“You…you… LEGALIST!!”

“You…you… LEGALIST!!”

I remember the first time I was called a legalist. It was not a compliment. In fact, it was the response given after I had shown what the Bible commands on a particular subject. The exact words were, “I think it’s sad that you’re such a legalist.” Since then, there have been many times the term “legalist” has been thrown my way, usually in discussions on topics such as social drinking (Prov. 23:29-35; 1 Thess. 5:6-8), baptism being necessary for salvation (Mark 16:15-16), instrumental music in New Testament worship (Eph. 5:19; Prov. 30:6), divorce (Matt. 19:9), withdrawing of fellowship (1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3:14-15), and denominationalism (1 Cor. 1:10-13; John 17:20-23; Phil. 2:1-2). Perhaps you know what I’m talking about, because the same has happened to you. Is this something that we should be concerned about? Is being known as a “legalist” something to be avoided, or is it something to strive for?

Interestingly, one of the dictionary’s definitions of “legalism” is “strict adherance to the law.” Strict adherance to the law.  In other words, obeying the law.  Guess we now know legalism gets its legal root word from, don’t we?

Obeying the law.  Strict adherance to the law.  Is that a terrible thing?  In religious circles, it seems to be…but is it really?  Let’s think about this concept outside of religion for a second.

Do you make a point to stop your car at every red light?  You do?  Why?  “Because the law says so,” you say.

Guess what?  You’re a legalist.

Do you make it a point every April to pay your taxes?  You do?  Why?  “Because if I don’t I’m breaking the law.”

I hate to break this to you, but you’re a legalist.

When you’re at work, do you strive to do your job?  Let me clarify.  When you’re on the clock, do you do your best to do what your employer tells you to do?  You do?

Hmph.  You legalist.

Teachers, you assign your students papers to write in class, right?  Do you share with them the writing guidelines you expect them to adhere to while writing that paper in the syllabus?  Sure you do.  If they decide to turn in a five-page paper that has two-inch margins instead of the twelve-page paper with one-inch margins that you asked for, do you dock them points?  You do?

Why are you being so legalistic?

Here’s the thing.  Outside of religion, I have never in my life heard or seen anyone have a problem with being a legalist when it comes to the law of the land…

…Scratch that.  Yes I have.  In fact, I see them on the news every night.  They’re called criminals.

Plus, now that I think about it, I guess I could add people who are continually being fired from their jobs because they don’t want to do what their boss tells them to that list.

Let’s add the students who are flunking out of school because they want to do their own thing instead of doing what their instructors tell them to do in their classes.

Do you get the point?  In the secular world, legalism is a good thing.  Legalism is what keeps us free men, as a matter of fact.  Legalism keeps us out of jail.  Legalism keeps our records clean.  Legalism plays a big role in keeping us employed with food on our tables.  Without a legalistic mindset, that goal of wanting to strictly follow the rules, none of us would have ever received an A in our lives at school.

So why is legalism such a dirty word in religious circles?  Should not strict adherence to God’s laws be a noble goal for every Christian?

Ask any professed Christian if they want to follow God, and they’ll say, “Sure!”  Ask them if they want to obey God, and they’ll reply, “You bet!” without hesitation.

Now, ask them if they think they’re legalists.  Most if not all will recoil in disgust.  Why?

Perhaps harkening back to the great insight and wisdom of Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride gives us the answer…

Legalism?  Legalist?

Legalism? Legalist?

We’ve allowed the religious culture of our day to take a term which literally means obedience and turn it into a dirty word that we practically consider an insult right up there with any vulgarity that is thrown at us.  Why?

Is it because we don’t have the right idea about the role of obedience in the plan of salvation?  Yes, we’re saved by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8a)…but did you know that God’s grace “instructs” us to do certain things (Tit. 2:11-12)?

What happens if we purposefully disobey what God’s grace instructs us to do?  The Bible says we “insult the spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:26-31).

