Sunday, January 27, 2008

an understanding of grace Pt. 6

So whats wrong with a little legalism?

As I have read through Galatians in the past week, I am again amazed at the vigor of Paul's opposition to legalism. Its not that I think he goes overboard or anything. Its the passion that I am impressed with. You would expect him to be strong in his stand against sexual immorality, or thievery, or maybe murder. Those are obviously sins that very few would argue for. But why the big deal about self-righteousness? A little legalism never hurt anyone did it? I mean, at least the folks are behaving properly. In Agape Force, when you were accused of being legalistic about something, a common reply was, “I'd rather be legal than illegal!” The idea was that being a little too strict in your pursuit of holiness was better than compromise with sin and “the world”. That can be tough to argue with. I guess I should define my terms here though. Some people define legalism in a way that makes any sort of adherence to a set of moral convictions as being “legalistic.” Others will apply that label to those who are committed to the practice of spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting. Usually the disciplines or convictions of the person they are talking about make the person who is crying “Legalism!” feel as though they stand condemned if they don't follow the "legalist's" example. I am not talking about the personal disciplines or moral convictions of one's life. And I use the terms self-righteousness and legalism interchangeably. Its an approach to God where we are trying to earn his acceptance through our good behavior. If we will just keep all the rules, then God will like us, and let us share in His kingdom. Some refer to it as “works.” Very few people try to live from a pure form of legalism. Its almost always a mixture of grace and good works. Its the dance I was telling you about. We come to salvation by grace, receiving the gifts of forgiveness and righteousness. And then we subtly slip into this routine where we depend on our own good works in day to day life until we consciously sin in some way. Then we come back to Jesus for grace to be forgiven and restored. Shortly thereafter we begin to trust in our own righteousness once again. Anyway, I have explained that idea pretty thoroughly earlier. Its a trap that the enemy loves to get us into. Paul saw it as a genuine danger to our spiritual lives. And it is.

What is it that God is doing in our hearts? In II Corinthians we are told that,

“He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.”

That those who live might no longer live for themselves... Don't let the “might” fool you. Its not negotiable. Its His plan.

The first commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. God is love. Perfect, unselfish love. Agape in the Greek. That is what God is trying to do in our hearts. He wants to set us free from the selfishness that ruled us as rebellious unbelievers. He wants to reproduce His love in our hearts. He is not concerned with getting us to behave properly. I mean... He is concerned with that, but he wants it to be the by-product of His love poured out in our hearts.

When Samuel was examining David as the possible choice as king of Israel, God said to him, “Man looks on outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Paul said that he wasnt concerned about what people thought of him because the Lord would one day judge the thoughts and intentions of a person's heart. God is after transformation of our entire being that starts on the inside. It begins when we are born again. Our spirit is made alive to God, and His Spirit comes to dwell inside of us. And then the transformation process begins. Step by step, He reveals the selfishness within us, and teaches us how to live in His love. Like a Master Potter, He is molding and shaping our hearts and we are being changed from the inside out. We are gradually conformed to the image of Jesus, His perfect love formed in us.

So... God is out to cleanse us from the selfishness inside. Well that's where the problem with self-righteousness comes in. Its that “self” part. When we are trying to earn our acceptance with God, that very pursuit itself strengthens the selfishness inside. Everything we do to win His love is motivated by this selfishness. We do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. And every “righteous” act sends those roots of selfishness deeper into our soul. That's why Paul despises legalism as much as the grossest sin you could think of. Its motivated by the same thing. Selfish people are motivated first and foremost by that which brings them happiness. If drugs and casual sex make them happy, then they do drugs and have as much sex as possible. If going to church and mowing the lawn of the widow next door makes them happy, then they do that. But if the “righteous” behavior loses its appeal, they may eventually turn to something less righteous. Not necessarily though. Their fear and guilt may not allow them to do anything really “bad.” It may feel better to deny their darker desires than to give in to them. But, at the end of the day, their driving motivation is that which makes them happiest. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. Everyone wants to be happy. But when your own personal happiness and fulfillment is the primary motivation of your life, you are selfish. And the selfishness that makes a person do good things is the same thing that makes a person steal or kill or commit adultery. The murderer and the legalist are the same person. They simply find their fulfillment from different pursuits. The heart is the same. Its selfish.

Its sinful.

And He wants to set us free from it.

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