Freedom From Legalism
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians. 4:7
In the days of apostle Paul, legalism was trying to penetrate into the Galatian Church. Some Judaizers were teaching the new Christians that they were required to follow the Jewish laws to obtain salvation. For them, salvation was based on works, not solely on God’s free gift of grace.
In Galatians 4, Paul was trying to show us the difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. When a believer is spiritually immature, he is insensitive to the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t know how to walk with Him or hear His voice. Such a Christian is a babe in Christ, ignorant of the things of God. He needs to be constantly told by others what is right or wrong for him. So instead of letting God control his life, he ends up allowing people to control him. And when imperfect people start regulating your life, you will inevitably be enslaved into bondage again.
Paul says, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father” (Gal. 4:1-2). No matter how great our inheritance is, as long as we don’t grow up in God, we will never get to enjoy it. We are no different from being a slave. And as long as we are enslaved, we will never be free to enjoy God’s blessings.
If we are not willing to trust and obey God, we will soon go back to the slavery of the fl esh, which is “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfi sh ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (5:19-21). Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That is the real danger of legalism. Legalism is allowing man-made rules to play the role of the Holy Spirit in your life-what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, where to go, etc. While the intentions of some legalists may be noble (for example, to prevent you from sinning), they actually do you a grave disservice because they cut you off from a life of faith in the Spirit. Legalism ultimately will bring people into a state of spiritual poverty, robbing them of all the joy and blessings that God has promised us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have true freedom in Christ when you look to the Holy Spirit to lead you in your day-to-day decision-making. And He will always lead and guide you to do the right thing.
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Why is the 24 June 09 daily devotion not found in the library?
The existence of church leadership is to give spiritual guidance – not in a legalistic way, of course.
The new testament is filled with the apostle Paul often telling the church what to do and what to wear etc. An example is found in 1 Cor 11:5-6 — that women should veil their heads in church. (It was the custom at that time).
If the advice given is correct, the Holy Spirit will confirm it to the believer and he/she will have the peace.
We read in Judges (Judges 21:25) that when ‘everybody did what was right in their own eyes’, chaos and anarchy prevailed.
We should be careful not to label ‘pastoral guidance’ as legalism.
A good father will know how to give correct advice without being excessively authoritative. He will not let his kids experience sin first-hand in order to learn a lesson. He tells them what’s not good for them and warns them of the consequences beforehand so they don’t have to fall.
Just my thoughts..
Yes. Pastor Kong
I agree with you……but how u can help every one come to this level ……………… .
Legalism is when you have to obey man-made rules to earn your salvation. That’s of course wrong. The other extreme is lawlessness ie. not subject to any rules or regulations.
Culture is made up of a set of social norms – manners, tastes, dressing, value system etc. practised by a specific group of people at different times. There is asian culture and western culture..and so on. Every culture has it’s good and bad.
We all conform to our own culture and social background. Consciously or unconsciously, we already follow an unwritten code of conduct.
Wherever we go, wherever we are, there are rules and regulations to follow whether or not we like it…at school, at work, any place.
Culture is created by man. Someone out there designed a shirt or dress in a certain style and thinks everyone should wear it. If he is able to influence a large number of people to do it, then it becomes fashion. If that fashion designer is promiscuous and lustful, naturally his products will bear the imprint of his lifestyle. Why should we allow our fashion sense be to dictated by such a person?
There’s nothing wrong with following fashion. God has given us creativity. We should be stylish and fashionable. We just need to use common sense in making our choices.
Western culture believes that parents should not try to influence their children in the way they think but let them alone to make their own judgments and decisions. This is so they can be free to develop naturally and be what they choose to be.
But take a look at what’s happening in America, and countries in the west – they have become a decadent society. It’s an undisputed fact that their culture is in decline.
In asian culture, we believe in passing on ‘good values’ to our children (at least we try to). Of course they don’t all turn out the way we want them to. At least we do our duty.
I believe that as parents we have the responsibility to instruct and nurture our kids. If we don’t tell them what to do, the whole world is shouting to tell them what they should do. They are constantly being bombarded by the media, internet, peer pressure, whatever. If we don’t try to influence them, somebody else will. And it may not be for their good.