Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It
Is To Men As They Are
"Preach The Word"
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
CHAPTER TWO-. LEGALISM: A SMOKESCREEN
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
We have an interesting and sad phenomenon in "fundamental
evangelical" circles today. A mass exodus
from standards for living is taking place. Preachers
now preach that standards are a matter of "personal
conviction." "If you think something is wrong for you,
it is wrong. If you think it is all right, then it is all
right."
It has become a common occurrence to hear many
national radio and TV preachers denounce those who
preach standards, by calling them "legalists." A well
known radio preacher from California recently cried
out, while preaching on Galatians 5:1-5, "I hate
legalism." (He was referring to those who preach about
standards for living.) Another chided preachers for
making such a big deal over "regional convictions."
If I am against something they are not, I am branded
a legalist. If I am against something they are against
too, we are "separatists." "Legalism" has become the
compromiser's excuse to circumvent the Word of God.
A phrase often used by those who think right and
wrong is simply a matter of personal choice is, "I'm not
convicted about it yet." Statements like this one sound
spiritual, and please the ears of those who have been
wanting to indulge in things Christians have stood
against for years, but they demonstrate a true lack of
Bible knowledge concerning the law and its importance
to the child of God.
Webster's New World Dictionary defines legalism as
a "strict adherence to the law." However, theological
legalism would have a different definition. Theological
legalism is a strict adherence to the law to bring or
keep salvation. Simply, any addition of works by man
to the finished work of Christ to bring or keep salvation
is legalism.
PROBLEM OF THE GALATIANS
The book of Galatians was written to combat
theological legalism. Following Paul from place to
place were groups of men who taught that simple faith
in the finished work of Jesus Christ was not enough to
keep salvation. They taught that circumcision and
strict adherence to the law were essential to staying
saved. Many in the Galatian churches had accepted
this teaching. This is why Paul stated, "I marvel that
ye are so soon removed from him that called you into
the grace of Christ unto another gospel...0 foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you..." (Gal. 1:6; 3:1)
Paul stated to Timothy, "But we know that the law is
good, if a man use it lawfully." (I Tim. 1:8) Galatians is
really an exposition of the lawful use of the law. We
must understand the law's relationship to us in the
New Testament.
-16-
THE LAW CURSES US
Those who think keeping the Ten Commandments,
or any other part of the law, brings salvation, only find
themselves condemned by the law they want to save
them.
"For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them."
To keep 99.9% of the law is not good enough to earn
heaven. One slip, one time, leaves man condemned by
the law. Man is not a sinner because he sins. He sins
because he is a sinner (Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9).
Breaking the law is natural for man. No wonder the
Scriptures proclaim, "For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God."
THE LAW CANNOT SAVE US
Not only does the law condemn us, but it has no
power to save us.
"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...if righteousness come by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain."
(Galatians 2:16,21)
"Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that
every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Therefore by the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin...
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by
faith without the deeds of the law."
(Romans 3:19-20,28)
The law proclaims man guilty before God. It has no
power to save.
THE LAW CANNOT KEEP A PERSON SAVED
The Galatians had trusted Christ for salvation, but
they were beginning to believe they had to keep the
law in order to stay saved. For this Paul scolds them in
Chapter 3:1-5:
"0 foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you,
that ye should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth,
crucified among you? This only would I learn of
you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish?
having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many
things in vain? If it be yet in vain. He therefore
that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
Paul's rebuke was clear. Their works did not get
them saved, and their works could not keep them
saved. Salvation is by grace through faith.
Since the law condemns us, and it cannot save us,
nor can it keep us saved, some would ask, "What good
is it for us?".
THE LAW SHOWS US WE ARE SINNERS
Before a person can be saved, he must know he is
lost. In Romans 7:7-14 Paul explained what the law did
for him.
"I had not know sin, but by the law; for I had not
known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt
not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead. For
I was alive without the law once: but when the
commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And
the commandment, which was ordained to life, I
found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by
the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew
me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, and just, and good.
