Tripping Over Legalities

Observe all our rules, please!

Growing up in church, I heard people say, jokingly, “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t cuss, and I don’t hang out with people who do.” And perhaps a spiritual answer to that might be, “That’s true also of a fencepost. What do you do?”

According to some, a professing Christian submits to baptism, joins a church, and doesn’t do bad things.

Legalism starts with the law, not the gospel. It means you do something to get or stay saved. The gospel of grace proclaims that you are unable to merit salvation. Christ did it all for us.

In the First Century Israel, Jesus often locked horns with the leading proponents of the law, the Pharisees. With their superior spirituality (??) and supposed intelligence, they added their rules to the Old Testament laws. They had devised 365 negative laws and 248 positive laws. Most people today seldom remember the Ten Commandments. First-century Jews had difficulty staying on the good side of these 613 laws.

The Pharisees were so intent on looking pious and looking down their noses at the other Jews that they tripped over their legalities. They observed laws but ignored love and common sense,

The religious crowd watched Jesus like a hawk to see if he broke the laws by healing someone on the Sabbath. Jesus healed a woman who, for eighteen years, had been crippled and bent over. The ruler of the synagogue was indignant. There are six days that men can work. She should be healed on a week day, not the Sabbath. Jesus exposed and shamed this man and his allies by saying, “Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” (Luke 13:15-17).

In Matthew 15, the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus and his disciples because they did not practice ceremonial hand washing before eating. Jesus fired back with a criticism of them. Why do you transgress God’s commandment by your tradition? The law commanded them to honor their father and mother, including meeting their needs when they could not care for themselves. Pharisees taught that the money intended to help their parents was a gift to the Lord, so they didn’t have to aid their father and mother. Then Jesus hammered them. “Ye hypocrites.” You draw nigh with your mouth and honor me with your lips, but your heart is far from me. You worship me in vain by teaching men’s doctrines instead of God’s commandments. (Matthew 15:1-11).

The Pharisees passed judgment on Jesus for caring for and accepting a woman who was a sinner (in context, probably a prostitute). (Luke 7:36-50). He called a despised tax collector, Matthew, to follow him and went to his home for a feast. They questioned him about it, and Jesus replied, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32). In Nazareth, Jesus reminded the people that there were many widows in Israel. But God sent Elijah to a widow in Sarepta. There were many lepers in Israel, but Elisha cleansed Naaman from Syria. Because of the Jews’ hatred for non-Jews, they wanted to kill Jesus. (Luke 4:22-30)

Jesus warned the Pharisees. “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Luke 11:42). They kept the law regarding the tithe, and they should have, but they passed over the judgment and the love of God. It is possible to be so disciplined in keeping the rules that you forget God is the judge and He is also the God of love.

Legalism starts with the law, not the gospel.

Today, modern Christianity seems to say, keep the rules, and you will be saved. Be baptized, join the church, do good, and you will be ok. Those who promote salvation by works might want to consult Galatians 3:10. “Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Also, James 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Salvation by works demands perfection. Jesus was the only one who met that standard.

For salvation, legalism starts with the law, not the gospel. But they forget Jesus’ words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). He also wrote, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” (Titus 3:5).

After salvation, we don’t work to be saved or to remain saved. We serve the Lord because we know we are saved. Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” When Christ comes into our life, our desires change. He has performed a supernatural miracle in our lives. We want to live a different life, and we want to serve Him because we are thankful. God has changed us from the inside out.

At this point, some new Christians get sidetracked by legalism in the church. Teachers mislead them to believe that the Christian walk is just following a list of rules: Read your Bible and pray daily; Attend church every Sunday and Wednesday; Tithe, Visit and witness, and observe a list of “don’ts.” These might all be important to observe. But following Jesus is a relationship and a matter of the heart. Don’t just go through the motions. Read and study the Bible. What does the Scripture mean? Ask yourself how a particular Scripture should change your life. Don’t be guided by other Christian’s opinions and preferences. Follow the Word of God.  As we grow in the Lord, He gradually transforms us into the image of Christ’s likeness. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18).

Listen to the preacher. God gives a pastor to teach and train you to do the work of the ministry.   The Bible does condemn specific sins. Among them are idolatry, taking the name of the Lord in vain, dishonoring parents, murder, adultery, theft, lying, coveting, homosexualism, fornication, witchcraft, hatred, wrath, envy, drunkenness, and others. There are also positive commands that, if undone, become sins and are exposed by the Word of God. Love God, love your neighbor, attend church regularly, tithe, study the Bible, submit to authority, witness, help those in need, and many other commands. It is not legalism for a preacher to preach against these sins. God commands him to do that. But he must be careful not to preach his preferences, likes, and dislikes. He must have the authority of the Word of God behind his preaching.

There is one command that should be at the top of our priorities. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach (Greek: Mathateusate – make disciples) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching (Greek: Didaskantes – teaching) them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” All Christians and churches should focus on making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe Jesus’ commandments.

We worship and serve the Lord not by legalism but by grace and love.