49 Religious Lies Jesus Told Me to Stop Believing - #31 Preach Biblical Law

Summary

Mark Virkler describes a shift in his preaching and spiritual practice. He says he once believed he should preach biblical laws and rules. In his experience, that approach weighed down his congregation and produced more judgment and division than faith.

Virkler presents a journaled conversation with Jesus as the source of a different emphasis: preach Christ—his power and presence in believers—rather than focusing primarily on human sin, weakness, or rules.

Main Ideas and Lessons

• Preach Christ as the fulfillment of the law. Virkler says scriptural laws find their fulfillment in Jesus. He argues that teaching should lead people to Christ and to faith, love, and a good conscience. He cites 1 Timothy 1:5, which describes the goal of instruction as love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.
• Understand life as Christ living in the believer. He emphasizes Galatians 2:20: believers have been crucified with Christ, and Christ lives in them. He contrasts focusing on personal shortcomings with understanding oneself as united with Christ and living through his power.
• Use Scripture-based images of spiritual life. Virkler recommends reflecting on New Testament images of believers’ relationship to Christ: Christ within them; believers as God’s temple or vessels filled with the Spirit; branches connected to a vine; and Christ as the head of the body. He says these images encourage dependence on Christ rather than self-reliance.
• Practice hearing God through quiet reflection and journaling. Virkler suggests this process:
  1. Quiet yourself and picture Jesus beside you, drawing on the biblical image of the Lord at your right hand.
  2. Ask Jesus for his thoughts.
  3. Attend to what Virkler calls “flowing thoughts.”
  4. Write down or speak those thoughts.
  5. Compare them with Scripture and journal about relevant passages rather than relying only on another person’s interpretation.
• Live from spiritual “flow,” not striving. Virkler says he seeks to relax, tune in to the Spirit, and ask Christ to provide strength, wisdom, love, or healing instead of simply telling himself to try harder. He associates resting and smiling with allowing that flow.
• Align belief, speech, imagination, and emotion. He teaches that what a person says should match what they believe, picture, and feel. In his view, picturing oneself as defeated while speaking words of faith creates inner conflict; aligning these elements allows the believer to release God’s power.
• Apply faith to public life. Virkler says Christians should see themselves as seated with Christ and authorized to speak against wickedness and for righteous leadership, rather than feeling powerless before government.
• Closing exercise. Virkler invites viewers to reject the belief that they must preach biblical law, affirm that Christ is their freedom and life, and seek their own relationship with Jesus through Scripture and journaling.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Mark Virkler — the speaker, sharing his experiences and teachings.
• Jesus — represented in Virkler’s account through a journaled, imagined dialogue; no separate voice is featured.
• Biblical texts — including 1 Timothy 1:5, Galatians 2:20, and a passage about setting the Lord at one’s right hand.