Man’s Lust for Legalism
There are many who trust in the inherent goodness of humanity. They think more highly of the human race than they should. A steady diet of the nightly news should remedy the false notion of man’s goodness, but some persist in their unwarranted adulation.
Having a high view of man is detrimental to understanding the doctrine of God’s grace. Grace is the vital work of God to save His people (Eph 2:8–9; Titus 3:5), granting them repentance and giving them faith (Acts 5:31; Phil 1:29). Eternal life is a gracious gift bestowed on the elect, redeemed people of God. Grace can only be properly understood with a low view of man.
Man contributes nothing but his sin to the work of salvation. Salvation is the re-positioning of a sinner to the status of saint. It also includes the process of making a saint into one who is holy. To be holy means one is set apart unto God for His purposes. His purpose is to redeem His holy nation of people, so they will glorify and enjoy Him, forever (Ps 86:12; Is 60:21; 1 Pet 2:9).
Despite man’s best efforts to be moral and ethical, to restrain his sin nature and practice of sin, he fails again and again. Sometimes men will feel the weight of sin against their self-conceived deities. Thus, they employ religion, crafting their gods after their own image. They bow down and worship what they have made for themselves.
The religions men construct for themselves are typically laden with rules to regulate proper worship and behavior. Because they craft their own idols, when they breach the rules of their religion, they forgive themselves. Some even reward themselves for their sincere endeavor to keep the rules. After all, obedience warrants reward in every religion.
Religion, with its inherent idolatry, is the worship of demons, who are hidden in the objects of worship. The objective of demons is to deceive people and to distract them away from true worship of the living God (Jn 4:24). These evil spirits, fallen angels, inspire the formation of rites and rituals to aid their worshipers.
Proper use of rites and rituals requires rules. These rules are the legal demands, and people love to comply with the exercises. There is a fleshly desire within people to perform sacred acts. Because religion is always an external work of compliance there is also a pride of performance, too. For these reasons, religion is addictive.
Unfortunately, there is a legalism that infiltrates Christianity. Christianity is not a religion, but there are many who lust for it to be. These fall prey to the wiles of the devil and his deceptive techniques of adding works to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is his polemic against this practice.
The Galatians were subject to the false teaching of Judaizers, whose religion was Jesus plus the legal requirements of Judaism. Compliance to the Law of Moses is not possible for sinful people. It is not even that Christians are enabled by the Holy Spirit to keep the Law in their own power and sincere effort.
Turning the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of the indwelling Holy Spirit into a disciplined regimen is a perversion. Instead of walking by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, the lust of the Christian legalist is to construct and then comply with rules. Whereas the Judaizers demanded full compliance, today’s legalist will often be selective in which demands are required in their judicial opinion. In this, they reduce the standard of the Law of God and its demand for full and perfect obedience.
Passing judgment on other Christians, for their failure to obey one’s interpretation of the Scriptural requirement, is common. Christians must preach the Law of God, so we can learn the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man, but we must always counter what God demands of us with our confession of failure to meet those demands…before and after conversion. We must then remember our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is Jesus Christ, the perfect God/man who fulfilled the requirements of the Law of God (Mt 5:17). As federal Head of His holy nation of chosen people (Rom 5:12–21; 1 Pet 2:9), He accomplished all the works we could never do (Is 26:12). Therefore, the Gospel of God’s grace is preached to show how the Law of God was satisfied by Christ alone.
With the legal requirements entirely met by Christ, God’s redeemed, regenerate are set free from binding legal compliance, with its inherent judgment and punishment (Rom 8:1). Our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been given faith to apprehend His perfect merits, and this is counted to us as righteousness (Rom 3:28).
With permanent, right legal standing before the Judge of all the earth, Christians are free to serve the living God without fear of reprisal for failed compliance. Our trust is in the Spirit of Christ, who causes God’s elect, regenerate to walk in His statutes (Ezek 36:27). God’s beloved have been made willing on the day of His power (Ps 110:3), as the Spirit has been poured out in our hearts (Rom 5:5), to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil 2:13).
Christian, today, rejoice that faith has been given to you, so that you are free from the lust of legalism. Remain vigilant to its temptation for you to return to a life of performance in the flesh. Christ in you, is willing and doing His good pleasure to accomplish what concerns you (Ps 57:2; 138:8; Rom 8:10–11; Phil 2:13). He is guiding you (Jn 16:13), directing your steps on the path of righteousness (Prv 3:5–6). He will finish the good work He began in you (Phil 1:6), therefore, rest in Him, today and every day.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
June 13, 2022
