Posted on 04/17/2020 3:57:21 PM PDT by metmom
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).
Legalism can’t produce a pure heart.
By the time Jesus arrived, Israel was in a desperate condition spiritually. The Jewish people were in bondage to the oppressive legalism of the Pharisees, who had developed a system of laws that were impossible to keep. Consequently, the people lacked security and were longing for a savior to free them from guilt and frustration. They knew God had promised a redeemer who would forgive their sins and cleanse their hearts (Ezek. 36:25-27), but they weren't sure when He was coming or how to identify Him when He arrived.
The enormous response to John the Baptist's ministry illustrates the level of expectancy among the people. Matthew 3:5-6 says, "Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins." The uppermost question in everyone's mind seemed to be, "How can I enter the kingdom of heaven?"
Jesus Himself was asked that question by many people in different ways. In Luke 10:25 a lawyer asks, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" In Luke 18:18 a rich young ruler asks exactly the same thing. In John 6:28 a multitude asks, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus at night with the same question, but before he could ask it, Jesus read his thoughts and said, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
As devoutly religious as those people might have been, they would remain spiritually lost unless they placed their faith in Christ. That's the only way to enter the kingdom.
Still today many people look for relief from sin and guilt. God can use you to share Christ with some of them. Ask Him for that privilege and be prepared when it comes.
Suggestions for Prayer
Pray for those enslaved to legalistic religious systems. Be sure there is no sin in your life to hinder God's work through you. For Further Study
Read Galatians 3.
Why did Paul rebuke the Galatians? What was the purpose of the Old Testament law?
Studying God’s Word ping
I was in bondage to a ultra-legalistic system for 17 years. It was a Grace Believer who broke those bonds and freed me 48 years ago. I have never regretted being freed. I often look back and shudder at what I was bound in.
The term legalism is not found in the Bible and people generally make the term mean whatever they want it to mean.
Sigh.
That is the weakest argument against something going.
And I don’t see a lot of variation in what people think it means.
Which OT law are you referring to?
What do you mean?
*I* am not referring to anything. I just posted the article as part of a daily devotional that I’ve been doing for some years now.
I didn’t write the material.
It was a huge issue in the new testament and it is today as well. So, are you talking about the ceremonial law (which was nailed to the cross and no longer applies to Christians or are you talking about the everlasting 10 commandment law, which does apply to Christians today? Then comes the main focus of legalism, people who keep the commandments IN ORDER TO GAIN SALVATION, vs those of us who keep the commandments BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED. The bible is clear that because we are saved we are under an even higher obligation to keep His commandments, and I do mean the same ones exactly as written by the finger of God.
I just find it interesting that you would post this as a devotional and you have no idea what it means. Salvation is the most serious business. I would ask you what you think obedience to God means? Over and over again God tell us that to love Him is to keep his commandments (law), 10 commandments, precepts, etc.... Those who will enter heaven will have kept the law of God and have the faith of Jesus (Rev 14:12). Pretty important to know about the “law” and what’s important to God. And, I honestly mean no disrespect to you in any way. I’m just saying that the term “legalism” means one thing to someone that only has a cursory understanding of the bible, when in fact it is critical to a person’s salvation. You accept Christ as your savior and from that day on you are expected to live a Christian life in obedience (love for God and love for your fellow man). I dare to even mention the keeping of the 7th day Sabbath. Is that legalism? Or is it legalism to place hundreds of burdensome rules about how to keep it, like the Jews did, then claim holier than and better than thou status in keeping them? Yeah, the second part is legalism. They perverted the pure law of God. I’ll stop here before I get into more trouble.
I. DID. NOT. WRITE. IT.
Don’t ask me to be a mind reader or hold me accountable for what the author wrote.
Email GTY and take it up with them if you have a problem with what is written.
Again, people do make the term mean what that want it to mean. The term ‘legalism’ was coined around the time of Luther to hurl at those that would not go along with his false idea of “faith only”.
“One modern scholar has put it this way: “…the term (legalism) only has meaning within the context of a prior decision as to the relationship between faith and human response. … In Christian theology, the meaning of legalism varies with the soteriology of the individual user and his or her tradition” (K. Yinger, “Defining Legalism” Andrews University Seminary Studies 46 (2008) 91-108; at 96-97). Let’s put that into common English: the term “legalism” is so imprecise that it means nothing. It means whatever the person who is using the term thinks it means, or wants it to mean. But that’s not how communication is accomplished. We communicate when we both use words that we understand in the same way. When someone uses a word (like “legalism”) in a way that they alone define, then they are not actually communicating anything.”
“To put it plainly, when someone says “you’re a legalist,” all it really means is “you do not conform to my idea of how Christianity saves us.”
https://focusmagazine.org/defining-legalism.php
I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.
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