LEGALISM vs GRACE vs LAWLESSNESS

                                    LEGALISM VS GRACE VS LAWLESSNESS


INDEX:
-  HOLDING ON TO GRACE YET AVOIDING LAWLESSNESS
- THE BATTLE OF FAITH FOR THE GRACE OF GOD
- FALLING INTO LEGALISM - INDICATIONS
- THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD 
- LAWLESSNESS
- GRACE VS LAWLESSNESS
UNDER GRACE UNDER LAWLESSNESS
- CONCLUSION  

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

 

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that , denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13

 

“Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4 NAS

HOLDING ON TO GRACE YET AVOIDING LAWLESSNESS 
 

 As the end times draws closer and the return of Jesus Christ becomes more imminent, the church is being squeezed on several fronts. On one hand the temptation of falling into legalism is an unending battle. We have always been plagued with the temptations to lean on our traditions, services, behavior standards, and even the laws of God to furnish our righteousness and determine our identity in our own eyes (definitely not His). All the while, we find ourselves attempting to keep a safe distance and a distinguished appearance from the world, yet maintain a relevance and effectiveness in reaching the world for Christ. Difficult has been the task, and teetering or inclining to the left or to the right has proven to be a constant challenge. Within the past few decades here in the west where Christianity had been the founding influence of our societies, the church remained basically unchallenged in many arenas regarding its stance on godless behaviour or the values of other religions and beliefs. Since the antichristian, anti-biblical, influence has not only gained ground, but has begun to prevail in our society we have been challenged to first examine our Biblical accuracy with regards to the values and standards that had been not only long upheld by our denominations, but even by our society, and that is a good thing. Furthermore we are forced to determine before God Almighty, Who does not change, how we are to walk, influence, avoid, or even submit to laws and ordinances that we may not agree with, but even far more seriously, that God in His Word, the Bible, clearly condemns. We found ourselves in a society that has been deteriorating morally at an ever increasing rate, and the safe strongholds of even our homes are being invaded with the loose living of Hollywood and now the internet. Jesus prayed that the Father would not take us out of the world, but that He would keep us from evil (John 17:15). However, through all this turmoil, the Church in the west has been forced to breakdown many denominational barriers, accept one another more openly, and even work together since our differences are somewhat miniscule compared to the differences between us and this rapidly growing Christ-less society.  How, in His matchless wisdom and grace, do we carry out His call to be the salt and light in the increasingly dark and evil world? If we lean too far to the right, we can fall under the law which is a curse not only to ourselves, but makes void the grace of the Gospel of Christ for others. If we lean too far to the left we can begin to accept, partake, and even promote the wicked statutes and values of an antichrist system, the spirit of lawlessness. The good news is that God has already made ample provision through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the instructions of the Word of God, the Bible, and with the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help and guide us through this maze of obstacles, and still bear fruit for His glory. Lord, help us be ever so humble to hear, learn, and receive your instruction we are so badly in need of. My prayer is that this short exposition will help clarify our position in Christ regarding this conflict and alert us to some of the danger we are facing.

THE BATTLE OF FAITH FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

 One of the greatest and most treacherous battles for faith in Christ Jesus is the snare of what is commonly termed LEGALISM. If you are unfamiliar with this term or expression, it is referring to the assumption that we can be saved from our sins by our works; trying to be good and obeying the laws of God. And the better that we obey them, the more righteous we are before God (which is a great idea if we could actually do it, but the Scriptures say that “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6). Legalism also usually includes the carrying out of a multitude of religious practices, rites, attire... and giving to the poor, which is a blessing for them, and a good thing to do. The fact of the matter is that none or all of these activities together cannot wash away our sins let alone make us pure enough in the sight of the Holy and Almighty God for Him to actually live in us, but thanks for trying (Ephesians 2:8-9). “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (by which we are saved).” Galatians 5:4 NIV

 Now if we want to be contentious about anything, the grace of God is by no means a justification for careless or loose living as Romans 8:4, Ephesians 2:10, and Titus 2:11-13 state. The life in the Spirit of Christ will automatically result in godly, holy, and charitable living, just look at Jesus. That is the kind of fruit that God is looking for in the lives of those whom He has redeemed, which is the working of the fruit of His Holy Spirit in us and not something of the flesh that we can boast of in ourselves...


