Through the Mire of legalism

5

            In my walk with our Lord, I have come to see that the road to virtue is a tightrope betwixt legalism and licentiousness. More often than not, a growing Christian will either live as though grace were a onetime gift to cleanse only our past, or take grace for granted insomuch as it becomes irrelevant to our daily lives. I have not often seen a new Christian progressing from faith to virtue balanced and free of hypocrisy. The young in the faith need the seasoned veterans to sensitively coach them over that tightrope; knowing all the while that they are going to have to lovingly fish them out when they fall.

            I fell on the side of legalism; so thoroughly entrenched that I isolated myself and my family from fellowship with most mainstream Christians. Adamantly against denominationalism and anyone associated with it, I simply had to set myself apart from those who would be so divisive. Curiously, those steeped in legalism are not the least bit aware of it; even when directly accused like I was. I saw myself carefully walking in obedience and trying to encourage others to do likewise. Observe this tract I wrote to that effect. While much of what I said is valid, connect the underlined portions; I was oblivious to the oxymoron.

 

Can you spot a Legalist? Pop Quiz:

The freeway speed limit is 65mph. recognizing his tendency toward L.F.S. “lead-foot syndrome” a certain man has purposed to set his cruise control (once he gets up to speed) at 63mph whenever he travels on the freeway.

This is an example of: Circle one

Legalism       or       obedience

     There are many Christians today running scared about legalism, as if it is the unpardonable sin. Some go so far as to question or even reject adherence to the New Testament writings for fear of being legalistic (never mind the fact that those letters make up the apostles’ doctrine to which we are to “hold fast”) (Act.2:42)

     Yes, Jesus condemns the priests of his day for their legalistic approach to God’s law. But, many of his day preformed the very same rituals in the exact same way that were in no way condemned for legalism. And many in antiquity were obedient to the word, which when violated they had to recompense accordingly as the law prescribed; not one (as far as I can recall) being accused at any time of being legalistic.

     Just to name a few were David, Samuel, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Able, Zachariah (and his son John the Baptist), Nicodemus, Job, Hezekiah. In fact, Jesus himself, instructs a man healed of leprosy to go to the high priest to be examined according to the law, a ritual process which took three days to complete (Mat.8:1-4, Mrk.1:40-43, Luk.5:12-14). If you need more examples see Gen.-Mal.

     So, what is the difference between legalism and obedience?

Defined in Webster’s Dictionary:

*Legalism is: strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.

*obedient is: submissive to the restraint or command of authority.

Legalism lacks heart; actions taken are done for appeasement as a means to an end.

True obedience is from the heart; actions are taken because you know they please God and you want His will manifest in your life.

Legalism looks for loopholes that provide technical compliance, to allow them to commit prohibited actions.

Obedience looks for all applications of the principal taught in the direction given, as well as the direction itself.

A few references

1John 2:6, Hebrews 5:9, 2Timothy 3:16, 2Thessalonians 3:14-15, Galatians 3:1, Romans 6:16, Acts 5:32,

     Many today, however, abandon the original direction, claiming to adhere to the principle because the original direction is no longer applicable in their opinion. These individuals view obedience as legalism and are blind to the differences defined herein. Those who tend toward this viewpoint often struggle with the answer to the question above. This line of thinking treats the Bible as any other philosophical volume subjecting each point to the right/wrong concept of each individual rather than forming one’s concepts according to scriptural guidelines. In short saying “I have authority over scripture” rather than “scripture is my authority.”

If I am in error in my conclusions brethren, please show me where I lack in my understanding.

