The usual way in which people use legalism, however, is different. Usually people use this word to refer to the practice of adding to Scripture and calling it law. Or making a gray issue into a black and white one.
But it can also be used the other way - to make a black and white issue a gray one.... ie, your being too "legalistic" because we are under grace now not the law & we have freedom in Christ.
The usual way in which people use legalism, however, is different. Usually people use this word to refer to the practice of adding to Scripture and calling it law. Or making a gray issue into a black and white one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew Glover
Agreed.
But it can also be used the other way - to make a black and white issue a gray one.... ie, your being too "legalistic" because we are under grace now not the law & we have freedom in Christ.
I find it interesting that those who would make "laws" concerning things indifferent, ("Don't drink, don't smoke, don't go to movies.") are also the ones who would call strict keeping of the fourth commandment a legalism.
__________________
Soli Deo Gloria
John Schultz
Member, Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Germantown, TN
"The reason why we worship God in a slight way is because we do not see God in His glory"
Jeremiah Burroughs
The usual way in which people use legalism, however, is different. Usually people use this word to refer to the practice of adding to Scripture and calling it law. Or making a gray issue into a black and white one.
This tends to be the biggest problem in Reformed circles.
I would also add, as seen on the thread regarding Isaiah 47:2-3, misusing Scripture itself to create laws where none were meant to be created. Poor proof-texting can indeed lead to this sort of legalism.
__________________
Adam J. Myer
Back to looking for a call...
Evergreen PCA
Salem, Oregon
The usual way in which people use legalism, however, is different. Usually people use this word to refer to the practice of adding to Scripture and calling it law. Or making a gray issue into a black and white one.
But to the other kind of legalism i would say that when one makes the law the end as opposed to the means of an end that is where the problem comes in. The law was not meant to be an end in itself but the means to a greater end...the glory of God, our enjoyment of Him, our benefit.
__________________
Larry Bray
Training for Elder - Reformed Presbyterian Church of Boothwyn, PCA
Boothwyn, PA - http://www.rpcb.org/
Legalism, in Christianity, is a term referring to an improper fixation on law or codes of conduct for a person to merit or obtain salvation, blessing from God, or fellowship with God, with an attendant misunderstanding of the grace of God.
Simply put, legalism is belief, stated or implied, that obedience to some law or set of rules, not faith, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption and/or favor with God. Its opposite extreme is antinomianism which claims that moral laws are not binding on Christian believers.
I just covered this on Saturday in my teaching on Romans 7. In fact, Romans 6 and 7 are good ways to help understand this idea.
Legalism is looking at the Law that says: "Do this and live" and saying to yourself: "OK, got it, 600 laws and ordinances, everything you said, we will obey."
That is, legalism is to say, in my flesh, I have it within me to do what God requires and please Him and find approval in His sight by the keeping of His commands.
In contrast, the man saved by Grace sees the Law as something that arouses sin within his heart. He begins to realize, with eyes now open to see the wickedness of his heart, how Holy the Law is and how wicked his heart is and how the Law causes him to desire the very thing that the Law condemns. The Law reveals to him the sinfulness of sin - the ugliness of it. He despairs of himself and runs to the Cross of Christ crying: "Save Me!" and embraces Christ's penalty for sin as well as His righteousness on his behalf.
Now, God has made that man alive in Christ to see that sin and part of justification and adoption is a new heart. This new heart sees and embraces the redemption that has been accomplished in his behalf. It produces praise. It marvels at grace. The new man loves the Father - loves the One who has adopted Him and asks eagerly: "What things please you?"
He then sees the Law as reflecting the Holy character of God and in it sees the Object of His love. He can now understand David's cry: Oh, how I love your Law! Why, because it reflects the character of the One he loves.
Thus, God says: this pleases me and the man desires to do it. God says: this doesn't please me and the man desires not to do it.
Scott's joke is funny but sad. It is true that, usually, if it's something we don't like, we'll call it legalism. God says to keep the Sabbath holy, for instance. You can keep the Sabbath holy as a Pharisee and still displease God because you cannot keep it the way you're commanded: perfectly. Christ kept the Sabbath thusly. BUT, for we who are redeemed, what if God's character reveals that He hates it when people don't keep His Sabbath holy? If this is the case, then it is not legalism if somebody says: God hates it when people break the Sabbath.
Now, here is the interesting wrinkle. What does it say about the man who hears about the things that please God and he says: you're a legalist! It concerns me. Why wouldn't a man that loves God love the things that God loves? A man that constantly intersects the commands of God and says: that's legalism is probably not a Christian.
Thus, when we encounter things in the Word that we don't like, we ought to pray to God: "Conform me more to your image so that I learn to hate the things you hate and love the things you love." In other words, our dislike of the things that God approves of should cause us to desire to be sanctified rather than to come up with excuses to be rebellious.
I think many Churches, unfortunately, don't express this in a way that is helpful for people to pray for the right things. They press the conformity to the Law in a way that feeds legalism instead of love for the Law by enjoining people to "try harder". It is an inwardly focused effort at that point that sees the keeping of the Law as the thing. It loses focus on the Gospel as the source of the power for that obedience and strangles out of men the delight they should have in the Law as God's children.
__________________
Rich
Okinawa, Japan
WebsiteMaven - Web Hosting Reviews, Guides, and Advice to build and promote your web site. SoliDeoGloria.com - A Community for Reformed Thought and Discussion
Linear Mode
