Just what is Legalism?

It would seem that a big danger facing the church today is something called legalism And the uniting feature of legalism is everybody throws it around - conservatives and liberals. I've been a Christian long enough to remember when preachers warned of heresy, error, and liberalism. Today, one hardly if ever hears these words much less the warnings. But we do hear of the grave danger of legalism.

But what is legalism?? The word never appears in the Bible and this creates a problem: How do we define this danger when the Bible doesn't speak of it? Consequently, everyone's definition is a little different. Hmmm... This is tricky. Since there is no fixed definition, I decided to present a few scenarios and ask, Is this legalism?

- teaching salvation depends on observing the Sabbath and/or the dietary restrictions found in the Old Testament. Is this legalism? Actually, this would be the textbook definition of legalism. The false teachers told the Galatians that circumcision and keeping the feasts were necessary to salvation - Quintessential legalism.

- using the word "commandments." Is this legalism? No. Jesus, Paul, and Peter all used this very word. Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments. Obviously we need to clarify what commandments, but if I am a follower of Christ I want to know what he said so I can do it.

- teaching people to obey the Word of God. Is this legalism? No. 1 Peter 1:2   Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ  Hebrews 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.
One of the marks of a believer is the desire to obey.

- teaching that believers ought to pray, or attend church, or give to the poor, or love one another, or forgive etc. Is this legalism? No. This is exhortation to obedience.

- seeking to apply passages dealing with how women should dress, such as 1 Timothy 2:9-10  I will... that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Is this legalism? No. What many teachers today do is excuse us from having to be concerned about this by claiming that any discussion of how to apply this "is legalistic." No, it's not; it is being spiritual.

- teaching people what to do to please God, and warning them that there are things they might do that would not please God. Is this legalism? No. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.  2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.  Paul gave the Thessalonians certain commandments and said, Do these things and you will please God. Surely, it's not a stretch to say that failure to do these things will not please God.

- having guidelines concerning clothing, such as, "No two piece bathing suits or speedos at the church pool party." Is this legalism? No. My daughter attended first grade at a Christian school that required girls to wear dresses / skirts. Was that legalism? No. It's called "standards."

- I didn't let my children play video games when they were growing up and kept a tight rein on internet usage and absolutely forbad chat rooms. Was that legalism? No.

- not having a computer or TV because you believe they have an evil influence. Is this legalism? No.

- having set times of prayer, or adhering to a schedule for reading the Bible. Is this legalism? No. It's called discipline.

None of these things constitute legalism. Nor does having standards of behavior constitute legalism.

It's not legalistic if I say, "Stay on the walkway or you will fall in the water."

Well then, what is it?? That's the question, isn't it?

For one million dollars, What is legalism?

It's when I say of my standards and guidelines, "You must do this to be saved." This would apply to those who tell us we must keep the Sabbath to be saved.

Or, "You must only do it this way to get God's approval." I knew a couple once who came to me for counseling because they'd had a major fight that morning. What did they fight about? Their devotions. He said you must read the Bible and then pray and she prayed and then read her Bible. And they had a knock down drag out fight. I'm not making this up. What if you don't have a set time of prayer or a Bible reading schedule? While there is a benefit to discipline, it's not like God will throw you out if you don't pray at the same time every day.

Or, "If you don't follow my practice God will get you." I knew a sister in college who lived in fear that if she failed to have her devotions God would cause her to flunk the test or class. Yes, she needed to be set free. It's not wrong to encourage believers to pray, but it is wrong to teach that God will smack you when you don't and thus turn it into a lucky charm.

I don't think the problem for the church in America is too many standards  Or too much "ought to" preaching. Or excessive holiness. The problem is rather preachers too often excuse our lack of conformity to the Scriptures. Antinomianism seems to be a greater problem. What in the world is antinomianism?

More often than not this is what goes through my mind when I hear a preacher drag out that old boogeyman of legalism.

(I began this on my computer but finished it on my phone, I hope I caught all the mistakes)

Likewise…whatwise?

Our pastor is currently preaching through 1st Peter and has reached chapter 3. Two weeks ago we looked at likewise ye wives . . . Last week it was likewise ye husbands . . .

Both verses begin with likewise. He didn’t spend much time on the word likewise but it has always captivated me. Peter used it for a reason. What was that reason?

