"What a weird blog title! Isn't that like a double negative...a not, not, cancelling itself out???"
Wait, wait, let me explain. A lot of blogging space has been used recently to defend the importance of grounding our ongoing growth in the gospel. This is a cause I resonate with--as I said in a recent message, we simply do not grow apart from our union with Christ. Only gospel grounded growth is growth in true maturity, growing up into Him who is the Head, into Christ. We also must always guard against making our progress or lack of progress in maturity the center of our meditation, the basis for our approach to God, or our hope of eternal life.
My worry is that in an attempt to preach the gospel of freedom in Christ, both for justification and as the source of our growth, some language that is used can create an unbiblical restraint, a "you'd better not" where God says "yes." This happens when the commands, or imperatives, of the Bible (even the NT ones) are questioned or even dismissed as unhelpful in our view of Christian growth. If our teaching about growth makes it sound like it is dangerous for Christians to meditate on or seek to obey the commands that the Bible intends to give Christians, we are creating anti-legalism legalism.
Of course this is not the intent of the teaching--the goal is to free Christians from extra-biblical rules and especially from a works centered spiritual experience. However, if Christians walk away from our warnings about commands and the danger of rules with the thought that truly spiritual, truly gospel centered Christians grow without ever focusing on the Biblical calls for godliness issued to Christians--we have placed a fence around part of their identity in Christ. We have cut them off from part of the good pasture of God's Word, opened to them in Christ. To be in Christ is to be under his headship, to embrace his Word, all of it, with freedom, fueled by his Spirit. We are not free to misuse his Word in any way, nor are we free to make it sound as though Christians should be able to grow only using part of their Bibles. This is anti-legalism legalism, and it will produce the same death and condemnation that it is our goal to fight against.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Who is United to Christ?
The man or woman united to the Lord Jesus Christ is one with Him in
their legal standing before God. They are one with Him in their
spiritual newness of life. The righteous obedience of Christ and his perfect fulfillment of God's law is credited permanently to their account. The willing death of Jesus Christ absorbed the full punishment of God for every one of their sins. The Lordship of Christ is their rule and authority.
The Spirit of Christ is their lifeblood, their new life and vitality.
The sonship of Christ is their new family identity, in which they can
freely call God Father. The character of the Lord Jesus is their
standard of living. The inheritance of Christ has been granted to them,
which is their hope of glory.
Who is United to Christ? A person who has been given all of these blessings in full, irrevocably, freely, by the grace of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
*Originally posted at Redemption Hill Church
Who is United to Christ? A person who has been given all of these blessings in full, irrevocably, freely, by the grace of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
*Originally posted at Redemption Hill Church
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The Worst Lie of Legalism
Yesterday
I posted about Paul’s admonition against legalism in the second chapter
of Colossians. Legalism is a ready danger for every church and every
Christian. It takes many forms, certainly including the following:
1) Embracing consistent low grade guilt as a way of self-atoning for past sins.
2) Believing that I must obey certain religious rules that are not commanded in the Bible.
3) Believing that Jesus gets me into the kingdom, but my ongoing righteousness is my hope for making it to heaven in the end.
4) Believing that my good deeds make up for my bad deeds.
5) Believing that God’s love for me fluctuates depending on my faithfulness.
What do I believe is the worst lie of legalism? The worst lie of legalism runs through all of these forms and infects Christians and non-believers alike. The worst lie of legalism says that Jesus righteousness and death were not enough to reconcile us to God and give us eternal life. It lies that our basis for acceptance before God is our own righteousness and our own self-atonement, rather than the righteousness of Christ and his death in our place. It lies that God’s love toward us and gracious disposition to us is dependent on our current, or past, or future righteousness rather than on the unchanging person and work of Christ. The antidote to this poisonous lie is the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. All my sins are paid for in Him. Perfect righteousness covers me before God. God accepts me with the same Fatherly affection that he has for His Son. Nothing a Christian does can change this status before God. Legalism lies, but the truth of Jesus Christ and his gospel will destroy the lie of legalism and leave us amazed and grateful for what He has done for us.