No wonder Paul rhetorically asked, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!” (Rom. 6:1-2)

Yes, we’re saved through faith as well, and Paul did clarify by adding, “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8b-9).  Jesus did say, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10…but the Bible also says that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-26).  In other words, true faith is OBEDIENT trust and loyal compliance with the requirements of God’s will.

In other words, living faithfully requires one to be a legalist when it comes to God’s Word.

If one defines “religious legalism” the same way one defines “secular legalism,” then religious legalism simply means “strict adherence to God’s law.”  Now, read your Bible with that in mind and you’ll be amazed at how many legalists you find within its pages.  Here are a few examples…

God told Isaac that he would bless him by keeping his promise to Abraham “because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen. 26:5).

Sounds like Abraham was a legalist.

One of the last things Moses said to Israel was, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you…So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left…Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it” (Deut. 4:2; 5:32; 12:32).

Sounds like Moses was a legalist.

The apostle Paul asked, “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16) He also told the Corinthians to “learn not to exceed what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6).

Sounds like Paul was a legalist.

Were they wrong?  Can any professed Christian honestly say they were?

I doubt that any of us can honestly commend disobedience to God’s commandments. After all, the apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Wow, it sounds like even John was a legalist.

Christian, do you love God?  Of course you’re going to say you do…but does God think you do?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments…”

What about what came out of the mouth of Christ directly?  Consider the following statements Jesus himself made…

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  (John 14:15)

“”Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me…” (John 14:21)

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:10)

Wow, looks like even Jesus was a legalist…

Let’s raise the stakes a bit.  Christian, is Jesus your Lord and Master?  Of course!

With that in mind, let him ask of you this question…

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”  (Luke 6:46)

Obviously, God wants us to obey His commands. We should strive to do so to the absolute best of our ability in order to avoid the eternal punishment which awaits those who do not obey him (2 Thess. 1:7-9).  When we do that, we are saved…and it’s not because of what we did (Eph. 2:9).  That’s one way religious legalism is defined, you know.  Salvation by meritorious works.  There are two problems with that.

First, no matter how much we obey God we could never “earn” salvation through obedience because we’ve all still sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).  That’s why we need God’s grace (which, incidentally, requires obedience, as seen above.)

Second, again, the word legalism by itself simply means “strict adherence to the law.”  Thus, Christian legalism is “strict aderence to GOD’S law.”  When you look at it that way, then anyone who lovingly uses the word of God to help us obey his commandments is blessing us with one of the greatest acts of love and friendship that any human being could bestow upon another.

And yet, why do some in the church ridicule the one who speaks the truth in love in order to help others grow closer to Christ in all aspects (Eph. 4:15) as being a shallow thinker, narrow-minded, and a legalist?  Why is legalism associated with the Pharisees?  That last one is really puzzling to me, considering that Christ never actually condemned the Pharisees for keeping the laws of God in the Old Testament.  In fact, he recommended to his Jewish listeners that they do what the Pharisees tell them to do since they “sit in Moses’ seat” (Matt. 23:2-3a), i.e., teach the commandments found in the Old Testament.  Rather, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for hypocrisy (“For they preach, but do not practice” – Matt. 23:3b) and ADDING to God’s Word (Matt. 15:1-9), something which the Old Testament specifically forbade (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6).  In other words, he commended them for TEACHING legalism (“strict adherence to God’s laws”) while condemning them for not actually being legalistic (“strictly adhering to God’s laws”) themselves.  So the people who call you “a legalistic Pharisee” for simply promoting doing waht the Bible says to do have it all backwards, don’t they?

In truth, this kind of name-calling more often than not serves as an attempt to justify departures from sound doctrine and recent introductions into the church which have no scriptural authority. Men and women who stand up for what God’s word says have always been persecuted in various ways, and unkind and unwarranted accusations such as legalist are just a few of Satan’s many arrows that he throws in attempts to wound and bring down God’s faithful.