 FALLING INTO LEGALISM - INDICATIONS

... However, “legalism” is something we can quickly fall into if we are attempting to carry out godliness presumptuously and not by faith, and that line can be thin at times. Some indications that we are leaning in that direction are:

- We feel we have to make payments to God by performing certain duties and rites to be acceptable to Him (especially if we have erred in some way), meaning we are believing that the work of Jesus on the cross was insufficient. This was the fallacy that Martin Luther broke free from through the divine revelation, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17

- We feel guilty (we sinned) if we miss a religious activity or duty,

- We look down on other Christians who are not living (in our eyes) as “RIGHTEOUSLY” as we ourselves,

- We are (secretly) proud of our ‘holy’ conduct,

- We despise ‘sinners’. In the book of Isaiah 65:5, the Lord addresses those “Which say, ‘Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou.’ These are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burns all day.’” So when we fall into this aspect of legalism we are obviously a stink to not only everyone else, but also to the Lord.

 The issue of Legalism is even far more serious with regards to our eternal salvation, but at this point we will change the focus to GRACE, and then to LAWLESSNESS which is at the other end of the spectrum.

 THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD

 This grace which He freely gives us came at an extremely high price to Himself. It cost Jesus His life and suffering. Our sins can be forgiven not merely because God is a Merciful God, but His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, paid for our sins with His own blood, not only so we can be forgiven, but in order that God’s judgment on sin could be justly satisfied!!! “For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23

NOTE – It is for this reason that only through the BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WHICH HE SHED ON THE CROSS can anyone be cleansed from their sins. And behold, thus is the entrance of God’s unfathomable Grace in our lives, but where does it go from here? For the Grace of God to be available the righteous requirements to the Law had to be satisfied, which was accomplished by His Son. And with that provision He also has given us of His Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in a manner pleasing to Him so that our life is not one of careless or lawless behavior.

THROUGH GOD’S GRACE –

- We are forgiven “…having forgiven you all trespasses…” Colossians 2:13

- We are cleansed in God’s sight just as if we have never sinned “…but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and buy the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11

- We are accepted and adopted as His children “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons… 

- We had been so purified before Him that He sends His Holy Spirit to live in us …and because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:5-6

-  We have been set free from the yoke of the law (trying to keep all God’s holy laws to be righteous before Him), “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

-  He empowers us to overcome sin "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace." Romans 6:14
 “…but if you through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, you shall live.” Romans 8:13

-  He liberates us from addictions, iniquities, or sinful behaviour “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14

-  He enables to live righteously and holy in His sight Titus 2:11-13

-  We can enjoy His peace and unending blessings Romans 5:1, Ephesians 1:3…AND SO MUCH MORE…! In all this we have gained His unearned favor called GRACE!

Dear friends, it must be clearly understood that the grace of God has not changed the righteous standards of His laws, nor has it lessened the evil and dangers of sin, but through His grace He has enabled us to be forgiven even though we are all guilty before Him, and has, through the power of His Holy Spirit, enabled us to live in a standard that is above the law, His Love! “Love works no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10

 

LAWLESSNESS

 In the Scriptures of the Bible it appears that the prevalent oppressive force which will dominate the world before Jesus’ returns is the spirit of lawlessness. No doubt it is likely that a fierce legalism will be working at the other end of the spectrum since it too is a tool of the devil and a work of the flesh. During this period those living by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be caught in a cruel middle. Jesus did warn us beforehand, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold…and you will be hated of all men for My name’s sake, but he that endures to the end shall be saved” Matthew 24:12, 10:22

 

LAWLESSNESS, THE DEVIL’S COUNTERFEIT TO GOD’S GRACE

  Whatever God has given for our blessing and good the devil tries to twist and distort for our destruction. And whatever God has provided for our help the devil counterfeits to keep us from breaking free from his bondages and connecting with God. And he (the devil) knows how to make sin appealing and justifiable in our minds. He also makes his ‘remedies’ for our troubles so comfortably accessible that we can easily sidestep the cross of Christ through which lies our only salvation.

 Because sin (disobedience to God) is the devil’s destructive devise against mankind, not only did he develop methods to deploy it against us (knowing our weaknesses in our flesh), but he also has been building a bulwark to protect it – LAWLESSNESS which is the denial of the Law of God. He introduced it in the Garden of Eden on Eve by saying “Has God said…?” Genesis 3:1. The way lawlessness works is that it denies the laws of God, and subsequently denies the consequences “…you shall not surely die…” Genesis 3:4. By doing this, an anti-law becomes the status quo, the action becomes acceptable in society, then legal (but not to God).

 Lawlessness in a society can take on many different forms, but in a post Christian society it will be obvious especially in the areas of the value of human life, sexual immorality, drugs, and whatever else is against the laws and commands of the God of the Bible.  God's grace functions in this way, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness  of God which is by faith..." Romans 3:21-22
 When a society or individual attempts to have a right (righteous) standing without the grace of God, they are forced to ignore or even defy the laws and commands of God to compensate.

