Legalism

[Michael The Disciple]

Legal pertains to "law". A legalist would refer to one who is about "law".

[ILG]

Originally Posted by FlamingZword

Legalism is a control mechanism.

It is making people abide by certain rules and if a person does not abide by those laws, then that person is castigated by shame, reproach and other means even being expelled from the group for failing to abide by those laws.

The legalistic have a hard time abandoning or discarding a law for it means that if one of their laws is wrong, then perhaps there are of their laws that are also wrong.

New laws are easier to enact than old laws to be discarded.
It takes a monumental effort to discard an old law no matter how wrong the law is.

[Abiding Now]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Legal pertains to "law". A legalist would refer to one who is about "law".

So, a NON-legalist would be lawless?

[Luke]

I would probably be considered a legalist by many and in fact have been called a legalist and a pharisee on more than one occasions (of course the persons making these accusations were practically furious at the time because I would not agree with them). I hold to a biblical outward standard of righteousness and I adhere to personal convictions that though I can't point to chapter and verse I know God not man gave them to me for me (I try very hard when I preach to stay on the biblical standards) when asked about my personal convictions I present them as things God convicted me of. However to say that someone is a pharisee because they list things as sinful and refuse to do them so as to remain righteous is not phariseesism or legalism. The pharisees and legalist would be those who follow a list of do's and don'ts to become righteous. The one works from the cross out of love and gratitude of what was done for them while the other works to earn the cross.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Legal pertains to "law". A legalist would refer to one who is about "law".

A legalist is someone who thinks keeping rules makes them righteous, rather than receiving righteousness freely as a gift.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by mfblume

A legalist is someone who thinks keeping rules makes them righteous, rather than receiving righteousness freely as a gift.

Im just telling you that "legal" has to do with law. Obviously the word legalist is not in the Bible. It is generally used to condemn people who believe in holiness in our day. I have been called it numerous times myself tho I neither teach or practice any of the "Apostolic" standards.

The New Covenant is a covenant of law as well as the Spirit. The New Covenant is the law of Christ as contrasted to that of Moses.

His law is in the heart but he does have law.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by mfblume

A legalist is someone who thinks keeping rules makes them righteous, rather than receiving righteousness freely as a gift.

Yes, exactly!

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Im just telling you that "legal" has to do with law. Obviously the word legalist is not in the Bible. It is generally used to condemn people who believe in holiness in our day. I have been called it numerous times myself tho I neither teach or practice any of the "Apostolic" standards.

The New Covenant is a covenant of law as well as the Spirit. The New Covenant is the law of Christ as contrasted to that of Moses.

His law is in the heart but he does have law.

I'm not saying that "law" should be done away with - not at all! We are to walk in the law of the spirit, putting on the mind of Christ. It is the laws that man comes up with himself, to try to produce righteousness within himself that works in vain.

Romans 8:2 "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Luke

I would probably be considered a legalist by many and in fact have been called a legalist and a pharisee on more than one occasions (of course the persons making these accusations were practically furious at the time because I would not agree with them). I hold to a biblical outward standard of righteousness and I adhere to personal convictions that though I can't point to chapter and verse I know God not man gave them to me for me (I try very hard when I preach to stay on the biblical standards) when asked about my personal convictions I present them as things God convicted me of. However to say that someone is a pharisee because they list things as sinful and refuse to do them so as to remain righteous is not phariseesism or legalism. The pharisees and legalist would be those who follow a list of do's and don'ts to become righteous. The one works from the cross out of love and gratitude of what was done for them while the other works to earn the cross.

Awesome Luke! You are right, when you walk in the law of the spirit, people may call you a legalist or a Pharisee, because you are walking in the law of the spirit. There is a huge difference, however, in the fruit produced by those who walk by the law of the spirit, as opposed to those who try to produce righteousness within themselves, by their own works.

The difference between those who follow their own laws (to try to produce righteousness) and those who walk by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus will be in the fruit that they produce.

Pharisees, such as Paul was lumping himself in with in Titus 3, were following law, but without fruit of the spirit being produced as he called himself foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts...etc. However, once Paul met Christ, all that changed, and the mind of Christ began to reign in his life, and that was when he was able to produce the genuine fruit of the spirit.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Im just telling you that "legal" has to do with law. Obviously the word legalist is not in the Bible. It is generally used to condemn people who believe in holiness in our day. I have been called it numerous times myself tho I neither teach or practice any of the "Apostolic" standards.

The New Covenant is a covenant of law as well as the Spirit. The New Covenant is the law of Christ as contrasted to that of Moses.

His law is in the heart but he does have law.

People often abuse the term not knowing it does not mean "holiness". But if the people who adhere to "holiness" do so in hopes of it making them righteous, they are legalists. And that is common. But if a person simply does the "holiness" deal because they feel God requires it, but not to make them righteous, they are not legalists.

When people think they're not holy unless they do something, then they are also wrong. Christ was made holiness for us. Only HIS HOLINESS matters, not our own.

Sanctification is the same Greek word for HOLINESS.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Christ was made holiness so we would be holy. This is so that nobody can boast and all glory goes to God.