"Was then that which is good made death unto
me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin,
working death in me by that which is good: that
sin by the commandment might become exceeding
sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I
am carnal, sold under sin."
It is by the law that I know my love for Him is not
great enough to satisfy the Great Commandment
(Matt. 22:37,38). The law shows me I do not have
enough righteousness to make heaven on my own merit.
This brings us to the next thing the law does for us.
THE LAW POINTS US TO CHRIST
The law not only tells me I have missed God's standard
of holiness, but it also points me to the only one
who is righteous — Jesus Christ.
"But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin,
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be
given to them that believe. But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith
which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But
after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster." (Gal. 3:22-25).
Is anybody under law? Yes, all those who have not
come to faith in Christ. I was under the law until faith
came. I stood condemned by the law as a guilty sinner.
When I put my faith in Jesus Christ, who died for my
sins according to the Scripture, I found the One the
law had been pointing me to.
"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God; Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are past, through the forbearance
of God; To declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
(Romans 3:22-26).
Notice Romans 3:31: "Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
We need to understand that Jesus did not do away
with the law, He fulfilled it. Praise the Lord. Now, the
law condemns me no longer. "Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us"
(Gal. 3:13). I am free because I have put faith in the
finished work of Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote,
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free," he was not saying the law no
longer is a standard for right and wrong, he was admonishing
them to continue to look to the finished
work of Christ for salvation, not a keeping of the law.
The law didn't save them, and it could not keep them
saved.
Those who believe a saved person can become lost by
sinning have totally missed the point of Galatians, and
the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I John 3:4
says sin is the transgression of the law. Yes, Christians
still sin, but they are no longer under the condemnation
of the law.
FALSE LIBERTY
On the other side is the group that says we no longer
look to the law as the standard for holiness. Standards
are now only a matter of personal conviction. This
group also has misunderstood what happened to the
law.
Read carefully these next statements. JESUS SET
ME FREE FROM SIN, HE DID NOT SET ME FREE
TO SIN. And, SIN DID NOT CHANGE WHEN I GOT
SAVED. Nor did sin change when Jesus died on the
cross. Sin is still the transgression of the law (I John
3:4)
Romans 6:13-19 clearly sets forth our responsibility
to holiness in living. We are not to yield our members
to unrighteousness, but to righteousness.
Righteousness did not become personal conviction
when I got saved. It is still decided by the Word of
God, regardless of my convictions. After stating, "we
are not under law, but under grace," Paul then asked
the question, "Shall we sin, because we are not under
the law but under grace?" He answered his own question
with a resounding, "God forbid." Even after an individual
is saved, sin is still decided by the Word, and
he is not to sin!
When a person gets saved, God does not throw His
Book out the window and say, "Now that you're saved
you can do anything you want to do. It does not matter
if I said it was wrong before. Now, you are free to live
by your own conscience. You must quit only if you feel
it is wrong." Some quickly add, "We do not serve in the
oldness of the letter of the law, but in the newness of
the Spirit."
Jesus gave us the answer to that objection in Matthew
5:13-48. Several times Jesus referred to the law,
-22-
saying, "Ye have heard that it was said...But I say unto
you." A simple look at the passage shows Jesus was not
giving His okay to throw out the standards of the law,
but rather, He taught that obedience goes farther than
just the outward appearance. Obedience should come
from a right heart attitude.
Jesus compared our testimony to salt and light in
verses 13-16. Then He reminded His listeners that He
would not destroy the law but fulfill it. He also taught
the immutability and endurance of the Word of God.
Then Jesus showed that following the letter of the
law was not enough. One can have outward obedience
with inward sin. However, inward obedience will also
be manifested by outward obedience.
He began by using one of the Ten Commandments —
"Thou shalt not kill." Jesus did not say we no longer
were to obey it. He taught that man can break the law
in his heart in the sight of God, while obeying it outwardly
in the sight of man. Man was not given a
license to disobey the law unless he felt "convicted
about it." He was to obey it outwardly, and be careful
his heart attitude was right, inwardly.