My friends, God does not want us to be lukewarm in our service to him (Rev. 3:15-16). He wants our obedience to ALL of his commands. The church today is in great need of more legalists like Abraham, Moses, John, Paul, and Jesus. We need more people who will strive to strictly adhere to ALL of his commands, and not just some of them.  We especially need men and women who are “obedient from the heart” (Rom. 6:17).

That last one is most important.  Jesus condemned a Pharisee who, while being a proper legalist in the sense that he kept all of God’s commands, lacked a heart of humble, penitent sorrow (Luke 18:9-14).  None of us have nor ever will attain perfection (1 John 1:8).  There will always be a need for us to plea for the mercy of God, no matter how strictly we strive to obey him…because in some ways we will always need to improve.  What will help us to always improve, and thus continue to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9), is a strong desire from our heart to obey him.

Jesus said to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:37), and defined that love as obedience (John 14:15).  When we obey from the heart, we will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Our Place in the Family of God

Our Place and Service in the Family of God

“God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). God is a God of order. His children all have a job to do and a place to keep. And when sin defiles the family it must be dealt with in order for continued harmony and productivity. We need to first evaluate the condition of our relationship with God, cleanse ourselves, find our place, and be faithful in carrying out our work for the Lord.

Your place in the family of God is an important one.

Your place in the family of God is an important one.

How blessed the Christian is today to be living  under a better covenant with a superior sacrifice. Too often we take this for granted and even though God does not require the same outward cleansing or offerings of sacrifice today that He did under the Mosaic Law, He still does require an inward cleansing and a circumcision of the heart. He requires a living sacrifice and demands our best for His glory and honor. We should each evaluate our lives and do what needs to be done to be conformed to the image of His dear Son.

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Temptation of Taking Credit for God’s Gifts

Don’t Take Credit for God’s Gifts

In Deuteronomy 8:17, we read, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’” Moses was speaking to the children of Israel about what would happen after they entered the land of Canaan and began to experience all the wonderful blessings that waited for them there. The temptation would be that they would begin to think that they earned these blessings because of their own righteousness. The next verse (18) says, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Do we face the same temptation today?

Any power or blessings you have do not come from you.

Any power or blessings you have do not come from you.

Like the Israelites, we can sometimes forget that God is the One from whom all blessings flow, and we can begin to think that we have earned these blessings through our own righteousness.  We should never forget Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Remember what Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10). I am so thankful that Jesus always got it right, and that through Him I have my salvation. Now, I can put my faith and trust in Christ to save instead of my own ability. Doing this means that I will obey Jesus, and that His grace will cleanse me of my sin (1 John 1:7). Let’s remember the warning Moses gave the Israelites and never think to take credit for God’s gifts.

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Making a Bad Choice

Making a Bad Choice

Let’s take a moment to imagine a game show in which the contestants are given really easy choices to make. Really, really easy choices. Choices which should be so blindingly obvious that only an idiot would choose poorly.

Consider how you choose...

Consider how you choose…

This week, for instance, the lead contestant’s choice is between having a million dollars paid into his bank account each year, every year, beginning in a year, or eating a slice of apple pie right then. And just to make the choice more interesting, the pie is poisoned and sure to bring a slow, painful death over the course of the next few days.

Now let’s take a moment to imagine the contestant choosing the pie. We would all, of course, think him a great fool, but that is what he is going to choose. He is going to forego a lifetime of wealth and eat a pie guaranteed to painfully kill him.

His rationale is that he really, really likes pie; it’s a very good-looking pie; and he’s not sure he’ll be alive in a year anyway.

Most people would think the contestant to be crazy.

And yet, if we were making a spiritual comparison to ourselves, and the choices God gives us, most of us choose to eat the poisoned pie. Moreover, most people look askance at the ones who decide to go for the long-term prize.

