Exposing the Gospel of Legalism

Galatians 3:10-14

THEME: The biblical teaching of Salvation by Grace through Faith can be clearly explained from the Old Testament Scriptures. The way to blessing and authentic Christian expression is always by Grace and through Faith; we must never look to religious systems, man-made metrics, or carnal strength to experience salvation, blessing,sanctification, or to sustain our service to Christ.  

Legalism is a distortion because it attempts to couple human performance or religious activities with the grace of God as a means of earning God’s forgiveness and salvation. Many would immediately recognize and reject this form of legalism; however, we fail to recognize that we are equally rejecting the Gospel of Christ when we live and serve in mere human strength and measure our performance with man-made metrics. 

Beloved, we are not free to erect an artificial standard of sanctification and service to measure ourselves with...or anyone else for that matter. You see, doing good things in human strength is sin, living by sight instead of by faith is sin, and living by humanly concocted metrics is equally sinful. Salvation from conversion to glorification is a "Baptism of Grace"! God designed redemption in Jesus Christ as a matter of grace through faith from conversion through sanctification to service and finally to glorification. It is always appropriate to live and serve by grace through faith. 

At no point are we free to abandon the whole Bible, the grace of God, the power of the True Gospel, the Holy Ghost’s awesome ministry, the image and model of Christ, and the great commission! We cannot reject the Old Testament Scriptures, fundamentally alter the role of grace, dilute the Gospel of Jesus Christ to get more “conversions,” live by the power of mere human determination, devise a private set of preferable standards of holiness, or merely reach people without discipling them and planting more churches. While it may not be immediately recognized as such, these deviations are deadly poisonous spores of legalism. They are gross deviations designed to accommodate our religious pride and lack of holy power. 

No, this article is not for the faint of heart, but if you are deeply humble and love Christ and His Gospel please read on. For all others, this article will only make you angry. I have no desire to hurt or anger anyone, but as always, I try to present the truth of our Faith as best I understand it based on the Scriptures. Constructive insight and feedback are always welcome.

LESSON:

CHRISTIAN SALVATION IS BY FAITH, NOT BY LEGAL OBSERVANCES (Gal. 3:10-12).

The Scriptures prove that salvation is by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Old Testament Law. Since these Legalists wanted to take the Galatians back into the OT Law, Paul uses the Law to show differently!

     1.  The Law Does Not Bless, It Curses.  Vs. 10

Salvation could never come by obedience to Law because the Law brings a curse, not a blessing. Here Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26. Law demands obedience, and this means obedience in all things. The Law is not a "religious cafeteria" where people can pick and choose (see James 2:10-11). Its an all or nothing proposition. Beloved, none of us are capable of being perfectly obedient always without any exceptions or failures. This is what the Law requires--perfection. 

     2.  The Law Declares Salvation by Faith.   Vs. 11

Paul next quotes Habakkuk, "The just shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). This statement is so important that the Holy Spirit inspired three New Testament books to explain it as mentioned before. Romans explains "the just" and tells how the sinner can be justified before God (see Rom. 1:17). Galatians explains how the just "shall live"; and Hebrews discusses "by faith" (see Heb. 10:38). Nobody could ever live "by Law" because the Law kills and shows the sinner he is guilty before God (Rom. 3:20; 7:7-11). In no uncertain terms the Law declares that salvation and sanctification are by grace through faith. It was always this way. 

     3.  The Law Demands Performance, Not Faith! Vs. 12 (See.  Lev. 18:5)

But someone might argue that it takes faith even to obey the Law; so Paul quotes Leviticus to prove that it is doing' the Law, not believing it, that God requires (Lev. 18:5). Law says, "Do and live!" but grace says, "Believe and live!" Paul's own experience (Phil. 3:1-10), as well as the history of Israel (Rom. 10:1-10), proves that works righteousness can never save the sinner; only faith righteousness can do that.

