Legalism (part 1)

I’ve been thinking and reading about this subject, and I feel like it is a conflict that needs to be resolved. I’ve heard both sides of the argument. There are some people who think that even considering the law is legalistic, while others think that we should be following it all. I’m going to say from my own opinion, that following the law is not wrong, as many people may believe. God never intended us to forsake the law completely, for He said so through His son.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Mt. 5:17-18)

Many would argue that we are now under a new law, which is true. God’s previous law of firm justice has succumbed to His higher law of love and mercy.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn. 3:16-17)

Please note that the scriptures did not say that God sent his Son into the world to save the world through him and to give the world license to break the law.

Let me give an example of when the new law of love and mercy must prevail, starting with love. Say that you believe you should not eat any unclean meats. Yet during a time of financial difficulty, your friends provide you with a gift of roast pork. Would you, then, refuse to accept their gift? No! Because you love them, you will eat the unclean meat that has been provided.

Also, there is mercy. Say that your brother in Christ commits adultery. He is truly repentant, but by the Old Testament law, he must be executed. Surely you would spare his life, in order to accept his repentance and help him grow in the Lord. By law, he is guilty, but Christ has shown him mercy.

In the same way, we are not excused from the law, only given a scapegoat which we must choose. And if we have not chosen the scapegoat, then we are still subject to the law and its punishment, which is, by the way, death.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro. 6:23)

The only reason we are saved is because Christ has blotted out our unrighteousness with His righteousness. You might argue that, because of this, it will not matter if you break the law, as long as you have accepted Christ. This statement is true, but the mindset behind it is completely flawed.

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Ro. 6:1-2)

The ultimate meaning behind Christ saving us is not that we are free to sin, but that we are free from sin, and from the curse of death it produces. Therefore, let us not strive to find what we are now allowed to do, but strive to find newer (and older) ways of pleasing the Lord.