And then we become neurotic and self-focused. Or at least, I did.

Second, as I pointed out earlier, the definition of "good works" seems to have morphed to "not sinning". And the you have the people who have besetting sins that they CAN'T fix and they know it. The only thing they have to hang onto is to trust God's mercy. I've known some like this, and one of the characteristics I find admirable is they are less judgmental of others more forgiving, and more focused on the "Love thy neighbor" commandments because they KNOW they need Jesus.

Which brings up the heart-attitude question. I've seen people claim they are without sin, while not giving a damn about their neighbors and not being able to see their own pride and self-righteousness. And in writing this about others, I just committed the exact same sins of pride and self-righteousness. See how insidious this is? Why are we to avoid sin? Why are we to demonstrate love to our neighbors? To save ourselves?

I found C.S. Lewis's dictum to be helpful. When standing before God, don't think of your sin, or your own good works. It's best not to think of yourself at all.

Yes, good points. Having experienced a 10 commandments church in my own past, I'm well aware that most people tend to become self righteous. Like they did something to save themselves. And judgmental of others. And perhaps that's just part of human nature when believing like that. The bible does tell us not to have company with sinners. So there is some biblical support for things like that. But Jesus took company with sinners. So there is also the other side of that which seems more righteous.

But that's part of the problem I have with the ten commandment churches. I've studied the vast commandments of Christ in the bible and they go well beyond ten commandments in love God and neighbor. I know that I'm not perfect and am a sinner and in need of mercy. And perhaps that attitude is childlike. And maybe that's how God intends us to be, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).

I don't know about the C.S. Lewis quote as I personally believe we will stand before God in the judgment and our lives will be presented and judged according to our works. And the forgiven parts left out. That we can be thankful that God had mercy on us for he is kind and loving.

 

[dev553344]

You could call it selfish or you could call it a hard heart.

I think they go hand in hand. The Holy Spirit reaches out to our hearts to be compassionate and loving to people. Especially those in need. And to not hurt others by sinning. A hard heart denies the Holy Spirit and doesn't help those in need or sins regardless of who it hurts.

But the Holy Spirit is there to soften our hearts and bring us back to God.

 

[dev553344]

Great topic!

I probably have a unique opinion on this subject. For beginner Christians, the OT rules provides the specifics of what one should do and not do. I once had a debate with a Pastor who argued the OT Laws don't apply. I asked you cannot believe that Jesus died on the cross so people can violate the 10 Commandments with impunity?! His answer was somewhat ambivalent.

When Jesus said not all who call him Lord! Lord! will be saved but only those who do the will of my father, a reasonable person might ask what exactly is the will of God? To say 'love God and love others' is derivative, it is too generic for beginner Christians. The only caveat, the only hinge point is we are to do these things to be in a right relationship with God, NOT that this action on our part causes our salvation.

The cause of our salvation is our faith in the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Christ on the Cross.

Faith is not belief. Many say "I Be-Leave." "I Be-Leave." Belief is void of action, just a statement. Real faith is revealed by its action. Action demonstrates one's faith. The gates of heaven will not be breeched by mere lip service. If you truly believe, it will be revealed by your actions. F = B + A.

To properly relate our salvation with our actions but transcending legalism, I invoke this metaphor. To be saved, is akin to being in the Will, an heir to our Father's inheritance. If we do not act in a way that is pleasing to him, he will not write us out of the Will. However, he will not be pleased with the actions we've chosen. As a man mature in the Spirit, I shutter to think my actions are not pleasing to God - not because of punishment or reward but purely my desire to have a relationship with my Creator that is on good terms.

Getting back to deriving what is God's will, 'love God and love others,' as one matures and becomes more sanctified, this deriving guide with the Spirit comes into proper focus.

Hope this helps.

Yes that helps. Legalism is like saying we have been forgiven and now have to earn our salvation by obeying the commandments and to be perfect once forgiven at baptism or being born again or however we look at it. And I just don't feel people will act perfectly in the will of the Father. So it's unrealistic to tell people they will be saved if they obey the lesser 10 commandments of the law.

I feel like I have grown in Christ and am starting to now understand the love God and neighbor part. So I understand that or am starting to.

 

[Behold]

I've been watching some religious talks from different churches as I still haven't decided which church to join and in one I'm noticing legalism.

God's love decided that we are worthy to be saved.
Nothing else.

Also, Christianity is not a religion.
RELIGION is man made.
CHRISTianity, is God given.

1.) Religion tries to offer a false "way" to reach God or become like God, based on Man's self effort.
2.) Christianity, is God coming to this world, as Christ the God Man, to give you the Gift of Salvation that is Jesus on the Cross who is "THE Way"..
John 14:6
Are these 2 the same?
They are not, at all.

