Many Christians get trapped in black and white thinking, either following rigid rules or embracing anything-goes spirituality. Both liberal and conservative churches can fall into this trap in different ways. Paul discovered a third way when he wrote about being crucified with Christ - dying to ego-driven faith and letting God's Spirit work within us like yeast in bread. This transformation happens through relationship with Christ, not through rule-following or rule-breaking. When we die to the need to appear righteous and open ourselves to Christ's way, real change occurs from the inside out.
