Breaking the Bondage of Legalism

Grace to You.org ^ | 1993 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

Legalism can’t produce a pure heart.

By the time Jesus arrived, Israel was in a desperate condition spiritually. The Jewish people were in bondage to the oppressive legalism of the Pharisees, who had developed a system of laws that were impossible to keep. Consequently, the people lacked security and were longing for a savior to free them from guilt and frustration. They knew God had promised a redeemer who would forgive their sins and cleanse their hearts (Ezek. 36:25-27), but they weren't sure when He was coming or how to identify Him when He arrived.

The enormous response to John the Baptist's ministry illustrates the level of expectancy among the people. Matthew 3:5-6 says, "Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins." The uppermost question in everyone's mind seemed to be, "How can I enter the kingdom of heaven?"

Jesus Himself was asked that question by many people in different ways. In Luke 10:25 a lawyer asks, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" In Luke 18:18 a rich young ruler asks exactly the same thing. In John 6:28 a multitude asks, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus at night with the same question, but before he could ask it, Jesus read his thoughts and said, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

As devoutly religious as those people might have been, they would remain spiritually lost unless they placed their faith in Christ. That's the only way to enter the kingdom.

Still today many people look for relief from sin and guilt. God can use you to share Christ with some of them. Ask Him for that privilege and be prepared when it comes.

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray for those enslaved to legalistic religious systems. Be sure there is no sin in your life to hinder God's work through you.

For Further Study

Read Galatians 3.

Why did Paul rebuke the Galatians? What was the purpose of the Old Testament law?

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

the Pharisees, who had developed a system of laws that were impossible to keep

Notice that Jesus never condemns the Pharisees for keeping God's Torah. He only gets on them for being hypocritical and for adding extra regulations on to make things harder for people. God's commands were meant to be life and joy, not a burden. As God says in Deuteronomy 30 "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach." And as David says in Psalm 119 "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts....for I delight in your commands because I love them.

[WENDLE]

Actually, I agree about the legalism . Galatians is awesome where Paul rebukes the believers in Galatia to stop with the legalism because it is contrary as to why Christ came to be the atonement for our sins when He was crucified for us on the Cross if only we believe that he is the Son of God. ( john 3:16-18).
Where I do take issue with your post is on John 3:3. There were major mistranslations in the King James 1611 years after the birth of Christ. The word “Born again” was not in the Aramaic. It actually meant “From Above”. This is massively different from “Born Again”. Jesus spoke Aramaic or Hebrew only. the Greek translation of Christs words as reported in John did have a double meaning of Born from above or “again” . That was taken to “Born again” by the King James translation priests and it was a huge error. Christ didn’t say “Born Again” to Nicodemus Being born from above simply does not mean “Born Again”. Entire denominations are supported by this single mis-translation of the Aramaic word reported of Jesus.
The only worse corruption of the original Text was to distort the Greek Ecclesia into the distorted word “Church”. Ecclesia ,of course means “The called out” or “believers”. It does not mean “circle” worship used by the Pagans. Again this came 1500 year after the original words were written to mean something else. I think they were distortions with a purpose of controlling believers.

[metmom]

That post is not my work. I am just posting the devotional from Grace to You for the day.

Most I agree with and some I don’t, but they are what they are.

But it results in good discussion.

I am also aware of the controversy over the use of *born again* and *born from above*.

[WENDLE]

OK well I’m glad you corrected me. I enjoy a free flowing discussion on Christianity if I don’t have not hear the jargon of “professional Christianity” which is permeated with obfuscation and distortion for institutional purpose. But I love Christ and God for sending Him because, as a sinner — Like ALL—, I sure needed Him.

[HWGruene]

If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to

Then he is not omnipotent.

If he is able, but not willing

Then he is malevolent.

If he is both able and willing

Then whence cometh evil?

If he is neither able nor willing

Then why call him God?

Epicurus (c. 341 - c. 270 BC)

[WENDLE]

That is really good. The intellectual search for truth is like a hike in the wilderness. It is not assured that you will emerge. We are so fragile.
The essence of your post is interesting to me because it is inclusive of writings not in the editing at the council of Laodicia. So many wonderful “scriptures” left out? Query? Why were eye witness accounts like Bartholomew rejected for 3rd and 4th hand hearsay books written 50 to 110 year after the fact? Are not “all Scripture God breathed”? The professional “church” stands on such sand.Praise Jesus, not preachers.

[HWGruene]

I liked the book of Enoch myself.
Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who lived like about 400 years before the Jesus stories.

[WENDLE]

A great book is HERMES. Why was that left out? We have spent 400 years worshiping an ICON book that is fatally flawed.

[Elsie]

Legalism: another word for HOOPS.

[metmom]

Exactly.

[RedWulf]

>By the time Jesus arrived, Israel was in a desperate condition spiritually. The Jewish people were in bondage to the oppressive legalism of the Pharisees, who had developed a system of laws that were impossible to keep. Consequently, the people lacked security and were longing for a savior to free them from guilt and frustration. They knew God had promised a redeemer who would forgive their sins and cleanse their hearts (Ezek. 36:25-27), but they weren't sure when He was coming or how to identify Him when He arrived.

Great point, but it wasn't legalism. The Pharisees were engaged in holier than thou-ism where they would redefined the law in increasingly nonsensical ways so they that could play one ups man games over who was the holiest by following the most nonsensical rules. This holiest contest eventual led to the revolt against Rome that destroyed Judea. A lot of Jesus’ parables were designed to mock the Pharisees behavior and to show people the fulfillment of the law was in Jesus not some silly but harmful holier than though games. The law was a good and holy thing, but what the Pharisees had done with it was a perversion that was very harmful.

If you've ever wondered why the left gets crazier and crazier it's because they're trapped in their own version of the holier than thou Pharisees games where they always have to find new ways to be more leftest with increasingly dumber leftest rules. Which is why they're trying to force you the public to let mentally disturbed men who think they are women in the little girls room and importing Muslims.