Likewise means in a similar fashion, in the same way. We could say Peter just threw it in there as a filler, as we do with words like well and so. But I believe the Bible is the Word of God and that each word is important and used for a reason. We don’t have to go crazy looking for some special significance, but the use of a word indicates something. So we need to back up a little and see if we can find what Peter is alluding to with likewise.

In chapter 2 verse 11 he says, Dearly beloved and begins to exhort and encourage them concerning their conversation (behavior) among the Gentiles. In verses 11-17 he speaks generally to the whole church, but in verse 18 he begins to address specific subgroups among them.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.  
19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.  
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

He instructs servants how to respond to both good and gentle masters as well as froward masters. And it is the same way – be subject will all fear and suffer wrongdoing patiently. And then he offers Christ as their example and role model:

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  

This brings us to our first likewise, Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. And in fact he presents the same scenario - the possibility of good and gentle (believing) husbands and froward (disobedient) husbands. Just as servants are to live in reverence and patience, with Christ as their role model, so too wives. That is, likewise, in the same way.

Then, Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge . . . But something is different. While with servants and wives he speaks of the good and gentle as well as the froward, he doesn’t say anything about that here. If anything, he seems to assume all the wives are believers, giving honour unto the wife…as being heirs together of the grace of life. And yet we know people, sometimes in marriage there are differences, disagreements, trying times. And since his instruction here is, dwell with them according to knowledge, we might also surmise that the men in Peter’s day found it just as hard to understand women as men today!

Oh my, is this a jab at women?

Generally, women are far more complicated than men. Wives tend to be exasperated with the predictability and short-sightedness of their husbands. Men, on the other hand, are often confused and exasperated with the unpredictability of their wives. How does likewise fit in here? Husbands, with fear and patience, dwell with your wives according to knowledge, with Christ as your role model.

Peter uses likewise one other time in his epistle, 5.5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Let’s see if my explanation of likewise in chapter 3 applies here.

5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Likewise, in the same way, with the same attitude as the elders. And what was to mark the attitude of the elders? Submission to Christ, as an example to the flock, waiting for the coming of Christ and His reward. As Peter sums it up, humility. Yeah, it fits.

Likewise. What a good word. Likewise is used elsewhere in the New Testament and I don’t know why it has only captured my attention here. Obviously, I need to pay better attention. Meanwhile, I praise the Lord for Peter’s use here!

Sometimes you don’t appear very contrite

Language. We use it all the time. I’m using it now. What a blessing! What a problem!

How can it be both a blessing and a problem? It is a blessing because I can use it to communicate to you what I’m thinking, or feeling; what I see, what happened, what I want to do. It can be a problem when I use a word thinking it means one thing but you hear it thinking it means another thing.

Oh my.

This is the case with the word contrite. This is not a word we hear often. I hear it from time time, as in, “Sometimes you don’t appear very contrite.” I’ve heard it often enough that I decided to do a study of this word in the Bible in order to see what God says about it and to then determine (as far as I am able) if I am contrite or not.

First, I found all the occurrences of contrite in the Bible:

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

These Scriptures speak of a broken heart, a contrite spirit, a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, a contrite and humble spirit, a contrite spirit. Contrite is applied to both the heart and the spirit. Broken, humble, and poor seem to be synonyms of contrite.

My first conclusion: While contrite doesn’t occur very often, it is a genuine, biblical, and blessed state to be in.

Second, I thought I would take a look at what contrite means in English and Hebrew.

I googled contrite and this is what I found: “feeling or expressing remorse.” This is what people seem to have in mind when they speak of contrite. What do the Hebrew words mean ? And this is where it gets interesting.

Contrite is a translation of dakka, which means crushed, ground to dust. Broken is a translation of shabbar and means, well, broken. Both words are obviously used figuratively: to be broken, brought low. 

This brings us back to language. Today, when someone says contrite they mean, Are you sad and sorry? When the Bible speaks of contrite it refers to being brought low. How low? Broken.

“What we've got here is failure to communicate.” The Bible uses a word meaning one thing but we hear it thinking it means something else. I began to wonder, Did the translators use the wrong word? So I looked into the etymology and history of the word contrite. I learned something rather enlightening:

contrite (adj.) c. 1300, from Old French contrit and directly from Latin contritus, literally "worn out, ground to pieces," past participle of conterere "to grind". Used in English in figurative sense of "crushed in spirit by a sense of sin."