1) Embracing consistent low grade guilt as a way of self-atoning for past sins.
2) Believing that I must obey certain religious rules that are not commanded in the Bible.
3) Believing that Jesus gets me into the kingdom, but my ongoing righteousness is my hope for making it to heaven in the end.
4) Believing that my good deeds make up for my bad deeds.
5) Believing that God’s love for me fluctuates depending on my faithfulness.
What do I believe is the worst lie of legalism? The worst lie of legalism runs through all of these forms and infects Christians and non-believers alike. The worst lie of legalism says that Jesus righteousness and death were not enough to reconcile us to God and give us eternal life. It lies that our basis for acceptance before God is our own righteousness and our own self-atonement, rather than the righteousness of Christ and his death in our place. It lies that God’s love toward us and gracious disposition to us is dependent on our current, or past, or future righteousness rather than on the unchanging person and work of Christ. The antidote to this poisonous lie is the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. All my sins are paid for in Him. Perfect righteousness covers me before God. God accepts me with the same Fatherly affection that he has for His Son. Nothing a Christian does can change this status before God. Legalism lies, but the truth of Jesus Christ and his gospel will destroy the lie of legalism and leave us amazed and grateful for what He has done for us.
*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Union with Christ and Legalism
This
last Sunday I preached from Colossians 2:16-23. It is a power packed
passage in which Paul is warning the church against false teachers
looking to ensnare them in a legalistic view of the Christian life.
These teachers were judging the Colossians for falling short of ultimate
spirituality and were looking to point to themselves as examples of all
that Christians were meant to be. Paul points them back to their union
with Christ and reminds them that every Christian has all that he or
she needs through their connection to the Head, the Lord Jesus. In
preaching that passage for our church I drew out three common tendencies
of legalism that we must all guard against, either from false teachers
or from dangerous thinking in our own hearts.
1. Legalism Misuses the Bible
Legalistic teaching rarely abandons the Bible entirely, but rather picks certain passages or commands and applies them without reference to their Biblical context or other Scriptures that provide a balancing perspective. For example, in the Colossian situation, the false teachers were apparently emphasizing the calendar and dietary laws of the Old Testament, but without referencing how the coming of the Lord Jesus had fulfilled and transformed those particular regulations. Almost all legalism will make use of Old Testament commands without discussing how they are impacted by the coming of the Lord Jesus, or New Testament commands without celebrating how they are fueled by our union with Christ. We must not be impressed by a teacher who can merely quote a Bible verse, but rather look for a person who can interpret the entire Scriptures in connection to the person and work of Christ.
2. Legalism Misrepresents Maturity
For the Colossian false teachers, maturity was defined by rigorous practices of humility, transcendent spiritual visions and experience, and the worship of angels–all without a central focus on union with Christ. Most legalistic teachings will reference some aspect of Biblical maturity, but will neglect to mention the source of true maturity in Christ and will also smuggle in false practices or exaggerated emphasis in the midst of their teaching. Humility is good. A longing for powerful spiritual encounters with God is good. Defining maturity by an exaggerated description of these commands and neglecting the priority of union with Christ is deadly.
3. Legalism Manufactures Restrictions
In this passage Paul quotes the slogans of the false teachers–”Do not handle”, “Do not taste”, “Do not touch”–as a way of summarizing their commands. The Bible is not reluctant to issue commands, and even commands about very practical issues of real life–but legalism seeks to manufacture additional commands and apply them with Bible-like authority in the church. Legalism assumes that true maturity is more stringent than the Bible in some area or other. We must believe that God knows what He is doing and that He finds pleasure when we enjoy his gifts just as he does when we refuse to idolize them.
As an additional note, legalism is no respecter of sectors of Christianity–extra-biblical standards can be manufactured regarding dietary choices and community life, social action and devotional habits, evangelistic expectations and domestic routine. All of us face the temptation to manufacture commands that become a legalistic snare.
