Let
me confess up front that I am a rules guy. All of my life I have tried to be
responsible and obedient. I was a compliant child at home and at school. I was
always bothered by others who seemed to pay no attention to the rules. In many
ways, that is still true. I can become very judgmental of others who seem to
disregard the rules.
God
began to do a work in me when I went to college. He began to challenge my
legalism. For the first time in my life, I encountered people who were
genuinely committed to Christ, yet applied their faith in ways different from
mine. They were much freer and less bound by rules. For the first time, I began
to struggle with what it means to live by faith under grace.
Our
small group is studying Romans. At the heart of Romans is the debate between
Grace and the Law. The audience that Paul was writing to were staunch
legalists. They believed in the Law and sought to conform to it. As new
Christians, they were struggling with how the Law and God’s Grace worked
together. They saw their standing before God as dependent upon their conformity
to the Law. Paul forcefully argued that our righteousness before God comes by
faith in God and not by adherence to the Law. Paul saw the Law as the means of
awakening us to our sin, but the Law is powerless to free us from our sin.
My
personal struggle has been complicated by my daily devotions. I have committed to
reading the Bible through in a year. The reading guide that I am using currently
has me reading Leviticus. The whole of Leviticus is an outline of God’s laws
for the people of Israel. This is clean and this is unclean. This is acceptable
and this is unacceptable. I understand the overarching reason for the Law; to
set Israel apart as the unique people of God, holy to Him. But, as I read
Leviticus, I am struck by the black and white nature of the Law. There seems to
be little or no grace. The penalties for breaking the law are severe, and at
times seemingly excessive.
As
severe as the Old Testament law seems, it does offer a clear, black and white
boundary about what is right and what is wrong. Here in lies the allure of
legalism. In our increasingly secular world, which works very hard to blur the
lines of right and wrong, or to eliminate them altogether, it is enticing to
embrace a clear set of rules. Legalism seems to eliminate the ambiguity.
Most
people, if not all, deep down, have a love/hate relationship with rules. We all
want maximum freedom for ourselves and clear boundaries for others. We desire
to blur the lines of right and wrong when they are applied to us personally. We
are willing to do this for others in theory. But in practice, we apply our
sense of right and wrong to others, and are offended when they violate our
standard.
Now
let’s mix in the concept of grace. By definition, grace is receiving something
that I do not deserve. Grace is not an obligation, it is a gift. The Bible
tells us that our salvation in Christ is an act of grace from God. For it
is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians
2:8-9) God has extended his grace to us through Jesus Christ. When we accept
this amazing gift, through faith, we enter into a right relationship with God
for all of eternity. Then something incongruous happens; we slip back into
legalism. This is the very thing Paul was combating in Romans.
Here
is how it works. We accept the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. Then we
live our lives trying to earn it, by keeping a set of rules. We judge other
people’s walk with Christ based on our particular set of rules, just as the
Pharisees did to Jesus. We say that we live by grace, but actually we live by
law. Why? Because it is a whole lot easier.
The
demands of grace are hard. It requires us to be humble and generous. We must
deal graciously with others who see things differently than we do. Grace
demands that we leave some things in the realm of gray; matters of conscience.
It means that we give our time, energy and resources to God freely, not
expecting anything in return. Grace makes it clear that in no way is God
obligated to us, yet in His great love, He showers us freely with his
blessings. When we fully embrace grace, we are truly free to love God and our
fellow man without strings attached.
Legalism,
on the other hand, is easy. Legalism sets clear, black and white boundaries. It
gives us a spiritual checklist, by which we can measure our progress. Legalism
allows us to hold others accountable and to hold God accountable. Legalism
gives us the right to judge other people’s actions. Legalism allows us to
demand that God act toward us in prescribed ways. But, legalism is a trap. It
robs us of our freedom in Christ and fills us with uncertainty and disappointment.
It leads to arrogance, bitterness, anger and discontent.
Bottom
line, legalism feeds into our desire to be in control; to be our own master. Legalism
offers black and white answers. Legalism fosters an attitude of elitism. Grace
requires letting go of control, and trusting in the goodness and power of God through
Christ Jesus. Grace does not negate right and wrong, but it responds to right
and wrong with compassion. Grace fosters an attitude of humility. Legalism is
easy, but it leads to death. Grace is hard, but it leads to life.
Lest
you think that legalism is limited to religious people, there are just as many
secular legalists as religious; maybe more.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but
in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 16:25
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
No comments:
Post a Comment