Legalism?

First off before I get started, let’s quickly define what legalism is. Legalism means: “any doctrine which states salvation comes strictly from adherence to the law. It can be thought of as a works-based religion.” --- Having a legalistic mindset means that you believe your salvation is coming from your works, rather than as a result of the gospel and, subsequently, Jesus Christ.

During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees believed that if they checked certain things off their “salvation list” they would be fine. Didn’t eat pork today – check. Celebrated Passover – check. And they believed that through this list, that salvation was given. Jesus continually taught that this mindset is wrong – it isn’t about your checklist of things to do – it’s about believing in the gospel, in the Messiah.

The church today has been conditioned to throw out the word legalism anytime someone brings up Levitical law or keeps certain commandments that have been removed from the mainstream. People who keep the Sabbath, or don’t eat pork are scrutinized because of “legalism”. We’re quick to tune people out and utterly disagree with them on these matters, but why is that?

Growing up, I went to non-denominational churches. I went to church every Sunday, was involved in Youth group, during Christmas time I went to the candlelight service and went home to presents under the tree, on Easter I helped out with making the traditional Easter ham, and so on and so forth. I was a cookie cutter, run of the mill Christian. --- But every so often I would remember hearing that people in Bible times wouldn’t eat pork. Whenever this thought came back up I would ask an adult – So why do we eat pork then? Every time, I was given the answer – because Jesus came to do away with that; because of Him, we don’t need to follow the Old Testament laws anymore. And I would take their word for it – without any scriptural validation – and I would carry on with my life.

Later in life, I met a group of Christians who kept Sabbath, and who didn't eat pork, and I was reminded of the same question I’d had as a kid. So I started asking around, and looking into scripture for answers. Without fail, every time I asked someone for answers, the word legalism was brought up. I was told not to worry about the laws, because those who followed them were “legalistic”. I saw places in scripture like Mark 7 or Acts 10 that loosely taught what I’d believed my whole life – when taken out of context. I wanted to be satisfied with it. I wanted to be convinced that modern day tradition hadn’t led me wrong. I needed there to be proof about these laws. I needed it to be explicitly stated in scripture that no, you don’t have to follow the Sabbath. Or yes, you can eat pork.

But the truth is that it won’t be found in scripture. We are still supposed to do these things, just like Moses and Abraham and so on. The problem is that what’s happening today is exactly what was happening in the time of Jesus. We are putting tradition before the word of God. Except, instead of adding onto the law like the Pharisees were [Mark 7:9], we’re taking things away (things like the Sabbath and clean/unclean foods) and trying to justify it. Both keeping the Sabbath and recognizing a distinction between clean and unclean animals have been established from the very beginning - go through the book of Genesis. God rested on the seventh day after creating everything, and he sanctified the seventh day from the very beginning [Genesis 2:1-3]. Additionally, there was a distinction made between the clean and unclean animals in the time of Noah [Genesis 7:2]. Not all of the animals came on the ark two by two. Neither of these commandments were seen for the first time with the Levitical law; they've been around essentially since creation.

In John 14:15, Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Part of these commandments He was talking about, would be to keep the law. “But wait”, you say. “Jesus came to fulfill the law.” A common argument threaded throughout Christianity today is that because Jesus came to fulfill the law, he came to do away with it. The mainstream belief is that because of His sacrifice, we aren’t required to follow the law anymore. And most of my life, this is exactly what I agreed with; without even understanding why. Let’s look at the scripture Jesus talks about fulfilling the law: Matthew 5:17-20.

So let’s break down these verses. In verse 17, Jesus is clearly stating that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law. Remember, at that time, the Pharisees were checking things off of their list because they believed this granted them salvation. But repeatedly throughout scripture it’s seen that it’s not about your works, but about your heart [Deuteronomy 10:12-16]. In Matthew 5 verses 18 and 19, Jesus is emphasizing the importance of not taking away from the law. He says not one jot or tittle – not any piece of the law - will be taken away “Till heaven and earth pass” (verse 18). He is saying that the law cannot be changed until after the second coming – when Heaven and Earth pass. And in verse 20, He says that our righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were following the law to the letter – doing everything right from an outside perspective. So in the eyes of the public, they would have been very righteous. But where they were doing wrong was within their heart. They were physically circumcised, but God wants circumcision of the heart [Romans 2:29].

Personally, the way that I learn best is from analogies. I have to be able to visualize things, and see it in my mind in order to understand; so one of the best ways for me to learn is by analogies. I’ve heard two analogies that cover this topic really well:

Analogy 1: So let’s say that you’re married. And your spouse tells you – “I don’t love you. I’ll do all the marriage things – I’ll provide for you, I’ll take you to the hospital if you’re sick. We’ll celebrate anniversaries and we’ll raise a family together. But I have no love for you.” Your spouse would be doing the duties expected in a marriage, but there is no emotional relationship, there is no love. -> This is how it was with the Pharisees. They were doing what God had laid out for them to do, but there was no love for God in their hearts. There was physical circumcision, but not circumcision of the heart.

Analogy 2: Let’s continue with the married analogy, but let’s paint it in a different light. So let's say you’re married and you love your spouse with your whole heart. You want to do things for them. You want to bring them breakfast in bed, spend time together, grow in your relationship, and take care of them when they’re sick – because you love them. -> That’s the way it should be with us and God. We should want to do what God wants because of our love for Him. Not because we think our salvation is dependent on it, but because when you love someone [or in this case, God] you want to please them. You desire to keep His commandments.

Keeping God's commandments isn’t about getting a ticket to salvation; it’s about how your love for God means that you want to do all that He has called you to do. You want to keep His commandments because He has changed your heart. You see the evidence of Him in your life, how He’s working to mold you into a better person – to be more like Him. That’s why I now keep the Sabbath and why I don’t eat pork anymore. It’s not because I believe that this is the way to salvation; I do not believe that my salvation is by works. It clearly says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that salvation is by grace and not by works: “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” However, not to be neglected, James 2:14-26 is about how faith and works go hand in hand. Verse 26 says: “26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

I’m know that my salvation is not dependent on whether I keep the Sabbath or not. But, I want God to be the Lord of my life in every area; I want to do what He’s called me to do; I want to be set apart and be a peculiar people [1 Peter 2:9]. And a part of this means keeping the Sabbath and recognizing clean and unclean animals. It’s because of my salvation, it’s because of the process of sanctification, with the goal of glorification, that I do these things.

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