Also, LEGALISM, is a contradiction, and an insult to the Cross of Christ.
Legalism, is you on the Cross trying to be good enough to earn heaven.
Christianity is Christ on the Cross dying for your sins, and by doing this for you, as God's GIFT of LOVE TO YOU, God is then able to accept you and keep you based only on The Cross of Christ. = SALVATION.

 

[Wrangler]

Yes that helps. Legalism is like saying we have been forgiven and now have to earn our salvation by obeying the commandments and to be perfect once forgiven at baptism or being born again or however we look at it. And I just don't feel people will act perfectly in the will of the Father. So it's unrealistic to tell people they will be saved if they obey the lesser 10 commandments of the law.

I feel like I have grown in Christ and am starting to now understand the love God and neighbor part. So I understand that or am starting to.

The irony of my being sealed by the Spirit is that I ask God for forgiveness far more than before. More sensitive and convicted by the Spirit. I've become less self-justified, less self-righteous and more aware of how I miss the mark.

 

[Behold]

The irony of my being sealed by the Spirit

The irony of not understanding who you have become in Christ is that you end up sin conscious, confessing sin, instead of freed from it, when you could have spent all that wasted time (years) instead, praising God for being delivered, and being that testimony instead of the opposite one you are sharing.

Deliverance is available, but if you prefer to sin, confess, and repeat, then you will.
You get to choose, Wrangler.

 

[Grailhunter]

Yes that helps. Legalism is like saying we have been forgiven and now have to earn our salvation by obeying the commandments and to be perfect once forgiven at baptism or being born again or however we look at it. And I just don't feel people will act perfectly in the will of the Father. So it's unrealistic to tell people they will be saved if they obey the lesser 10 commandments of the law.

I feel like I have grown in Christ and am starting to now understand the love God and neighbor part. So I understand that or am starting to.

Agreed.
Here is a bit of information for you. Most Christians misunderstand what the Ten Commandments are and most really do not understand the 613 Mosaic Laws. The ten laws in chapter 20 of Exodus are a summary and introduction to the Mosaic Law. The actual laws that Yahweh called the Ten Commandments and were written by Moses on the Tablets of the Testimony are in Exodus chapter 34:10-28

But Christians are not part of the Old Covenant and are not under the Law. Observance of the Jewish Law will not lead to salvation or Heaven. The Mosaic Law regulated polygamous relationships and fathers selling their daughters into concubinage....we don't do that. Of the ten summary of Laws in chapter 20, the Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday we do not observe the Hebrew/Israelite/Jewish Sabbath. We do not have a prohibition on engraved images. And our wives are not listed in our belongings.

Our moral code is defined in the New Testament.

 

[dev553344]

God's love decided that we are worthy to be saved.
Nothing else.

Also, Christianity is not a religion.
RELIGION is man made.
CHRISTianity, is God given.

1.) Religion tries to offer a false "way" to reach God or become like God, based on Man's self effort.
2.) Christianity, is God coming to this world, as Christ the God Man, to give you the Gift of Salvation that is Jesus on the Cross who is "THE Way"..
John 14:6
Are these 2 the same?
They are not, at all.

Also, LEGALISM, is a contradiction, and an insult to the Cross of Christ.
Legalism, is you on the Cross trying to be good enough to earn heaven.
Christianity is Christ on the Cross dying for your sins, and by doing this for you, as God's GIFT of LOVE TO YOU, God is then able to accept you and keep you based only on The Cross of Christ. = SALVATION.

Let's face it the bible spells out religion and prescribes the worthiness of Bishops and Deacons. It's not man made. 1 Timothy 3:2-13

And yes I know that Jesus saves us. But we are commanded to be perfect as God is perfect and to obey the commandments. The focus of this thread is on how much is legalism and how much is not legalism.

 

[Behold]

Let's face it the bible spells out religion and prescribes the worthiness of Bishops and Deacons. It's not man made. 1 Timothy 3:2-13

That is Paul's Church Doctrine, and he received that spiritual understanding, he didn't make it up.

Also,
The Buddha, Confucius, L. Ron Hubbard, Mohammed, ....... the Greek and French Philosophers, ..... all of this is man's idea of reaching or becoming the "divine". or the "enlightened".
So, all that is Religion.

Christianity, is God coming to forgive and then live in a human being, in Spiritual Union.

Do you see the difference?
Can you?, as its pretty clear, devin553344.

 

[dev553344]

That is Paul's Church Doctrine, and he received that spiritual understanding, he didn't make it up.

Also,
The Buddha, Confucius, L. Ron Hubbard, Mohammed, ....... the Greek and French Philosophers, ..... all of this is man's idea of reaching or becoming the "divine". or the "enlightened".
So, all that is Religion.