As an additional, additional note, legalism can also creep into the passionate pleas of the anti-legalist. Some anti-legalistic teachers can make it sound as if true maturity is a race away from the imperatives of Scripture. This is forbidding what God has given his people to enjoy–the freedom to obey His Word. It informs Christians who still struggle but who neglect the study of Biblical commands that they “just don’t get the gospel enough”–leaving them condemned for their insufficient view of Christ. Yet God gave Biblical commands as a gift of grace that all Christians should benefit from. Failing to encourage Christians to enjoy this gift is manufacturing extra-Biblical restrictions. This too is legalism.
Legalism will always lurk in the path of the Christian. Like a landmine, it strikes indiscriminately against mature Christians and new believers. Its greatest damage is done when it turns us away from confidence in Christ and toward confidence (or condemnation) based on our character or discipline. We must be watchful for the characteristics of legalism in our own thinking and in the teaching we receive. Ultimately, rejoicing in our union with Christ and the submitted freedom that we have in him is our safety against legalistic landmines that will always border our path.
1. Legalism Misuses the Bible
Legalistic teaching rarely abandons the Bible entirely, but rather picks certain passages or commands and applies them without reference to their Biblical context or other Scriptures that provide a balancing perspective. For example, in the Colossian situation, the false teachers were apparently emphasizing the calendar and dietary laws of the Old Testament, but without referencing how the coming of the Lord Jesus had fulfilled and transformed those particular regulations. Almost all legalism will make use of Old Testament commands without discussing how they are impacted by the coming of the Lord Jesus, or New Testament commands without celebrating how they are fueled by our union with Christ. We must not be impressed by a teacher who can merely quote a Bible verse, but rather look for a person who can interpret the entire Scriptures in connection to the person and work of Christ.
2. Legalism Misrepresents Maturity
For the Colossian false teachers, maturity was defined by rigorous practices of humility, transcendent spiritual visions and experience, and the worship of angels–all without a central focus on union with Christ. Most legalistic teachings will reference some aspect of Biblical maturity, but will neglect to mention the source of true maturity in Christ and will also smuggle in false practices or exaggerated emphasis in the midst of their teaching. Humility is good. A longing for powerful spiritual encounters with God is good. Defining maturity by an exaggerated description of these commands and neglecting the priority of union with Christ is deadly.
3. Legalism Manufactures Restrictions
In this passage Paul quotes the slogans of the false teachers–”Do not handle”, “Do not taste”, “Do not touch”–as a way of summarizing their commands. The Bible is not reluctant to issue commands, and even commands about very practical issues of real life–but legalism seeks to manufacture additional commands and apply them with Bible-like authority in the church. Legalism assumes that true maturity is more stringent than the Bible in some area or other. We must believe that God knows what He is doing and that He finds pleasure when we enjoy his gifts just as he does when we refuse to idolize them.
As an additional note, legalism is no respecter of sectors of Christianity–extra-biblical standards can be manufactured regarding dietary choices and community life, social action and devotional habits, evangelistic expectations and domestic routine. All of us face the temptation to manufacture commands that become a legalistic snare.
As an additional, additional note, legalism can also creep into the passionate pleas of the anti-legalist. Some anti-legalistic teachers can make it sound as if true maturity is a race away from the imperatives of Scripture. This is forbidding what God has given his people to enjoy–the freedom to obey His Word. It informs Christians who still struggle but who neglect the study of Biblical commands that they “just don’t get the gospel enough”–leaving them condemned for their insufficient view of Christ. Yet God gave Biblical commands as a gift of grace that all Christians should benefit from. Failing to encourage Christians to enjoy this gift is manufacturing extra-Biblical restrictions. This too is legalism.
Legalism will always lurk in the path of the Christian. Like a landmine, it strikes indiscriminately against mature Christians and new believers. Its greatest damage is done when it turns us away from confidence in Christ and toward confidence (or condemnation) based on our character or discipline. We must be watchful for the characteristics of legalism in our own thinking and in the teaching we receive. Ultimately, rejoicing in our union with Christ and the submitted freedom that we have in him is our safety against legalistic landmines that will always border our path.
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