You’re Nothing But A Legalist!

If you’re anything like me, it gets confusing when people start throwing out “ism” and “ist” terms (i.e. realism, dispensationalist, existentialism, pragmatism, etc).  Sometimes one of these confusing words is “Legalist.”  Typically this word is used as an insult when one person thinks the other is being overly stern and unfair with the commands in the Bible.  They use this insult to say that one is making laws where the Bible hasn’t.  They may not realize it, but they are misusing and misunderstanding the word “legalist.”

To put it simply, a legalist is one who closely follows the law.  In regards to the Bible, a legalist would be someone who closely, even strictly, follows the commands in the Bible (The Free Dictionary).  So, this definition would make men like Paul, Peter, Moses, and even Christ legalists!  These were all men who tried hard in their lives to follow and enforce the commands from God.  Sometimes they even did so in a strict and firm fashion (Matthew 21:12).

We are living in a time when both culture and religion are becoming excessively relaxed and liberal with laws and morals.  Think of it this way, a hungry and ferocious lion is chained up with an unbreakable leash.  The leash represents our “laws and morals” and the lion represents the consequences of bad decisions.  Strangely, what is happening in our society, and in congregations, is not only an attempt to lengthen the lion’s leash, but to get rid of the restraints altogether!  The problem is, the more we let out the leash, the more the lion will attack.  In other words, the more prevalent crimes, sins, and immoral activities will become.  1 Peter 5:8 talks about Satan being like a “roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”  The way we are told to resist him is to “stand firm in our faith” (vs. 9).  In a similar fashion, Ephesians 6:10-18 says to equip ourselves with the armor of God.  One piece of this armor is “the shield of faith.”  Having faith and being faithful requires one to be morally upstanding and a follower of God’s commands.

In 1 Timothy 1:8-11, Paul made some statements that would probably be very unpopular today.   He says, “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

Culture and religion are trying to let out the lion’s leash on some of the exact things God condemns in this Scripture.  One of the causes of this leniency is a fear of being too strict or being a “legalist.”  Even though legalism has gotten a bad reputation, what we desperately need today are more morally upright and law abiding people.  We need people who are going to stand for what is biblically right, even in the midst of name-calling and disapproving glares.  Let’s make the decision to be law-abiding, morally upstanding, and Bible obeying Christians--just like Christ.

Bee Sting

A family was casually driving around sightseeing on their vacation.  It was a warm, clear, summer day and they were enjoying the breeze coming through the rolled down windows.  Soon the peaceful drive was interrupted when a honeybee flew through the open windows and buzzed around the car.  The young girl, allergic to bee stings, squirmed and shrieked as the bee flew close to her.  She called out, “Daddy, daddy!  It’s a bee!  It’s going to sting me!”

The father quickly pulled the car over and began trying to get the bee out of the car.  Unable to do so, and not wanting to anger the bee into accidently stinging his daughter, he cornered the bee against the windshield.  Having the bee trapped, he grasped the bee in his hand and waited for the inevitable sting.  Feeling the sharp pain, he opened his hand and released the bee out the window.  The little girl began panicking again, “Daddy, it’s going to fly back here again and sting me!”  The father gently responded, “No honey, he can’t sting you now.  Look at my hand.”  In his hand was the bee’s stinger.

Notice the powerful words of 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “…‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Like the father did for his daughter, Jesus Christ has taken the away death’s stinger for us.  The part that stings in death is when a person dies in sin and apart from the Lord.  It stings because that is the end of life and the beginning of punishment.  However, when we live according to God’s commands in Scripture, death does not need to be feared because it’s sting is gone.  Death just becomes the beginning of eternal life with the Lord.  Death becomes victory. 

Christ made an incredible sacrifice for us by removing death’s sting.  May we always remember and thank God for this sacrifice and taking away the sting of death.