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Christinyou
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Joined: 2005/11/2
Posts: 3710
Ca.

 Re:

WoW

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;


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Phillip

 2011/2/2 21:16Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

Quote:
Legalism is infringing what God has shown you upon others.


This is a pretty good description of what legalism is. It is worth remembering that the word "legalism" is predicated upon "law", and when a law is violated, a crime is committed. If I find myself imposing spiritual "laws" unto others, and through these laws introducing the aspect of "criminal activity", I have now made myself an accuser of the brethren. A condemner, a judge. Precisely the same treatment the Pharisees lavished upon Jesus through outward observation. They saw Him eat, drink, touch lepers, forgive harlots, break the sabbath in letter, et cetera. Criminal activity! Multitudes of people do this today, in the secret parts of their heart, toward other believers. They legislate laws upon a Christian man's hair length, for example - or if a woman wears jewelry or pants, or if a Christian couple observes certain holidays like Christmas or Easter. They put laws upon music, eating, drinking, and then try to afix God's stamp on it all. These actions have already been legislated in their hearts as legal or illegal; judgment is passed immediately upon observation.

All this is the result of an immature comprehension regarding the allowance of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual believer. Many believers, through the influence of denominationalism and/or personal mentors, mistakenly bring the Kingdom of God down to the level of constitutional human government and the Holy Spirit is relegated to the level of a civil magistrate: Curfews suddenly go into effect, rations imposed, ordinances dictating one's private life are established, and the "law of the land" just gets stricter and stricter as the criminal penalties increase.

But what many do not understand is that we are judged according to light given, and not by a one-size-fits-all law. The latter is Old Testament legislation. Imagine the light Jesus had! And yet Old Testament scholars and Rabbis condemned Him as Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Ironically, the one law that we DO have from God in the New Covenant which is one-size-fits-all (and which the legislaters always fail to mention) is that man will be judged by the same measure of judgment he imposes upon others.


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Paul Frederick West

 2011/2/3 0:50Profile
twayneb
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Joined: 2009/4/5
Posts: 2256
Joplin, Missouri

 Re:

There are many false religions that attempt to base one's righteousness or "salvation" on man's works. Hinduism for example is man's attempt to be right with what they perceive as God by self effort in keeping the laws of the Hindu religion. Substitute Shinto or any other world religion (ism) into that sentence and the result is always the same. Man's attempt at righteousness through his own efforts. The same can be said of legalism. It is man's attempt at righteousness by self-effort in keeping the laws of God.

Paul is right. The fallout of these efforts is often a self-righteous and condemning spirit toward others. They unwittingly seek to place their own chains of bondage on others. But it is the end result in the life of the legalist that is often most damaging. Their lives are often fraught with self-doubt, self-condemnation (actually this is often really the condemnation that the law brings) and a total lack of faith. The question, "Have I done enough now to earn..." is constantly in the minds of those who are legalistic. Legalism is that wretchedness that Paul spoke of in Romans 7.

Legalism is a tempting thing. For some reason it seems many of us who have grown up in the church are pre-wired for legalism. When seeking God for anything I often hear faint undertones in my heart of legalism. "Maybe I have not seen my answer yet because of something I have failed to do. Maybe I broke this law or that one." This is subtle but must be overcome just as blatant legalism. We must learn to walk in the grace and truth brought us by Jesus Christ. We must learn to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

I am reminded of the context surrounding Romans 8. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." So often we assume carnal mindedness is "worldly" mindedness in the sense of sin, unGodliness, or simply worthless or empty pursuit. But in the context of the preceding chapters, carnal mindedness means that our minds are centered on the physical pursuit of keeping the law. It is a focus on the things of the flesh. It is a focus on "fleshing out" the "Thou shalt nots" and the "Thou shalts". It brings only bondage (Gal. 5) One might even say, "For to be legalistic in your approach to God is death", for that is the only result the law brings. But to walk in the Spirit, to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Christ has abolished the commandment that was against us, nailed it to the cross, and now we can approach Him by His grace through faith, and not by our own works.


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Travis

 2011/2/3 9:47Profile
TrueWitness
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Joined: 2006/8/10
Posts: 661


 Re:

I would like to quote from an essay entitled "Resting is the Required Obedience" regarding man's response to the law and God's grace:

Man in his sinful state hates the God who will only deal with him in grace. Romans 8:7 describes man as being hostile to God. The reason for his antagonism is that the grace of God faces man with the fact that he can do nothing to merit God’s gifts. Man is the helpless recipient of all of God’s blessings, not because of who he is or what he may have done, but because of who God is. This brings everyone to the same level with no one being able to boast that he deserves the gifts of God.

When people see the Law, they grasp at it as an opportunity to get out of the humiliating position grace had placed them into. Many consider the Ten Commandments as rules that they must keep to show God that they are not as bad as He says they are! By keeping the rules, they can prove to God that they are capable of improvement and of pleasing Him. It takes NO faith or grace to live by the law. Living by the law is done by a person's self-effort of responding to commandments that they think they must keep in order to live in harmony with God. This is completely wrong. We can ONLY respond in faith to His gift of grace!