 Instead of going down the political road, let us look at some of the comparisons between the Grace of God and Lawlessness:

GRACE                                                     LAWLESSNESS

-Operates apart from the law by        - Defies/rejects the law
  faith                                                         
-Offers conditional forgiveness           -Offers unconditional forgiveness
 and acceptance ...                                      and acceptance
...Faith and repentance are required and     neither faith nor repentance 
enabled       Genesis 4:7                               are required                   
-Gives access to God                             -Offers access to the world
-Produces God’s expected change    -No change required since no sin is 
a new creation in Christ living a life of        acknowledged = nothing new
freedom yet without breaking His laws        or healthy is produced

NOTE -We can confuse God's unconditional love with acceptance. Truly He loved us even while we were yet sinners John 3:16, but to be accepted into His fold, He requires faith and repentance "...and we are His witnesses to these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God has given to those who obey Him." Acts 5:32

 Now we will look at the effects or fruit of God’s grace, and the results of lawlessness. Let us select a case of sexual sin. In 1 Corinthians 5 the apostle Paul addresses a serious issue of sexual immorality in the church. Before the Lord, he pronounces judgment and has the individual put out of the covering of the church and into the afflicting hands of Satan for the destruction of the flesh, and lest the sin spreads. Unchecked sin does spread like a disease. In 2 Corinthians 2:6-11, it is apparent that the person who sinned repented, and the apostle Paul urges them to receive him back, as the punishment was sufficient, to forgive and comfort him lest he be overcome by excessive sorrow and fall into another snare of the devil.

GRACE                                                      LAWLESSNESS

-The sinner comes to Christ                -The sinner is not regarded as a

 acknowledges their sin and                          sinner = no forgiveness required

-The sinner repents of their sin          -The sinner is accepted into society

 by faith, is forgiven and accepted          no repentance is expected

-The sinner now has access to God   -The sinner is still separated from         

  and is accepted into His family         God, but fully accepted in society

-The sinner is now a saint and a        -The sinner is still unchanged

  New person in Christ                           and functioning in society

                                                                   unquestioned and unchallenged

                                                                   with regards to his sin.

 

Let us summarize this scenario: UNDER GOD’S GRACE, when a sinner comes to Christ By faith and repents of their sin, they are forgiven, accepted of God, and His wrath is turned away from him. God sends the Spirit of His Son into his heart and he becomes a new creation in Christ if he is not already a believer. Old things have passed away and all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17. He has changed his destiny from hell to heaven.

UNDER LAWLESSNESS, a sinner is freely accepted in society. Their act is not considered wrong, or perhaps considered a minor issue (with the exceptions of certain theft and murder), so no or minimal forgiveness and repentance is required, nor is any change expected, so they are free to continue in their sinful condition. No connection is made with God and from the perspective of the Word of God they are still facing His wrath.
 Some even feel that they are accepted of God because they believe and He loves them (which He does) and they may very well believe. But Jesus said, “But unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3,5, “And if your hand…foot…eye offend (cause you to sin) cut it off…pluck it out… for it is better for you to enter into life maimed…crippled…enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two hands…two feet…to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched. Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 12:43-48

  Because of God’s amazing love, patience, mercy, and grace, unless we are aware of what He in the Bible calls sin, His fully righteous nature, His abhorrence for sin, His judgment against it, and the dangers of sin in itself, even we as Christians can fall into the reasoning of the world thinking that He unconditionally accepts everyone, especially if they claim to believe in Him, without true faith and repentance - which is to “flee from the wrath to come.” Luke 3:7. A dangerous statement to hear from a Christian about sin is, “It’s not that bad.”

 Indeed this may look like grace but it is of no value nor help to the sinner, and instead secures them in the imminent destruction. The embrace of acceptance, if there is not a rejection of their sin, may look kind and caring, but is actually a hindrance to their badly needed repentance and salvation. We may claim this to be love, yet works against their true wellbeing the way an enemy would. Now it must be clarified here, that when dealing with people caught in sin, we must be kind, loving, and embrace them as we are able, but NOT EMBACE THEIR SIN. That is the difference.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1

CONCLUSION – We must constantly examine ourselves as the Apostle Paul said, “…whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5, Are we living our lives under the law, or in agreement with lawlessness. If we attack the sinner we are acting under the law. If we disregard the sin we are serving lawlessness. May the Lord help us walk carefully before Him.