Legalism

[frienduff thaylorde]

1 minute ago, missmuffet said:

I know many who did not vote. Had said they have never done this in their life but they had to do it for their Christian convictions.

So am I a non legalistic legalistic .     Be blessed sister.     

[missmuffet]

6 minutes ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

So am I a non legalistic legalistic .     Be blessed sister.     

No you are a Christian who loves Christ. Si?

[frienduff thaylorde]

1 hour ago, missmuffet said:

No you are a Christian who loves Christ. Si?

Sis you loved.    Now let us praise the LORD.  

[4LdKHVCzRDj2]

8 hours ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

HE said IF you love me KEEP My sayings , those who DONT LOVE ME don't .

Yes, if anyone really is in Christ... If they do something against Jesus they will feel bad, and reconsider it, and repent.

"and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15

 

When people start putting their words above Christ's, then something dark is going on.

"As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." - John 6:57

[Justin Adams]

Legalism is mostly contrived to steer attention away from lawlessness. Quotes about food laws and such give the anti-legalists a legal footing. Kinda funny that the ones that oppose God's Commandments, use legalistic excuses.

Grace opened the door for us to approach the Throne. It did not give us the right to sneer at Yahweh's Commandments.

[Heleadethme]

11 hours ago, gamnot said:

Legalism is a corruption of religion or sound doctrine without the balancing effect of spirituality; license is a corruption of spirituality without sound doctrine; and carnality without good boundaries results in the corruption of destructive obsessiveness. but as the bible says; "The way to life is straight and narrow."   May the grace of God be with you.

That sounds about right......I have been trying to define or be able to discern it (rightly) myself, and that sounds about right.  Believe there might be something about the sword of the Lord having two edges, with regard to this topic.

[Heleadethme]

11 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Legalism is the other guy's doctrine that I do not agree with, and will not accept, because I only accept that with which I already agree, and only hear that which reinforces what I  want to believe is so.

This is so very true and is more common that we realize......but it's the broad way to destruction that very many are on, because it's our own flesh and carnal nature refusing to die and trying to protect itself from the light of the Lord......and so it deceives us.  Whereas we need to go straight to what God says in scripture and let Him indict our flesh with His word/spirit, and we even learn to take His side against our own flesh and all it's ways and wants and say, Lord not my will but thy will be done.......thus judging ourselves so we will not be judged with the world.  Our flesh and carnal nature is contrary to the Spirit and always will be.......so we are to deny our flesh and carnal nature to take up the cross and follow Jesus.

[Heleadethme]

11 hours ago, missmuffet said:

I am seeing the word "legalists" associated with politics and Trump. Apparently those who do not support Trump are labeled "legalists". Please give me a beginning 101 class on why that is so.

Sign me up.....I need that class too sister.  As far as I know we are not to be entangled in civil affairs of this world which have nothing to do with the gospel and the kingdom.  We might have our private opinions about earthly things that are going on, but it has nothing to do with what we are here on earth for as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven.

[brakelite]

Legalism is one extreme of  line of truth the other end of which is lawlessness. Remembering that several people on this thread rightly point out that the law points us to Christ, and reveals our need of a Saviour by revealing sin, at the same time we must acknowledge that there is much debate and confusion within Christianity as to whether we need  to or even if it is possible to overcome sin in this life. Some say we are now free from the law because of the cross of Christ, others say we must still obey the law because it is still in effect, still others claim that if we attempt to keep the law, we are no longer under grace, and are still lost, trusting in our own works, while still others believe that a true Christian walk in Christ results in law-keeping by default, or as a natural growth outcome of our relationship with Jesus. I believe the latter is the case. 

 

Here is my take on the matter.

I am convinced that it certainly is possible to overcome sin. To believe anything else, is to express belief that either we, that is the old man,  are stronger than God, or the devil is. But scripture is clear ad adamant that overcoming is not only possible, but essential and that this is accomplished by faith in the promises of God, (just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness:

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Romans 4:21,22.),

and I also think  that this life of sanctification (a constant living in victory over sin) is :
1. Living the character of Christ (being conformed to His image) and
2. Is conformable to the moral law of Ten Commandments.

That we all must determine in our hearts to stop sinning is a given. Jesus said that we must first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.To gain entry to heaven and live holy lives go hand in hand.
The care we must take in our determination to stop sinning,is to tread a fine line between ‘legalism’ and true faith. We cannot do away with the law because without the law, there is no knowledge of sin. Proverbs declares "He that turneth away hiss ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." Prov. 28:9 Nor can we ignore the law in our quest for righteousness, because it is the standard that God has given us by which we determine our true state. If while we are maintaining our relationship with Christ, and are convicted by the law that we are falling short of the mark in some area of our life, this is an indication that our relationship is not as it should be. It has broken down, or it hasn't developed to the extent that it can. So thus the law is doing its work...it is once again convincing us of our need of Jesus. So we come to Him afresh, repenting of our sin, and plead with HIm to graciously grant s the strength to overcome. Those who finally do overcome are the ones who kept getting up after having fallen. Not the ones who gave up declaring it impossible. 

Paul tells us “for sin shall not have dominion over you,” for ye are not under law, but under grace” Romans 6:14. Dominion is akin to a ruling power, and in sin’s case, a tyrant. So we have a promise to hold on to.  Elsewhere he says “let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof ” Romans 6:12…reign in this case is literally kingly rule. So, where once we were under the tyrannical rule of sin, the inference is that once we are crucified in Christ, buried and raised with Him in baptism, the roles are reversed. We now have dominion and rule over sin. Whether to sin or not has become a matter of choice, a matter of our will. It is through our connection with divine power …..

2 Peter 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 ¶  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

….that we have this new ability to overcome, and when we do, we are no longer “under the law”. We have a choice of masters. We can serve sin, which leads to death, or we can serve righteousness, which leads to eternal life. Obedience is the key to both. Who do we surrender to as servants to obey? And what is it that we obey? It is true doctrine, correct teaching.
“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
What fruit had ye in those things of which ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” Romans 6:19-21

And there is the key to overcoming sin.Yielding to God.  Surrender. Surrender to God with the desire, even passion for righteousness, (Matthew 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,) a hatred for sin, using the “law lawfully”, that is, using the law as your yardstick as to whether or not your life is going in the right direction, and whether your relationship with God is as it should be. We surrender, God makes the changes in us that conform to His law, by writing that law upon our own hearts and minds. God promises that we “are to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29 ) That law that He writes upon our hearts is the law of love. Christ’s own character of  love shed abroad by the Spirit of God in us fulfills the law of Ten Commandments. All this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in us. We receive Christ’s righteousness by receiving Him.

Notice in that Paul’s analogy of sin being a master or king, there is absolutely no middle ground between our choosing to serve sin or righteousness. It is either one or the other. There can be no compromise. Legalism thus has no place in such a surrendered life...except in the protests of those who oppose righteousness. 

[Neighbor]

"We might have our private opinions about earthly things that are going on, but it has nothing to do with what we are here on earth for as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven." Heleadthme

 

Hmm, I think  it may be more that  a Christian is and will be involved in the civil affairs of the lands and peoples wherever God has placed him or her. One reason is to be used as a tool to point out the difference in a Christian from any unbeliever no matter how fine the unbeliever may be, and to do so in a public light for the Glory of God.

Come a millennium period after Christ's soon return when no one dies that has returned with Him, those will rule with him over even those that  do not come to Christ do not become saved. Seems to me that is going to involve a lot of what we call politics. s well as some turmoil with in the Christ ruled earth.