2009

           

            Well, I was in error! But nobody could have convinced me so. To me the snare of legalism was technical compliance, always on the lookout for loopholes in the scripture. This was not MY goal. I wanted to know the direct application from when it was written, the equivalent situation for today, and the core principle of the passage that I may know the appropriate application to the gambit of possibilities! That is CLEARLY obedience, NOT legalism!... (Pardon the aside, but I am inexpressibly thankful for the grace of God as He patiently draws us ever nearer to Him. We are to “grow in grace” and He has grace enough to endure our growth.) My break from this restrictive lifestyle began while I was carrying one of those principles to its logical extreme. In my purge of paganism and pagan influences, I came all the way to our daily calendar, its months and weekly days named for various gods and historical figures. As I pondered what we as Christians should rather be calling them I had a BRILLIANT revelation! This is getting RIDICULOUS. While I may know how the month got its name, the rest of the world doesn’t and really only cares that everyone shows up on the appointed day. Why create an unnecessary barrier of confusion? Does it really matter that we use something with a tainted history? After all, God uses us. As the Lord continued to loosen and untangle my self-imposed chains He led me to a verse in Romans 2 that revolutionized my reading of the law.

            “They show the work of the law written on their hearts.” Upon much prayer I realized this meant the purpose to which the law was written, which always ultimately boils down to producing the image of God in the adherent. The purpose of the scripture was not that it should be meticulously obeyed but rather, that the whole person should be reformed, renewed and restored to be able to walk presently with God. While we walk in His spirit sin is impossible, and there is no way He could lead us contrary to His word since God does not lie nor does He change. This was the work that the gentiles showed; they didn’t need the law, they were walking daily with its author. As much as I had poured into understanding the details and implications of each verse, I missed the purpose every time. Much like the cautious motorist of my illustration needs to learn that the point of a speed limit is not to uniformly regulate local vehicle velocity, it is a matter of public safety; for him and anyone else in his potential path. Being more concerned for the wellbeing of yourself and anonymous bystanders than your timely arrival at your destination would be the ultimate end of most traffic laws in existence today! I no longer question “how many ways can I obey this passage?”, instead my prayer is “thank you LORD, for leading me into your presence.”

Humbled By The Prayer Of A Child

This evening while nursing our newest blessing off to sleep, I was blessed to overhear our eldest praying. "God, in Jesus' name, please help me and my sister to pay attention when Mama and Daddy read to us and to listen and pay attention when people are talking to us." This is an area where she has recently been struggling a little (she is four after all). I was blessed to know that she knows that her heavenly Father can help her when she needs help. I was also amazed that she went to Him on her own, with absolutely no prompting from anyone. I was then humbled. When I am struggling, is my first response to sweetly and simply ask my Father for the help I so desperately and obviously need? Oh, to have the faith of a child!

"Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 18:2-4

Learning from my little ones,
Wife

The Substance of the Shadow

Three points of interest as Old Testament law relates to New Testament principles:

1. Clean and unclean animals- a clean animal must split the hoof and chew the cud; missing one or the other makes the animal unclean; a true Christian is revealed by both action and attitude, to falter in either word or deed reveals the true path you trod.(writings of John Bunion)

2. Crop regulations-no one was to plant more than one crop in their field. perhaps so that one person could not be the end all be all of food production but that each member of the community was to be mutually dependant on one another, and each one indispensable to the rest; we are all given understanding in different areas for the reason of promoting mutual edification. There is no one anothering that goes on in the modern pastor led church. One pastor serves broccoli one serves spinach, both have valid insights but when they think they ought to be the sole nutrient provider they go the way of the cults. every brother in the body of believers ought to be learning from God and through His word then sharing that insight with the body. imagine a "church" entirely made up of qualified elders meeting on the grounds of love and respect, striving for mutual edification, expecting to both give and receive teaching.

3.The Sabbath rest- perhaps it is best to go straight from scripture on this one: EXO20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it; Matt 12:5-8 have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. & Heb 4:9-11 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
The Sabbath gave us rest from labor, Christ gives us rest from the ever-present burden of sin, yeshua mesheaha is the substance of the shadow. and if we are in Him the shadow is of little effect, yet even He said that the rest from labor is for your benefit. and in Prov. 23:4 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease!


husband speaking

Identity Theft

While driving down the road for supplies, my wife and I were talking, as we often do, and she mentioned something that struck me as wrong. She said, "People always say once you become a mother you lose your identity." I contemplated this premise for awhile, trying to understand the basis for the concept. A couple of days later I called attention to the statement made. I said, "I understand that things change in a man and a woman when they become parents, so much so that it seems their identity is warped into their role in the family - their identity must die that their role may be filled." But I disagree with this conclusion of events. My wife and I are very different people from the young couple who took their vows a few years ago, but did a change of life events result in the death of what was? No.