The Judaizers wanted to seduce the Galatians into a religion of legal works, while Paul wanted them to enjoy a relationship of love and life by faith in Christ. For the Christian to abandon faith and grace for Law and works is to lose everything exciting that the Christian can experience in his daily fellowship with the Lord. The Law cannot justify the sinner (Gal. 2:16); neither can it give him righteousness (Gal. 2:21). The Law cannot give the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2), nor can it guarantee that spiritual inheritance that belongs to God’s children (Gal. 3:18). The Law cannot give life (Gal. 3:21), and the Law cannot give liberty (Gal. 4:8-10). Why, then, go back into the Law?

CHRISTIAN SALVATION COMES TO US ENTIRELY AND EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST (Gal. 3:13-14).

These two verses beautifully summarize all that Paul has been saying in this section. Does the Law put sinners under a curse? Then Christ has redeemed us from that curse! Do you want the blessing of Abraham? It comes through Christ! Do you want the gift of the Spirit, but you are a Gentile? This gift is given through Christ to the Gentiles! All that you need is in Christ! There is no reason to go back to Moses.

  

     1.  The Law’s Curse.   Vs. 13, “curse of the law” “cursed is everyone”

Paul quotes Deuteronomy again, "he that is hanged is accursed of God" (Deut. 21:23). The Jews did not crucify criminal, they stoned them to death. But in cases of shameful violation of the Law, the body was hung on a tree and exposed for all to see. This was a great humiliation, because the Jewish people were very careful in their treatment of a dead body. After the body had been exposed for a time, it was taken down and buried (see Josh.8:29; 10:26; 2 Sam. 4:12).

     2.  The Lord’s Cross.    Vs. 13-14, “being made a curse for us” “Hangeth on a tree”

Of course, Paul's reference to a "tree" relates to the cross on which Jesus died (Jn. 19:30-31; Acts 5:30; 1 Peter 2:24). He was not stoned and then His dead body exposed; He was nailed alive to a tree and left there to die. But by dying on the cross, Jesus Christ bore the curse of the Law for us; so that now the believer is no longer under the Law and its awful curse. "The blessing of Abraham" justification by faith and the gift of the Spirit are now ours through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:2-3; 4:4-6; Rom. 8:4-9).

     3. The Love of Christ.  Vs. 13, “Christ hath redeemed us”

The word redeemed in Galatians 3:13 means to purchase a slave for the purpose of setting him free. It is possible to purchase a slave and keep him as a slave, but this is not what Christ did. By shedding His blood on the cross (Rom. 3:24-26; 8:3-4; 2Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:12-15; 10:4-10; 1Pet. 1:18-21), He purchased us that we might be set free (Gal. 4:3-9). The Judaizers wanted to lead the Christians into slavery, but Christ died to set them free. Salvation is not exchanging one form of bondage for another. Salvation is being set free from the bondage of sin and the Law into the liberty of God's grace through Christ.

     4.  The Legalist’s Concoction.  Gal.  3:1

This raises an interesting question: how could these Judaizers ever convince the Galatian Christians that the way of Law was better than the way of grace? Why would any believer deliberately want to choose bondage instead of liberty? It would appear they had been “bewitched,” cast under some evil spell by a malign influence.  For this they were, however, without excuse because the Savior had been “evidently set forth”—clearly portrayed—(“to write for public reading” as with the posting of a public announcement) as crucified before them. Paul had vividly and graphically proclaimed the crucified Christ to the Galatians; yet their eyes had been diverted from the Cross to the Law. They were without excuse!

Perhaps part of the answer is found in the word “bewitched” that Paul uses in Galatians 3:1. The word means “to cast a spell, to fascinate.” What is there about legalism that can so fascinate the Christian that he will turn from grace to Law?