 2011/2/3 10:13Profile
ManofGod0000
Member



Joined: 2010/6/8
Posts: 191


 Re:

what i can attest to is that one will ruin their life with legalism, I have been there and still coming out of much of the ill rhetoric.
When u come to the end of yourself, you will then know that you know, love overrides and conquers legalistic views, God's love

 2011/2/3 10:14Profile
libertad
Member



Joined: 2011/1/30
Posts: 17


 Re:

Excellent quote TrueWitness.

Resting is our required obedience!

Quote:
When people see the Law, they grasp at it as an opportunity to get out of the humiliating position grace had placed them into. Many consider the Ten Commandments as rules that they must keep to show God that they are not as bad as He says they are! By keeping the rules, they can prove to God that they are capable of improvement and of pleasing Him. It takes NO faith or grace to live by the law. Living by the law is done by a person's self-effort of responding to commandments that they think they must keep in order to live in harmony with God. This is completely wrong. We can ONLY respond in faith to His gift of grace!



Perfect. Yes, many people are obeying the law because it is something that they think they can do (and it makes them feel better because of the other "failures" in their life). They can obey the watered down law (because no one can keep it perfectly) but they won't receive His grace and mercy. That is the height of pride.

But we are all one big failure. We must humbly admit this and that will lead us to accept His grace and mercy.

 2011/2/3 12:38Profile
Christinyou
Member



Joined: 2005/11/2
Posts: 3710
Ca.

 Re:

Who is the accuser of the brethren? What does he use to accuse us with? The answer is the legalism of the Law. In Christ he no longer has a hold on us. Satan cannot accuse the Christ that is in us. Only our minds can be used to condemn us. We must renew our minds to the new and not let the flesh feel good by keeping the Law, for that is what the Law is using to accomplish its work, of God to bring us to Christ, of Satan to bring us to condemnation. Fallen Flesh cannot be justified by the Law because condemned flesh cannot keep it. Christ is the only fulfillment of un condemned flesh, He that is in us is our Justifier, only can He justify.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.


Righteousness;
Strong's Greek Dictionary
1343. dikaiosune
Search for G1343 in KJVSL
dikaiosunh dikaiosune dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay
from 1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:--righteousness.

By Faith through the Spirit has The Spirit of Christ that is born again in us keep us interring His rest.

The epitome of legalism is condemnation. Our Rest is Him who is our Sabbath.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Ro 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Ro 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Ro 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1Co 11:34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
2Co 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

In Christ: Phillip


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Phillip

 2011/2/3 13:10Profile
Christinyou
Member



Joined: 2005/11/2
Posts: 3710
Ca.

 Re:

If we put ourselves back under the Law as Peter did when the bus arrived from Jerusalem with James and the other Jews, and Peter ran back into the Jewish Law separating himself from the Gentiles whom he was fellowshipping with, Paul thus rebuking him to his face, as Peter was putting himself and all the other Jews who were with the Gentiles indulging themselves in the freedom which had come by the Christ in them, he was putting himself, Peter, back into the things he was separating himself from, the Law. This is sin.

Galatians 2:16-19 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

Peter was building again the things which were destroyed in him by Christ, putting himself back into legalism by which no flesh shall be justified, thus making the Christ in him a minister of sin, making Peter himself a transgressor by which Christ has set him free.

In Christ: Phillip


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Phillip

 2011/2/3 15:28Profile
enduretoend
Member



Joined: 2011/1/31
Posts: 21


 Re:

HeartSong,

God also commanded circumcision and said that any male not circumcised MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST be CUT OFF from his people!

But the New Testament directly contradicts the law of circumcision. Do you agree that the New Testament contradicts the Law of Circumcision?

So you have a choice. Follow Christ or follow Torah. God made sure that the two are not compatable. The Torah will kill you because of your sin. Christ will give you life eternal. This is the the message of the HOLY BIBLE.

It's LAW (Death) vs. GRACE (Life).

You say, "if we LOVE GOD will all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul, and all our strength, we should follow the 10 COMMANDMENTS."

Yes, you MUST follow the Ten Commandments the way that the Lord God Almighty has taught you in His Holy Bible.

Christ is the END OF THE LAW! He is our Sabbath. You must not REPLACE Christ with a fleshly attempt to fulfill an Old Testament command that was meant to be a type of Christ.

The Sabbath command was a command to REST not worship. It has nothing to do with the Christian tradition of meeting on Sunday.

As for Any day one likes ... the CHRISTIAN answer is to see the fulfillment of the Sabbath Command in the fact that CHRISTIANS rest EVERY DAY from their works as it is written:

Hebrews 4:1-10 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. ... 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

THAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT SABBATH. It is fulfilled in Christ. We have entered into His Rest. He finished the work. The NT is a spiritual book, and the Children of God understand exactly what it means. The old carnal ways of external commandments ENDED when Christ died and rose from the dead and gave us His Holy Spirit and wrote His Laws on our hearts. This is the Gospel! The idea of "Sabbath keeping" is contrary the Gospel.




 2011/2/3 21:04Profile
Christinyou
Member



Joined: 2005/11/2
Posts: 3710
Ca.

 Re:

How refreshing, Christ truly is our Sabbath.

In Christ: Phillip


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Phillip

 2011/2/5 19:30Profile





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