For instance, the Bible tells us of a certain man who was given a choice. He could enjoy the luxuries of life immediately. He could be one of the most powerful men of one of the most powerful nations in the world. Or he could give that all up, and choose to leave his position of power, become a wanted fugitive, and be counted amongst a group of people who would be poor in this world, but yet have great spiritual promises for an age yet to come.

Quite a few people would think that choosing the wealth, power and privilege to be the right gamble.

Moses disagreed and chose the other.

We read in the Bible, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26; NKJV)

Moses understood the real choice he was being given: momentary pleasure which would end badly, or an everlasting heritage.

The pleasures of sin are indeed a poisoned pleasure, for the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, and misery is in its path. (cf. Romans 3:16, 6:23) It looks very tempting in the moment of decision, and it seems, to many, to be the smart choice, but the wise man knows that it’s a lie. Sin is always a bad choice.

God cautions us in His word, “the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17; NKJV)

The reward that God offers may often be in the future, but it is also guaranteed by the word of God, and God cannot lie. Thus, the apostle Paul reminded Titus that the faith of which he was an apostle, the same faith shared by all of God’s people, was, “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” (Titus 1:2; NKJV)

We don’t have to worry that we won’t be around to get the prize, and thus reason that we might as well eat the pie while we have the chance. God cannot lie, and God says that those who are faithful to Him will be rewarded with eternal riches and everlasting life.

It should not be, when we boil it down to its basics, a hard choice.

So why do most of us tend to make the wrong choice, choosing instant gratification, no matter the consequence, and eschewing the greater reward that is to come? Instead of making the choice that Moses made, forsaking the passing pleasures of sin, we instead follow in the footsteps of Demas, whom Paul lamented “loved this present world,” and thus departed from his place in the faith. (cf. 2 Timothy 4:10)

Whatever the reason, lack of faith, lack of self-control, lack of wisdom… we should recognize that whenever we choose sin over God, we are making a bad choice. A very bad choice.

Let’s be smarter than that and make the choice that Moses made.

 

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Time and Our Eternal Destiny

The Best Use of Our Time

How we use those precious minutes God gives us each day can determine our eternal destiny. Even David failed to use his time wisely on at least one occasion. The Bible describes that time, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle…but David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house and from the roof he saw a woman bathing and…” (2 Sam. 11:1-2). He missed the opportunity to destroy the enemies of Israel, and this missed opportunity ruined the rest of his life.

Choose your actions carefully because you cannot turn back time.

Choose your actions carefully because you cannot turn back time.

Now think about us as we apply the words of Paul, “Redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5). Are we unconsciously missing opportunities to use our time better? Consider these suggestions.

Every day at school, work, home or in our daily walk we encounter people. Do we miss opportunities to let them know of a far better life they could have? Let me ask you, do you have any church advertising with you right now? Remember to redeem the time.

How often do we get so busy that we are blind to obvious opportunities to impact our visitors? What do you do as soon as services end? The tendency of so many is to engage those friends sitting around them in conversations and “opportunity” walks right by without any welcoming greeting. Remember to redeem the time.

Think about how little investment of time it would take to use that list of visitors sent to you each week. Think of the accumulative effect it would have if dozens of cards came to them. Remember to redeem the time.

We also can so easily miss how special it is to encourage each other in worship. Our Lord clearly states to us that each of us is to speak to all others in psalms and hymns. There is the power of united prayer together. When two or three pray together, it makes a difference. It is so uplifting to worship and visit with each other. Think of the impact if we did this more than one hour each week. Remember to redeem the time.

In the verse preceding the instruction to “redeem the time,” Paul told the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly.” That is, to inspect all the things that are around us. The ESV translates, “Look carefully then how you walk, not unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time” (Eph. 5:15-16). That just about sums it up. To redeem the time is not to focus on the misuse of the past but the present. Think carefully. Is there a way to make better use of your time? Is one hour a week making the best use of the many hours He gives to us?

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