         A.  For One Thing, Religious Legalism Appeals to the Flesh. The flesh loves to be “religious”-to obey laws, to observe holy occasions, even to fast (see Gal. 4:10). Certainly, there is nothing wrong with obedience, holy living, biblical standards, fasting, deeply convicting Bible preaching, or solemn times of spiritual worship, provided that the Holy Spirit does the motivating and the empowering. The problem is many Christians do good things for the wrong reasons and in the wrong strength. When we undertake godly endeavors but fail to insist on God’s power and grace we effectively deny the utter necessity of the cross, resurrection, and current priestly ministry of Christ. Beloved, this is fleshly carnality! The flesh seizes occasion to brag about its religious achievements and strength—how many prayers were offered, how many souls were saved and baptized, how many were in attendance, how fast the church is growing, how much money was raised, how many gifts were given, how many missionaries are supported around the world, how expansive the campus is, and how many churches belong to the fellowship or association (see Luke 18:9-14; Phil. 3:1-10). The appeal is great (but entirely carnal) to measure our performance with artificial standards to distinguish ourselves as “spiritual,” “committed,” “sold-out,” or “biblical.” This form of legalism is amplified exponentially in fellowships where these types of metrics and measures are expected and are regarded as assurances or key indicators the church, fellowship, or college is spiritually healthy.

         B.  Another Characteristic of Religious Legalism that Fascinates People Is the Appeal to the Senses. Instead of worshiping God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), the legalist invents his own system that satisfies his senses. He cannot walk by faith; he must walk by sight, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. There is a definite shift from edification to entertainment from preaching to performance, and a gravitation to talent over godliness. Worship has become an effort to produce a certain feeling and experience for the church attender and not about the exalting, adoring, magnifying, honoring, and praising of the one True God with our entire being. To be sure, true Spirit-lead and Bible-informed worship does not deny the five senses. We see other believers truly engaging God; we sing and hear the hymns as unto His Majesty; we taste and feel the elements of the Lord’s Table reminding us of the sacred price that was paid for our sins. But these external things are but windows through which faith perceives the eternal. They are not ends in themselves. Far too many worshipers race into the church on Sunday morning to “get their praise on” so they can soon get on with the rest of their self-absorbed lives afterwards.

         C.   The Person Who Depends on Religious Legalism Thrives on Measuring by and Comparing Himself with Others (1 Cor. 10:11-13; Lk. 18:9-13). This is yet another intoxicating fascination associated with legalism. Believers compare Bible reading habits, prayer time, witnessing adventures, converts, and giving records to afford evidence of their spiritual acumen. Churches unofficially compare attendance, number of bus riders, baptisms, and property value to determine who is most successful. Preachers tend to be far too prominent in their sermons or they are the heroes in their stories…. But the true believer measures himself with Christ, not other Christians (Eph. 4:11). Beloved, there is entirely no room for pride in the spiritual walk of the Christian who lives by grace (Rom. 3:26-28; 1Pet. 5:5); but the legalist constantly brags about his achievements, attendance, baptisms, buildings, income, bus riders, and his followers (Gal. 6:13-14). They glory in the flesh, the carnal, the natural, the merely human, the personality, and the man-made metrics! These Christians and churches lust for religious success as affirmation, and they yearn for the reinforcing approval of their fellowships and associations who regard these metrics as indicators they are pleasing to God. Unfortunately, too many Christians and Christian leaders give up frustrated because they cannot live up to the man-made metrics. They feel themselves failures or inadequate…so they will isolate themselves from fellowships to avoid embarrassment and eventually quit and re-career. This is a painful tragedy that could have been avoided if we appreciated grace and authentic spiritual acumen.

CONCLUSION:

Yes, there is a fascination to the Law, but it is only bait that leads to a trap; and once the believer takes the bait, he finds himself in bondage. Enslaved to man-made metrics that only hint at biblical requirements, and in bondage to the unjustified expectations of a fellowship or association. Far better to take God at His Word and rest in His grace and power. We were saved "by grace, through faith" and we must live "by grace, through faith." This is the way of Christ and His prescription for life and ministry. Any other way is the way to bondage.

Finally, there is an appropriate and biblical usage of the OT Law for today. Not only are its principles a moral compass, but it is an extraordinary tool for evangelism. The Lord Jesus used it this way and so did the apostles. You see the Law helps the sinner see he is a sinner by an absolute and objective standard of righteousness. Once the Law has done its work to reveal our guilt before a holy God, the Gospel and the Law together point the sinner to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. But, Christians observing the Law as OT Law is not required; we are not Jews/Israel or a government entity. We cannot enforce the associated penalties of such a Law; this simply is not New Testament Faith. Without official enforcement it is not actually Law.