Depending on your religious background, the title of
this article may seem strange at best and heresy at worst. Oftentimes in
Christian circles the term 'legalism' is only used in a negative way.
There are many who view it as a 'dirty 8 letter word'. Language, to be
understood, must have common definitions so let us begin by defining the
word legalism.
First of all it must be understood that 'legalism' is
not a Bible word. What I mean is that there is no Greek word in the
original text of the Bible that is translated legalism into English. The
Random House Dictionary of the English Language gives two definitions to
this word: 1) Strict adherence to law and 2) the doctrine that salvation
is gained through good works. Now, both of these definitions can be found
in the Bible in concept. Jesus said to His detractors in John 8:46: "Can
you prove me guilty of sin?" We read about Jesus in Hebrews 4:15 that He
was without sin. It is quite clear that Jesus gave 'strict adherence to
law'. We can flip the coin and read in Galatians 5:4 that those who would
be justified by law are severed from grace which fits the 2nd definition.
In other words, the idea that I can save myself through my good works is
simply untrue.
Now, I must avoid the legalism that is found in
definition #2 but I must attempt to have the legalism of #1. Think about
it for a minute; Jesus Christ was the greatest legalist of all time. He is
a man who lived a perfect life. To use modern day illustrations He NEVER
went so much as one mile over the speed limit. He NEVER told the whitest
of lies. He NEVER cheated as much as a penny on his income tax return. You
name the sin and He NEVER committed it. When you realize the truth of what
I just wrote and you understand that Jesus was a man like us, it is easy
to see that He was trying at all times to strictly adhere to the law of
His Father.
As a follower of Jesus, I too need to be striving to
strictly follow the Word of the Lord. Will my 'performance' earn my
salvation: NEVER. I am saved freely by the grace of God but that grace
motivates me to serve and follow the Lord in a faithful way. Paul wrote
the following in I Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I
am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than
all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Paul's
history before his conversion was one of great wickedness but he
understood that God had saved him from his sin and therefore his response
was one of faithful obedience.
If I want to be like my Lord, I will be legalistic (in the good sense)
to the core.