Ah, turns out the translators chose a really good word, one that accurately reflects the Hebrew!

Second conclusion: This is not a matter of feelings or emotions; there is something much deeper involved. God is near to, saves, revives, and looks to those who are broken and contrite (in heart and spirit). But what does it mean when it says a broken heart and a crushed spirit? a crushed heart and a broken spirit? and why would God delight in me being ground to dust?

The world loves a rebel, he does what he wants, nobody tells him what to do. This is the flesh – I feel, I want, I desire, and I’m gonna do it. I’ve just described sin: “I’ll do what I want to do, the way I want to do it.” When you mix in self-reliance, “I don’t need no help,” you have a picture of a puffed up person, proud, rebellious, and determined to do this his way. Not only will such a person never seek God’s help, we are told that God resists the proud. The proud, the puffed up, the rebellious will never get help from God.

This is what I think this all means: Broken and contrite refer to the person whose foundation has been broken, the air knocked out of him. He’s not puffed up anymore. The citadel of pride has to be breached, the fortress of rebellion has to be broken down, the stronghold of sin has to be crushed. God is near that person. God does not despise the person who cries out, “Oh God, I’ve made a mess of everything.” He saves such as be of a contrite spirit, “Oh God, I want out, but I can’t get out. Help me!” Surely they feel bad and cry, but that’s not contrite. Contrite is when the pride and rebellion are crushed.

I found an amazing illustration of this in Jeremiah 44:1-10  
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,  2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,  3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.  4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.  5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.  6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.  7 Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;  8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?  9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?  10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. 

The Jews had sinned grievously against God. They knew better but they did it anyway. Then he sent prophets, warning them, calling them back (Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate), but they would not listen. So He uprooted them and had them go into exile in Egypt. But this generation, in exile for sins, continued in the same kinds of sins! Verse 10 sums it up quite well, They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. 

They are not humbled unto this day. They were not broken. They were not contrite. The citadel of rebellion was not broken down. The stronghold of sin was not crushed. They would not turn away from their sin and return to God.

Conclusion: When I fall into sin, what does God want from me? He wants me to be broken and contrite - to turn away from my sin, to call upon Him for help, and to change my course so that I walk in His ways. Of course there will be sadness and tears, but sorrow is no substitute for contrite.

Now for the scariest part, Am I contrite? I’ve confessed my sin. I’ve forsaken it. I’ve returned to God and His ways. Yes. Is the work completely done? No. But I believe I qualify:

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; 

and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Typos in Joshua

Typos? I meant types. Types in Joshua.

But what is a type? God established certain people, events, and things in the Old Testament as types of Christ and gospel truths. A type is like a picture of Christ or of his grace and work in the New Testament. For example, in Romans 5.14 Paul says Adam is the figure of him that was to come, that is a type of the one who was to come. In other words, Adam is a type of Christ. And this is important when it comes to types - the person or event really happened, was historical, but God used them to provide types foreshadowing Christ.

There are a couple of types in the book of Joshua.

The first one is Joshua himself. In Numbers 13:16 we read, These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

Oshea (or Hosea) means salvation. That’s a great name! But Moses changed his name to Jehoshua or Joshua which means Jehovah is salvation. And the exciting thing is Joshua in Hebrew and Greek is the same as Jesus. Clearly, Joshua was set forth by God to be a type of Christ. Joshua led the people into the promised land, just as Jesus leads his people into the promised land.

The second type is the promised land. God saved Israel from Egypt to bring them into the land. The normal life of Israel was in the land. God blessed them, they defeated their enemies, and they bore fruit. This is a beautiful and powerful picture of the normal Christian life: We walk in his blessings, we overcome our enemies, and we bear fruit (the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of righteousness). This is an exciting book to read!

There is an old chorus we used to sing that captures this:

The Lord has given a land of good things,
I will press in and make them mine.
I'll know His power, I'll know His glory,
And in His kingdom I will shine.

With the high praises of God in our mouth
And a two-edged sword in our hand
We will march right on to the victory side,
Right into Canaan's land.

Gird up your armour, ye sons of Zion,
Gird up your armour, let's go to war.
We'll win the battle with great rejoicing,
And sing his praises more and more!

With the high praises of God in our mouth
And a two-edged sword in our hand
We will march right on to the victory side,
Right into Canaan's land.

Amen!