What Does Legalism Say About the Regenerate Christian?

The sermon at All Souls this morning dealt with the issue of Grace versus Law. Not an unusual topic at all, in fact, one that we’ve probably all heard a good deal about in various circles. “We’re not under Law, we’re under Grace” seems to be a kind of Christian battle cry that folks will declare with pride sometimes while in the deepest of sin. The folly here is obvious, treating the gift of Grace like a free pass to do whatever you want.

And that’s where things get interesting. “Sure,” we think.” “The last thing Christ would want you to do with Grace is what you want. Because Heaven knows that all you want to do is bad, bad things.” EW’s great phrasing on this point, “Freedom from the law frees you to do what you are,” really brought it all home. If you are a deceitful, greedy person, removing the laws against theft will result in you stealing. But for the regenerate soul, freedom from the Law frees you to do good.

A perfectly natural question at this point would be to ask “So if the Law was good, how can freedom from it result in anything better?” Matthew 12 has a great answer, in the story of the Pharisees pestering Jesus about his disciples “working” on the Sabbath in order to feed themselves. Christ answers with a series of examples from the OT of David and the priests explicitly not observing the Sabbath because something more important was asked of them that required they “work.” He sums it up nicely saying “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

So that’s legalism as it occurred 2000 years ago. What does legalism now, after thousands of years of meditating on Christ’s words, have to say about how we view the saved soul? Well, it doesn’t think very highly of it. Laws imposed on Christians today seem to be screaming “Unless we’re here, you’ll jump into and wallow in all manner of godlessness, debauchery and filth. We’re the only thing keeping your salvation and soul afloat!” Telling an adult that they cannot drink alcohol because of the possibility of sin is to say that this person, changed from darkness to light by Jesus Christ, is incapable of moderation. Basically, he’s still the same animal he was before the God of the Universe changed him, except that now he chooses to drink Sprite instead of a gin and tonic. One might argue in this particular case for the sake of the younger brother who may stumble into sin through seeing someone he respects consuming a drink. The same reprimand applies to them, as they are simply following the Law of “doing whatever my elders do.” In the same way that the thief waits for the laws against burglary to be lifted, the child who wants to cuss SO badly can’t wait for his father or big brother to let one slip. They don’t want to be righteous, they just want a good excuse for not being so.

I can’t put it any better than Paul did in Colossians when he said: “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things which all perish as they are used), according to human precepts and doctrines? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.”