When a man and a woman, two separate entities, enter into a covenant relationship before and with God, they begin to make the transition from being two to being one flesh (a single, cohesive unit in mind, body and spirit). The former does not die; it develops. A caterpillar does not die when it goes into its chrysalis; it changes and develops that its purpose may be fulfilled. Many today wish to remain separate yet joined together as with a band. Well that's kind of like gluing wings on a caterpillar. It looks awfully funny and it can't hope to fly. You need the change, the growth and development to fulfill your purpose and it must start with marriage when you start to become a single unit. Having children is yet another stage of development designed not to kill and replace that which is, but to enhance, grow and develop you that you may fulfill your purpose.

When you have children, they look to you for the example of how to operate as a single unit. Your values, conversations, habits, strengths and frailties forge the character image of this single entity designed to grow and develop as you have. But when certain elements are missing the wrong image is forged. When you see brokenness in the home, you'll have brokenness in the character. If children cannot see man and woman operating as one flesh, they will lack the concept and will likely never grow beyond self and reach their full potential, which is a binary, multifaceted being able to reproduce in a singularity the express image of their complexity.

I may be rambling at this point and probably lost you long ago, so I'll leave it at this. Marriage and children are events in one's life designed to develop one's personality and character, not destroy it.

Husband Speaking

A couple points of interest on pentacost

when the law came down 3,000 died,
when the Spirit came down 3,000 were saved.

when man through his own efforts sought to attain heaven (Babel) their language was confused and they could no longer understand one another.
when the Spirit of God came down to man on the 50th day after christ's crucifixion (pentacost) God made all tongues to clearly understand His message.
(Gen.11, Exo.32, Act.2)

Husband speaking

The fear in its place

The fear of Hell should not fuel your foundation of salvation. Such is reason enough but, it makes for an unsteady foundation. Those who come to faith by fear are often(not always)more susceptible to deception. Many live as they wish and consider themselves saved because they attend church on Sundays. Others may realize their need to live their lives in accord with the word of God but still remain with an unrepentant heart. This leads to legalism, they get as close to the line of sin as possible without technically crossing it. Usually justifying their actions by taking scripture out of context, dismissing any and all scripture directly contrary to their predicated interpretation.
Your love and appreciation for the Lord Jesus Christ should be the fuel for the foundation of your salvation. The knowledge that all who are without Christ are bound for Hell and eternal damnation should drive you to share your faith in Christ as the total propitiation for the sins of the world. Forgiveness purchased with His blood offered as a free gift from God to all that will accept it. We love Him because He first loved us.

A word from the radio pulpit, Risky

It’s risky when a plain takes off from a runway, but that’s what plains are made for.
It’s risky when a boat pulls out of the harbor, but that’s what boats are made for.
It’s risky when you back your car out of the driveway, but that’s what cars are made for.
It’s risky to live for God in a Godless world, but that’s what we were made for.

Just a few questions for a Bible believing “church-goer”:

Do you believe that the Bible is the absolute, infallible, inerrant, inspired, word of the living God? Do you believe the 66 canonical books to be true and uncontradictory from Genesis to Revelation? Do you believe the entirety of these books to be good for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction (2Tim 3:15-16)?

If yes, then as we are in agreement about the absolute authority of scripture, I have a few questions. If no, let us first discuss scripture’s authority.

Please do not render any answer without solid Biblical support, with each scripture referenced in context.