Next (vs. 27-28) Jesus brought up another of the Ten
Commandments — "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
Again, Jesus did not do away with man's responsibility
to obey, but rather He explained that outward obedience
does not prove true obedience. Man was not
even to look on a woman and lust after her. Our
responsibility goes much farther than obedience to the
letter.
Jesus then used the same arguments concerning
marriage and divorce, swearing an oath, personal
vengeance, and loving others. In each case, the law was
not put aside for "personal conviction," but rather, a
greater obedience was expected. Actually, the Spirit of
the law goes farther in holiness than the letter.
Therefore, even though outward obedience to the
law does not prove a right inward relationship with
God, a right inward relationship will always be accompanied
with nothing less than outward obedience.
WHAT THE LAW IS GOOD FOR
Other New Testament verses proclaim the Old Testament's
authority as a standard of holiness for
believers. Paul wrote to Timothy several years after
Christ's death on the cross:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works." (II Timothy 3:16,17)
The first part of the verse proclaims the origination
and authority of Scripture. Scripture comes from God.
Literally, it is God-breathed. Lest we be careless in
studying this verse, notice Paul was talking about "all
Scripture."
Even though it seems elementary, remember that
"all Scripture" includes the book of Matthew. "All
Scripture" includes the book of Acts. "All Scripture"
includes the book of Galatians. "All Scripture"
includes the book of Revelation. "All Scripture" also
includes the book of Malachi. "All Scripture" includes
the book of Psalms. "All Scripture" includes the book
of Genesis. "All Scripture" includes the book of
Deuteronomy. "All Scripture" includes every letter of
every word of every chapter of every book of both the
Old and New Testaments.
Just as "all Scripture" is the subject of the first verb,
"is given," it is also the subject of the second verb, "is
profitable." The verse tells us all Scripture is profitable
for four things — doctrine, reproof, correction, and
instruction in righteousness.
If "all Scripture" is profitable for doctrine, then
Hebrews is profitable for doctrine. Ephesians is profitable
for doctrine. I John is profitable. Jude is profitable
for doctrine. Mark is profitable for doctrine.
Even Proverbs is profitable for doctrine. I Samuel is
profitable for doctrine. Obadiah is profitable for doctrine.
Exodus is profitable for doctrine. Leviticus is
profitable for doctrine. Clearly, every chapter of every
book of both the Old and New Testaments is profitable
for doctrine. After all, is there a conservative
evangelical anywhere who doesn't use Old Testament
verses to prove doctrine? But now the inconsistencies
begin to fly.
II Timothy 3:16 did not limit Old Testament verses
to being profitable only for doctrine. Notice, they are
also profitable for reproof, correction, and instruction
in righteousness. Truly, we are no longer under the
law, in that it can no longer condemn those who have
trusted the finished work of Jesus Christ for salvation,
but we are still to receive its reproof, correction, and
instruction in righteousness for daily living. Plus,
according to the Sermon on the Mount, we should not
only be willing to obey it outwardly, we should be willing
to go even farther in righteousness with obedience
from the heart.
Truly, we receive much instruction in righteousness
from the gospels and the epistles, but that is not the
limit of our instruction. Since "all Scripture" is profitable
for instruction in righteousness, all of Genesis
through Malachi is also profitable for instruction in
righteousness.
Peter demonstrated his agreement with this premise
for New Testament Christians. In I Peter 1:14-16 the
apostle wrote:
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves
according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye
holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is
written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Peter, writing some 30 years after Christ's death,
when admonishing believers to live holy as Christians,
supported his statement by quoting Leviticus 11:44.
Why are Christians to be holy? "Because it is
written..."
I can hear someone complain, "But Peter, that's in
the Old Testament. We're not under the Old Testament
anymore. We have liberty in Christ."
Compromising preachers and Christians throw
Scripture, profitable for instruction in righteousness,
out the window using the excuse of "liberty." Obviously,
they are are misusing liberty, and denying the
authority of Scripture, given to guide our lives in
holiness, because of its location in the Old Testament.
