Sermon Tone Analysis

Legalism

Introduction

Conversation with Pastor Steve

Conversation about legalism

Expressions of legalism in sermon

Some months ago, I heard Pastor Steve in the context of exhortation or instruction use the expression: "not to sound legalistic", or to "fall into legalism", or give cause for an accusation of legalism.

I expressed that I had written some thoughts on the subject and talked about the opportunity of preaching about the subject sometime.

Use of the term legalism

I myself at different times have heard christians use that label of legalism: one occasion I heard someone say: No, lets not invite that preacher because he is legalistic or he is a legalist.

Occasionally I myself or my family have heard such criticism.

The Way the term is used

Know I must confess, that the times when I've heard that the people using it seem to use it more as a reaction, rather than as a carefully analized thought.

OFTEN I get a sense, that whenever people express an opinion of some conviction of abstention they may have which happens to step on a liberty that the other person indulged on, the comes out flying the term, legalism.

At other times I see the term properly used use to describe an inappropriate use of the law or commandments in the Christians life.

Definition of legalism difficult

Is really not easy to provide a good definition of philosophy of legalism, particularly, because no matter what version you choose, if you run a search with parallel bibles you will not come out with the term legalistic or legalism in the Bible

The importance of this subject

Relation between law and grace/justification sanctification

Now it is important to talk about this topic, since this deals with an underlying subject or the relation of law and grace | Faith and works which has been alive pretty much in every epoch of Church history, and has occasioned spirited debates.

justification sanctification

It is in turn is a crucial subject in order to understand correctly the two foundational doctrines that is justification: how are we saved.

and sanctification: how do we develop spiritually

The distortions of justification and sanctification

Justification sanctification/sanctification justification

Now, to make things easier from the start.

Most of the distortions or unbalances of these two doctrines occur when either Justification is absorbed into sanctification, and viceversa when sanctification is absorbed into justification.

Justification into sanctification: gradual justification

When justification is absorbed into sanctification, we have an individual that is justified progressively not instantaneously.

To the extent that he sanctifies himself, to the extent that he obeys the commandments he is gradually justified, he is gradually made right before God.

Origin of term: legalism

This kind of approach by the way is apparently the theological origin of the term legalism.

Edward Fisher, theologian of the puritan era, in his The Marrow of Modern Divinity, 1645.

Speaks of: “one who bringeth the Law into the case of Justification”.

Sanctification into justification:instantaneous sanctification

WHen on the other hand sanctification is absorbed into justification, it means that at the moment that I am justified, pronounced righteous, then I am also sanctified by that pronouncement, and therefore there is really no need for me to make an effort to grow, to concern myself with maturing: It's done!!! My daily, practical walk has no relevance in regard to my standing with Christ

Teachers: modern grace/Hypergrace

The most extreme of the cases of this distortion are what are called teachers of the modern grace movement, or hyper-grace like John Crowder who believe that the reformers like Luther, were not reformed enough.

In the sense that the cross united us to Christ not only positionally but effectively, by not only covering our sins, but also eradicating sinfulness from us

Clash zone: two motivations

Now, most evangelical christians don't fall into this extreme, and they fall in what I call, the "Crash zone" of two motivations.

On the one hand Christians who truly are zelous to filter the grace of God from all particles of merit and thus fight legalism.

And on the other hand Christians that are trying to keep the grace of God from from becoming a license to sin from a lifestyle of self-indulgence and permissiveness and fight what is called antinomianism.

That is anti-law.

Impossible to resolve distortions/concerns

Now it would be absolutely absurd for me to claim that in one message, we are clear the decks and resolve this distortions and these concerns that have some locked in battle.

However, something that we can attempt to do, is to talk about 5 forms of legalism, that we need to guard from, to preserve the grace of God free from human merit, while guarding from becoming a license to flesh indulgence.

5 forms of legalism

1-The Christian falls into legalism when his attempts to earn his salvation by the obedience to the law of God

The law could earn us salvation

Law demands flawless obedience

Now we must understand that the law, obedience to the law, could actually earn us heaven IF, we were able to keep it flawlessly.

But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Question.

Is anyone able to do it:

YES.

What a heretic.

And yes there was one man, that was able to achieve this.

The man God Jesus Christ.

The perfect obedience to the law preserved his innocence (spotless lamb), that is lack of transgression of the law.

(John says that the sin is the transgression of the law) and on the other hand it would yield full holiness.

Christ born under the law

So that Christ, was born not free of the law, fulfilled God's law, was sinless, so when he went to the cross, he was seen by God's Absolutely holy scrutiny innocent, that is no guilt, and holy.

Because of that Death could not hold him, because it would have been an unjust verdict.

Because the wages of sin are death, but he was blameless.

And because of that Christ is able for those who believe do, the double transfer, take the dirty life that we lived and give us the holy life that we could not live.

The Christian and the law

Now what Christ was able to do with the law, (if no Adam imputation.

the Christian CANNOT.

And thus Paul in Galatians continues to say:

For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

The law has no capability to give life, to change a heart, to regenerate, therefore when the law is applied to the human heart.

It only steers and awakens his corruption, and actually the good law of God provoques his flesh to sin more.

Human nature sick beyond medicine

That is human nature is so sick, that instead of being inspired to holiness by the law, the law stirred up rebelion and resulted in sin:

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?

By no means!

It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

Children you have experience this, you go to vacation and then Dady says, do not go to that room, soon enough you see the kids getting curious, getting close to the room, peeking through, touching the door handle.

Why, because commandments stir up the corruption of the flesh, So that man without Christ is so sick, that the medicine (law of Gof), getts him sicker.

Blind to corrupt nature

Therefore he who thinks that by keeping his commandments they will be able to earn heaven, is totally blind to his own corrupt nature.

The deadly error of the Pharisees

Champions of the law

Now at the time of Jesus, the pharisees, were champions of the law, guardians, doctors of the law.

Parable of the Pharisee and the publican

The heart of their system can be seen in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, where "the law keeping of the Pharisee" was definitely reckoned he was immensely meritorious before God.

however, it only lead them to hell, not to heaven.

.

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces.

For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in

Merit staircase: lethal

Utilizing the law as a merit staircase to heaven is not only unadvisable, it's lethal for the Scripture categorically states "by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. .

2-The Christian falls into legalism when his attempts to add supplements to the work of Christ

Creatures of Habit

Know someone correctly remarked that we are more creatures of habit, than creatures of knowledge.

Now in my own line of business, there are pastors to whom we can show the advantages of using Bible software, how easy is to find relevant information, understand and work with biblical languages, the amazing time savings, but many would say, no, even though what you are saying is true information, I would rather continue to do my work the way I am used to doing it.

Mother catholic church

I remember my mother, when she became a Christian and turned from the catholic faith to the scriptures, the evangelical faith.

For the first six months she would go in the morning to listen to John MacArthur, and then at noon go to mass.

She was used to that practice for over 50 years, and felt that somehow a token of the old religion would be a good additive to her new found faith.