Lost In Legalism I have visited several churches in my years as a believer. Many of these have been great experiences! Ive been to churches that put great emphasis on reaching the lost, and churches that are 100% dedicated to edifying the saints through accurate Bible teaching. Others have put a lot of focus on prayer and seeking revival, while some churches are whole heartedly dedicated to seeking out the Holy Spirit and various manifestations of His presence. To say the least, I have been a part of some awesome services where I have enjoyed Gods presence, Gods Word, and great fellowship with Gods people! Ive also attended some services that left me wanting. Services where it seemed that the Spirit was quenched because of time constraints, services where much of the doctrines taught were questionable at best, and churches that were totally in bondage to religion, traditions, or legalism. The latter subject of legalism is the reason for this article. After attending some recent services that left me feeling disgusted I began to seek the face of God concerning the matter of legalism. Were these teachings just a case of an uneducated minister in the pulpit, or was there something more to it? And in the instance that were subjected to such teachings should we sit quietly by eating the meat and spitting out the bones, as many have suggested, or should we speak up and speak out even if it means becoming unpopular or worse? These are just some of the questions that I pondered in prayer, and sought answers to as I searched Gods Word with a fine toothed comb. I could not fathom how someone reading the same Bible as me could come to such different conclusions. I concluded that they either werent reading their Bible, or they were reading it with a presupposed idea of how Gods Word should read or be interpreted. That may sound harsh but there is a lot of truth in that statement. A recent statistic given by the Barna Research Group states that only two out of ten professing Christians in America, this would include church leaders as well, read their Bibles on a daily basis. So my conclusion is a very possible one. I stated before that I left these services feeling disgusted. The reason for this would be the contents of the Pastors message. He boldly proclaimed such damnable heresies as, salvation by works, and even condemning some Bible believing Christians to Hell for not practicing certain rituals, laws, and traditions, to name just two! When speaking to another minister within that particular church it was excused as a case of just another uneducated preacher, but what does time and Gods Word say about it. There was a time when preaching heresy could get you excommunicated from the church, or even cost you your life. Though I may not endorse murder, Id say that both of these reasons would serve as good incentives to Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2Tim 2:15 -KJV). The Bible on the other hand gives teachings against, as well as, examples of heresy in the first century church. It also warns us of a future eminent apostasy that could very well begin in our life times. The Greek word apostasia which translates apostasy in our English Bibles literally means a falling away from truth or true doctrine. So was this just a case of lack of education? Whether it was or not when ones beliefs on how we are saved are distorted it could very well mean that one is not truly saved. If there is any doctrines that we could lack understanding on its definitely not salvation! If one puts his or her trust in anything other than the grace of God and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation then they are not saved. Its that simple! The law cannot save you, good works cannot save you, and dead rituals and traditions cannot save you! There were some in the first century church whos soteriology (Theology concerning salvation) was in question as well. One example would be those Judaizers in the church of Jerusalem who were of the circumcision mentioned in Galatians 2:12. Another would be the legalistic Galatians themselves. Their loyalty to laws and Jewish practices was the very reason Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians. He writes to inform them that repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are the only prerequisites for salvation. Because it seems that Paul wrote this letter before the Law Controversy had been debated and the official doctrinal position announced Galatians is believed to be the first letter written by Apostle Paul. He uses some very strong language toward legalism in this text. He calls it another gospel (1:6) and a perverted gospel of Christ (1:7). He even goes as far as to say in 1:8&9 that if anyone, including an angel from Heaven, preaches any message other than faith and grace for salvation, let him be accursed. And all of this was only in the first chapter. The word accursed in the Greek is Anathema and literally means that one lies under the curse of God, is doomed to destruction, and WILL receive Gods wrath and damnation writes Donald Stamps. Anathema was the worst form of excommunication there was in the early church. Even your family no longer acknowledged your existence. Even the Apostle John wrote to the Elect Lady in 2 John to warn her of the dangers of false teachers, and to discourage her from giving hospitality, greetings, or support to those who had departed from the true apostolic faith. So should we sit idly by while legalism spews forth from so many of our pulpits today? I believe Paul would say No, ten thousand times, no! Maybe some are learned enough to chew the meat and spit out the bones as I said before, but what of those young believers who are endoctrinated with these heresies, or the many potential believers who are sent back out into the world because of their knowledge that they are unable to keep the law. Do we want their blood on our hands? Lets make a pact to defend the Gospel from all who would attempt to pervert it, even if it means being unpopular. Even Paul risked becoming unpopular when he Stood up to Peter for giving in to the legalistic Jews of the circumcision. Will you risk it all to do whats right? If you have been lost in legalism or know someone who is, and would like to know what true salvation is about if its not just a bunch of rules then l challenge you to read Pauls statement in Galatians 2:20. He says, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. This Christian walk is not driven by rules and regulations. It is a faith walk, and we live by the faith of the Son of God! Bishop J. Butler, Jr.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:26:41 +0000
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