*Are we supposed to dress up (in your “Sunday best”) to go to church? If so, why? (Matt. 6:25) (1Tim. 2:9-10) (James 2:1-9)

*What kind of fellowship do you get with a 2 min. handshake time? (Acts 2:42) (1John 1:3-7)

*Why do we have a clergy laity separation? (Matt. 20:25-28) (1Pet. 5:2-3)

*If we are to come and “be filled” with what the pastor has been given, where was he filled and why can’t we be filled from the same? (1Cor. 14:24-25) (Heb. 5:12-14)

*How much edification of one another is there when a preeminent speaker preaches to a passive audience? (Heb. 10:25) (3 John 9-11)

*What good does it do to preach a salvation message to the saved on a weekly basis? (1Cor. 3:2)

*Why are we encouraged to invite the unbeliever to the gathering of the brethren? (2Cor. 6:14) (Psa. 94:20)

*Why does America spend over 12 billion dollars annually in church building maintenance alone? Why do we even need a large expensive building when we only spend a few hours a week in it? (1Cor. 4:2) (Acts 2:46-47) (Acts 20:20)

*Why do we tolerate denominational divisions in the body of Christ? (1Cor. 1:10-13) (1Cor. 3:3-4)

*In light of these questions, are we really doing things “by the book”? (Acts 2:40-47) (1Cor 12-14)

Since the time of Constantine, those that are called after the name of Christ have wandered from the foundation He set.
We long to see the gathering of brethren under the headship of Christ, and not any man, as modeled in Acts and elsewhere in Scripture, where each one brings forth moved by the Holy Spirit to exhort and encourage one another, where a multitude of elders hold no exalted position, but being firmly founded in Scripture exist to model Christ and correct and guide when necessary.
The purpose of this post is to get you to think and question the foundation of your beliefs and practices and encourage you to be founded on the true foundation of God’s word rather than the traditions of men.

My Family
(Husband speaking)

Flee From Religion! … Follow Christ!

To the brethren in bondage under institutional Churchianity, I implore you: cast off your beloved chains, put away the traditions of men and move freely in the spirit. Many of you say, “We have no chains! To what traditions are we bound?”
My brethren I say unto you: In nearly every institutional church, I have either heard a sermon or read a doctrinal statement entailing the absolute authority of scripture. Yet, both of these mediums violate the very scripture they attest as their foundation.

A doctrinal statement (typical of denominationalism) is, in itself, divisive; establishing a schism in the body of Christ, and declaring a proud unwillingness to discuss scripture fully until the body is unified in understanding. Such divisiveness spoken against and exemplified in the following scriptures:

Throughout scripture, sermons were not a regular thing, and we do not find a salvation message preached to the saved on a weekly basis. There is a place for preaching but it is not behind a pulpit. The purpose has always been to declare the truth to those that know it not, from Moses in Deuteronomy and Ezra in his book, all the way through Christ in the sermon on the mount and Paul on Mars Hill.

Heb. 10:25 is the scripture they use to say, “Be in church every time the doors are open!” But the scripture says: (Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.). First of all, speaking on the importance of fellowship, how in the world can you call two minuets of handshakes per weak (on average) Godly edification and fellowship? Secondly, what kind of “one anothering” is going on if one man expounds to all and no one expounds to him? We are not supposed to operate in a trickle down inspiration system.

The word for pastor means shepherd and is translated pastor only once in the entire New Testament and where it appears it is not a prominent figure. It is in a list of gifts and callings and in no way describes the office now attributed to it. In fact, we are warned against having a chief speaker. In stead, we are to have a multitude of elders (fully discipled men) overseeing the younger in faith, all of which participate in the gathering. But, what do we have if all study and pray while apart, then come together and preach to each other without a hierarchical system of order? You get “a nation of priests.” Sound familiar?

I attended a Baptist church that had mark 16:15 on the wall. It said ( And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.) yet their first priority in witnessing was come to church, that you may be saved and discipled. Now I’m pretty sure that “Go” and “come” are opposite; and as far as inviting the unbeliever to the gathering of the brethren, the bible speaks expressly against it. We are commanded to go and disciple, then invite the believers to the fellowship. If an unbeliever stumbles in, no problem, but we are not to purpose the event.
…
If we hold these scriptures so dear, why do we fail to follow the guidelines so clearly laid out? This is not meant to vex you, but rather encourage you. Repent of your traditions; obey the Lord in the direction he has given.

My Family
(Husband speaking)