Speaking of legalism, though, what is it anyway? From what Ive looked up, legalism is defined by: 1) Depending on the Law (i.e. Old Covanant Law) or extra Biblical rules to attain salvation. 2) Depending on the Law or extra Biblical rules to maintain salvation. 3) Imposing the Old Covenant Law or extra Biblical rules on other Christians as mandatory. Read through the books of Galatians and Colossians (each book at least in one sitting so as to get the whole picture)... consider any other passages of Scripture, and if you have any further definition of legalism or something Im missing, please let me know! Regarding the specific random examples below, my intention isnt to debate here about their legitimacy, but point them out by way of example to what legalism is. From the above definition of legalism and from what Ive read in Galations & Colossians, you might be acting in legalism if... --You understand that tithes are an Old Covanant law (Malachi 3), and that in the New Covanant, all you have is to be used for the Lord (Luke 9:23-26)... But you are still giving tithes (10%) rather than *everything* to Jesus. --You feel obligated to celebrate man-made holidays (Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, etc) in the way that everyone else does, even though they arent in the Bible, and in many respects disregard the Bible. Its legalistic to say that these traditions are mandatory for Christians, and exactly the type of thing the Pharasees did the way Jesus discribed in Matthew 15.... Keeping extra-Biblical rules at the expese, often times, of mercy, love, & justice for the homeless, hungry, and those babies about to be killed in abortuaries. --You tend to dress less modestly to fit in with the crowd who would frown on what you wear if it was modest. (1 Timothy 2:9) What Im trying to say is.... what amazing freedom we have in Christ!! Set free from sin!! Set free to love God & love your neighbor!! What I mean is...Jesus died to destroy the works of the devil (sin)! And if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would *no longer be enslaved to sin.* For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? *But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.* I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:5-23) Just keepin it real, folks. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😊😊
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 04:28:14 +0000
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