Christianity, is God coming to forgive and then live in a human being, in Spiritual Union.

Do you see the difference?
Can you?, as its pretty clear, devin553344.

Come on Behold, you know I was refering to Christian religion, not Buddhist or anything else. Why are you even asking me that question. It's absurd.

 

[Helen]

I've been watching some religious talks from different churches as I still haven't decided which church to join and in one I'm noticing legalism. And it's not such a bad thing as they stress obeying the commandments. But as I watch and listen to the talks I'm hearing a couple things that throw me off, and they appear to be centered around legalism.

1. That we need to prove to God that we are worthy be saved.

2. That we will go to the after life area that we know we belong and know we are worthy of.

As far as number 1. I think we need to provide works meet for repentance. But I know I can't do anything that will save myself.

And number 2 just sounds all wrong to me. As people can be shamed into guilt by secular people just the same as religious people.

Does anybody else encounter these things in their religion or similar ideas brought on by legalism.

I just want to discuss these legalism brought on ideas so I can get a better understanding of what I believe and don't believe.

For what it’s worth …Any church that teaches that the commandments must be obeyed, has missed the mark and totally set aside the sacrifice of Jesus Christ .
The word says “What the law could not do because of the weakness of the flesh , God did by sending His Son..”

God shows us through all the years of the OT , that man could NOT keep the commandments ….if man could , Jesus would not have had to DIE!
To teach that man must keep the commandment just shows how arrogant and vain man is . Thinking he can do, what God has shown at great pains …that he can’t!

I’d run a mile!

just my two cents…

 

[Brakelite]

In the sermon on the mount Christ exhorts His listeners to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So what is the righteousness of God, and why is it so important that we are to seek it on an equal level of priority as His kingdom?

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Romans 7:7 ¶ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Righteousness is holiness; likeness to God, and God is love. (1 John 4:16) It is conformity to the law of God, for “all Thy commandments are righteousness” Psalm 119:72, and “love is the fulfilling of the law”. Rom 13:10
Righteousness is love, and love is the true light and life of God. The righteousness of God is embodied in Christ, and we receive righteousness by receiving Him.

Jesus speaking….“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.…(Matt 6:33)

Yes, it is only faith, but to what purpose? Just so we can get to heaven and that’s it? We have this wonderful gift of faith and exercise it for just our benefit, for our own selfish eternal ends? Jesus said we must seek the kingdom of God yes, and we ought always be grateful for the salvation/redemption through the shed blood that makes that possible, but Jesus said that we , in equal importance to the kingdom, seek also God’s righteousness.
I think we ought to know what precisely God’s righteousness is.

1 Cor 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Rom.5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

It is evident that the righteousness which comes to us as a free gift by faith is the righteousness of God….so again, what is the righteousness of God?

Psalm 119:172 ¶ My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

The commandments of God are righteousness…not just in the abstract, but they are the righteousness of God.

Isa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their reviling.

They who know righteousness are those in whose heart is God’s law, thus the law of God is the righteousness of God. We can prove this another way….

All unrighteousness is sin….1 John 5:17 and whosoever commits sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law 1 John 3:4

Sin is the transgression of the law, and it is also unrighteousness, therefore sin and unrighteousness are the same. So if unrighteousness is transgression against the law, surely righteousness must be obedience to the law. Now we need to know “what law”?

It is the law which says “thou shalt not covet”. because Paul tells us that is was that law which convinced him of sin. (Romans 7:7.) The law of ten commandments then, is the measure of the righteousness of God. Since it is the law of God, and is righteousness, it must be the righteousness of God. In fact, there really is no other righteousness. It is a written manifestation of the character and nature of God. God is also love, and Paul tells us that love is the fulfilling of the law. Thus if we are to seek God’s righteousness, then we are to seek obedience, through faith, to God’s law, by love. Thus rather than doing away with the law, (how can it be possible to do away with God’s righteousness?) through love we establish the law. All by faith. Not our righteousness, but God’s.

So Solomon was perfectly correct and agreed with the text of Matt 6:33 when he said:

“Let us hear the conclusion to the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether they be good, or whether they be evil.” Eccl 12:13, 14.

 

[Desire Of All Nations]

Yes, good points. Having experienced a 10 commandments church in my own past, I'm well aware that most people tend to become self righteous. Like they did something to save themselves. And judgmental of others. And perhaps that's just part of human nature when believing like that. The bible does tell us not to have company with sinners. So there is some biblical support for things like that. But Jesus took company with sinners. So there is also the other side of that which seems more righteous.

But that's part of the problem I have with the ten commandment churches. I've studied the vast commandments of Christ in the bible and they go well beyond ten commandments in love God and neighbor. I know that I'm not perfect and am a sinner and in need of mercy. And perhaps that attitude is childlike. And maybe that's how God intends us to be, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).

