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There are a million kinds of legalism, for most deviations from the doctrinal and practical center of our faith in the direction of "holiness" can be labeled that way, or at least tend to that.
Gerhard Forde (Lutheran theologian) once described himself, looking in the mirror, as if he were introducing himself to a 'twelve-step group': "Hello. My name is Gerhard Forde ...., and I am a legalist." He was referring to the natural propensity of all men -- especially the unregenerate man, and that portion of our own Christian nature which is as yet unredeemed.
Any motion away from the center of grace in Our Lord Jesus Christ ends up in legalism of one kind of another. This is just natural, because we are naturally "legal," not naturally "graceful."
My complaint in this post will center on a doctrinal tactic seen often in Reformed circles -- a tactic probably pathognomic of our movement, though by no means held or taught by our confessions, nor by many of our best teachers. It is this: The propensity for describing the whole of the Christian life under the rubric of "law," instead of recognizing the distinction between Law and Gospel, and how their relationships interplay.
When we think of repentance and faith as obedience to "law," the Christian life then just becomes an obedience to the Law which is made easier by the work of Christ and the indwelling Spirit. The same orientation to Law pervades the exhortation to faith and the exhortation to obedience. But, the Gospel makes a free invitation to receive salvation. It is not a "law." (See Rom 4:15 in context). Receiving this invitation of free grace by faith results in the spiritual freedom of sons -- a state of not being under law, or sin, in the inner man. The Spirit coming as a gift brings salvation as a gift, and freedom from law and sin in the inner man, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit, fruit which is not against the law, but which begins to fulfill the law, by love. Peace and freedom in the inner man -- that is, love -- is the real motive for the acts of love, the fruit of the Spirit that the gospel calls for.
The Law gives us the vision of what ought to be (but isn't), and we must have this testimony for our warning and instruction. But, evangelical obedience is produced by the Gospel. It is not produced by the Law. Love only comes with the Spirit of freedom. Spiritual freedom is the free gift of grace, received through faith alone in the atoning work of Our Lord Jesus Christ -- nothing else.
This is indeed what I often hear taught. It is insidious, from paying tithes to sabbath keeping. But, fortunately for sinners like me, most of the time stops short of stoning, see Deuteronomy 21:18-21 for example. It seems to me that the obedience the NT speaks of is not to the Law per say but rather to the fulfillment of the Law in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is our covenant head and as such is the Law's sole fulfillment for us. To exercise faith in the Gospel is to obey the Law. How do you read that difficult part of Romans 1:5? And what do you make of the Law in the NT, for example 1 Peter 1:15-16?
ReplyDelete"Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus." ~ Romans 1:5 (MSG)
Reviewed and retained -- and believed.
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