Some object, "But Christ is the end of the law according
to Romans 10:4." Such objection is a careless
reading of the passage and verse. Verses 1-3 explain
how the Jews had gone about to establish their own
righteousness by works. They thought they could be
righteous with God by being good enough. As far as being
righteous in our standing before God is concerned.
"Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believeth (10:4)." A righteous standing before
God is only possible through Jesus Christ, who fulfilled
the law. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Romans 10:4 explains how a man
may be considered righteous before God for salvation.
It is not denying the use of the Old Testament as "instruction
in righteousness."
When Paul preached separation to the Corinthians
in his second letter (6:11-18) the whole foundation of
his argument was a principle laid down in the Old
Testament. When he stated, "Be ye not unequally
yoked with unbelievers," his argument was based on
Deuteronomy 7:2-7 and 22:6-12. When he wrote,
"Come out from among them and be ye separate," he
was speaking from Isaiah 52:11. Did this make Paul a
legalist? No, he was a Biblicist. He was using the law
"lawfully," as instruction in righteousness.
Solomon proclaimed that lying lips were an
abomination unto the Lord (Proverbs 12:22).
When Jesus completed His work of redemption through His
death, burial, and resurrection, did He make lying an
acceptable practice for Christians? Absolutely not.
Malachi 3:6 states of God, "For I am the Lord, I change
not." What was an abomination to Him in 950 B.C. is
still an abomination to Him in the 20th century. Proverbs
12:22 is still good "instruction in righteousness"
for the child of God. It is not "legalism" to say a Christian
shouldn't lie.
Moses wrote, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as
with woman kind: it is abomination." Did such perversion
cease to be an abomination to God when Jesus
died on the cross? Is it legalism to preach against
homosexuality? Is it legalism to say it is sin for a Christian
to commit homosexual acts? NO!!! Is it all right to
commit homosexual acts if a person is not convicted
about it yet? NO!!! Sin is sin whether a person is convicted
about it or not. God's Word, Old or New Testament,
is the final determinant of right and wrong
regardless of a person's conviction.
Was Paul a "legalist" when he told women to "adorn
themselves in modest apparel" (I Tim. 2:9)? Was Paul a
legalist when he said it was a shame for a man to have
long hair (I Cor. 11:14)? Was Paul a "legalist" when he
told bishops to be the husband of one wife (I Tim. 3:2)?
Was Paul a "legalist" when he told Timothy to flee the
love of money and "follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness" (I Tim.
6:11)? Was Paul a "legalist" when he told the Colossians
to "put off...anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication..." (3:8)? Was Paul a "legalist"
when he told the Ephesians that "neither fornication,
nor uncleanness, nor covetousness, nor filthiness, nor
foolish talking;" were to be named among them (Eph.
5:2,3)? Was Paul a "legalist" when he told the Corinthian
church to turn the adulterer in their church over
to "Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus"
(I Cor. 5:5)?
Was the Holy Spirit a "legalist" when He told the
New Testament church to "abstain from meats offered
to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled,
and from fornication" (Acts 15:28,29)? Was James a
"legalist" when he wrote, "Speak not evil one of
another" (James 4:11)? The list of questions like this
could go on and on. Obviously, they were not
"legalists" when they preached standards.
It's about time fundamentalists return to preaching
standards and holy living. We don't have to apologize
for the verses on holiness found in a part of the Bible
people don't want to accept today. It's time we get back
to using "all Scripture" for what it is profitable for —
doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in
righteousness.
I am not a legalist Salvation is by grace through
faith in the finished work of Christ, not of works. It is
totally of grace. When a person gets saved he is no
longer condemned by the law. He is free. Nothing he
does can make him lost. As the songwriter P.P. Bliss
wrote:
Free from the Law, 0 happy condition,
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.
However, God still expects holy living by his people.
They are not to follow their own consciences, but the
Word of God. "There is a way that seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof is the way of death." (Proverbs
14:12) "The heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked, who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9)
"Therefore, I esteem all thy precepts concerning
all things to be right; and I hate every false way."
(Psalms 119:128)
STUDY FROM DR. MIKE ALLISON