I don't know about the C.S. Lewis quote as I personally believe we will stand before God in the judgment and our lives will be presented and judged according to our works. And the forgiven parts left out. That we can be thankful that God had mercy on us for he is kind and loving.

Today's adherents of "Christianity" love to weaponize the word "judgemental" to support them in their rebellion against God's commandments, especially when they attempt to gaslight someone who refuses to compromise with those commandments into submission.

The fake brands of Christianity love to swing to the other extreme and place more emphasis on God's mercy and love to the point where they completely ignore the facts that God is a Judge who enforces laws, that there are penalties that comes with violating those laws, and that biblical love is defined as living by God's commandments(1 Jhn 5:3). God is not the "cool dad" that so many fake Christians in this world love to talk about and envision Him as(and when i say "cool dad", i speak of those dads that never establish any boundaries with their children and let the kids run around doing whatever they want and talking to them any way they want).

God's mercy and love is not a license to live in opposition to His commandments as Paul teaches in Rom. 7, but counterfeit Christianity treat those aspects of God's nature as if they are qualities to be abused and taken advantage of. And more often times than not, this rather foolish and unbiblical view of God is usually based on the false premise that God didn't show any mercy or love by revealing His laws to OT Israel, even though Deuteronomy specifically states that God revealing these laws to the nation was a supreme act of love in itself.

Contrary to what is universally believed by adherents of fake Christianity, God's laws are not devoid of His love or His grace. God loves us by establishing moral boundaries for our own good so we won't destroy ourselves, hurt other people, and cling to false ideas of God. People invite judgement on themselves by ignoring those boundaries and taking divine prerogatives upon themselves to decide what is good and evil. In the 2nd Commandment, God explicitly stated that His mercy is shown to those who love His commandments.

Yes, Jesus often sat with sinners, but did He do that to validate their sins? No. Jesus' ministry was one of correcting people so they would stop violating God's commandments and strive towards moral perfection. Instead of lowering the standard of expectations as "Christianity" teaches, Jesus actually raised it. That's why He clearly stated in Matt. 5 that His followers were expected to do a better job at living by the Law than the Orthodox Jewish leaders did.

 

[Brakelite]

One very important thing to be aware of... We will be judged by our works. While our works do not save us, it is our works which will reveal in the judgement whether we are saved. The Judge looks at the evidence. Our works are evidence as to whether the works are of Christ and His righteousness, or our own filthy rags. Never think obedience is superfluous to requirements.

 

[Nancy]

Okay. A couple of points:

First, anybody who takes the Bible seriously is going to get anxious about, "Are my works good enough?" Then emphasis changes from trust in Christ to your own works. And then we become neurotic and self-focused. Or at least, I did.

Second, as I pointed out earlier, the definition of "good works" seems to have morphed to "not sinning". And the you have the people who have besetting sins that they CAN'T fix and they know it. The only thing they have to hang onto is to trust God's mercy. I've known some like this, and one of the characteristics I find admirable is they are less judgmental of others, more forgiving, and more focused on the "Love thy neighbor" commandments because they KNOW they need Jesus.

Which brings up the heart-attitude question. I've seen people claim they are without sin, while not giving a damn about their neighbors and being completely blind to their own pride and self-righteousness. And in writing this about others, I just committed the exact same sins of pride and self-righteousness. See how insidious this is? Why are we to avoid sin? Why are we to demonstrate love to our neighbors? To save ourselves?

I found C.S. Lewis's dictum to be helpful. When standing before God, don't think of your sin, or your own good works. It's best not to think of yourself at all.

"First, anybody who takes the Bible seriously is going to get anxious about, "Are my works good enough?" Then emphasis changes from trust in Christ to your own works. And then we become neurotic and self-focused. Or at least, I did."

Oh Satan is a wily one for sure! I cannot imagine a Christian that does not go through this phase of wondering if our works are good enough, only to keep coming back around to NO, they are NOT good enough, ever! Filthy rags! This can become a roller coaster of does He love me, does He not. Once we realize it is Him IN us doing works we become humbled..."Lord, never let me seek a crown" Keith Green

Oh gosh I just love C.S.

 

[DJT_47]

Don't confuse legalism with strict adherence to the word of God. If you're looking for the church, see the below and follow the link.

100% scriptural based non-denominational.

https://www.church-of-christ.org/directories/churches.html

 

[dev553344]

Don't confuse legalism with strict adherence to the word of God. If you're looking for the church, see the below and follow the link.

100% scriptural based non-denominational.

https://www.church-of-christ.org/directories/churches.html

What do they preach as far as commandments and such?

I checked out one of the sermons and it didn't appear spiritual enough for my walk of faith. More of an intellectual sermon.