I am not a legalist...

[Ambassador4Christ]

I am not a legalist because I believe that my salvation is a free gift from God, and Christ finished the work of my salvation when he died on the cross, and I cannot add anything to the finished work of salvation.

I am not a legalsit because I do not make my salvation CONDITIONAL upon any obedience to God, an yet the obedience to God is what I desire, and so my obedience is now very pleasing to God and all my works are the works of faith, and not the works of the law.

I am not a legalist because I have a full assurance of my salvation, and have no confidence in the flesh and only depend on the grace of God.

A legalist person is easily recognised because he can never have the full assurance of his salvation as he believes in a conditonal gospel, conditional love, and conditional righteousness, in another words the rightoeusness of the law and not the righteousness of faith.

[Left Coast]

In the past I have understood you to say salvation is conditional on your act of believing.
Where do you stand on that?

I am not a legalsit because I do not make my salvation CONDITIONAL upon any obedience to God

Because God commands us to believe, if your salvation was conditional to believing then your salvation WOULD be based on obedience to God.

1 John 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

[Heidi]

Of course one's salvation is conditional on blieveing it. That is why Jesus says the only unforgivable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit inside of us and don't believe it, then we are denying its truth. It's almost impossible to do, but if we do, then we have not accepted our salvation. If someone offers us a free gift and we don't take it, how can we reap the benfits?

[Left Coast]

The question is, which comes first the chicken or the egg?
Some say that all you have to do to get yourself saved is believe on the Lord Jesus.
I contend that man is not capable of true saving faith, we are too depraved. God must give us a heart that can believe. Gods action of saving us gives us a believing heart.
Where it gets confusing is because many people do have an intellectual understanding who Jesus is. They also know they are sinners, nobody wants to go to hell so they want to join in. They come forward in a crusade or a church. They may make some kind of a profession of faith and then they feel they have done what is necessary to be saved. To make matters worse others will tell them, “You’re saved now you’ll never have to worry about going to hell.”  
That is not the kind of believing God has in mind.
The best way I have heard it explained is:
To believe means you hang your whole life in Gods hands.
You believe not only that Jesus paid for your sins but you also believe that you would be hopelessly lost if God had not drawn you and changed you.
When we isolate verses of scripture we come up with all sorts of ideas. When we use the whole bible then we can understand what God has in mind.
John 3:16 is a very misunderstood verse of scripture:

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 
People look at this and say, see all you have to do is believe. When we see the word “you” we can know it is a work.
John 3:16 does not stand alone. Jesus said that it was Gods work that we believe.

John 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

God gives us a believing heart. That is what it means to be born again. It is a total change in the type of person we are.

Ezekiel 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Ezekiel 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Hebrews 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Hebrews 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

By changing us God saves us, the change gives us a heart that can believe.
This change is truly a gift. But it is not the type of gift that we take and open. Instead it is more like the gift my employer gives me at Christmas. They deposit a bonus into my account. I don't have to do anything to get that gift.

[Heidi]

Left Coast, you make some EXCELLENT points, particularly about an intellectual belief as opposed to a heart change. I think the best source for our salvation is not the church, but Christ' words. He said that to get to heaven, we have to be born again with water and the spirit. Throughout most of the gospel of John, Chirst explains what the Holy Spirit is and that it is the Holy Spirit that makes us believe. That is why no one could believe Christ before He died, even though they wanted to. It wasn't until the disciples received the Holy Spirit at pentecost that they gave up their lives for him. We can only KNOW Christ when the Holy Spirit (Christ incarnate) dwells inside of us. That is the ONLY way we can have intimate knowledge of Him.

[Ambassador4Christ]

I'M NOT A LEGALIST


by Evangelist S. Lee Homoki

I believe that legalism was and is a wrong use and attitude towards the Mosaic Law. Legalism is a false religion (man by man's efforts seeking to gain the approbation or blessing of God). This is wrong and is a works' program in opposition to God's grace program (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6; Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16)! Legalism says, I can work to gain my salvation"; I can work to be spiritual." Legalism was the error of the Galatians who wanted to add to the finished work of Christ, the keeping of "the Law of Moses" and ''circumcision after the manner of Moses" (Acts 15:1,5) in order to be saved. The Galatians also thought that their spirituality was a matter of the "works of the Law" instead of "by the Spirit" (Gal. 3:1-5). Paul called these legalists "false brethren" and condemned them (Gal. 2:4-5).

Legalism may gain the applause and approval of religious men, even as Paul boasted he was "blameless" before men. But after Paul was saved, he considered his human assets to be "dung" and had "no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:1-9). Legalism gives us no standing before God and is wrong, wrong, wrong! However...

I am not a legalist if I believe that Christians ought to live in such a way so as to "Please God " Paul prayed for the Colossians "that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work" (Col. 1: 10). Further, Paul instructed the Thessalonians "how they ought to walk and to please God" (I Thess. 4:1) because God had called them "unto holiness" (I Thess. 4:7). For this reason, Paul gave them "commandments" (do's and don'ts or rules and regulations). It was not uncommon for Paul to refer to these standards for holy living as "commandments" (I Thess. 4:2; 1 Cor. 14:37), "ordinances" (I Cor. 11:2; Rom. 13:2), "traditions" (11 Thess. 2:15; 3:6), "rules" (Phil. 3:16-17; Gal. 6:16), and "laws" (Rom. 8:2; Gal. 6:2).

These are standards given in the Greek imperative mood which demand "obedience" (11 Thess. 3:14; Gal. 5:7), and "behavior" (I Tim. 3:15) which is compatible with Godliness. Conformity to these standards through the filling of the Holy Spirit gives us "acceptance" (Rom. 14:18; 11 Cor. 5:9) and "rewards" 0 Cor. 3:1215; 9:24-27) at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (Here we are not discussing our positional "acceptance in the Beloved" [Eph. 1:6], which is complete and perfect at the moment of salvation, can't be improved upon, and has to do with salvation and not rewards.) Some believers yield to the temptations of the flesh and do not "please God" (I Cor. 10:5 in context) and lose their reward (Col. 3:24-25; Gal. 6:7-9).

I am not a legalist if, as a Pastor, Teacher or an Evangelist, I expect those who are in my charge to please God. Paul wanted the Philippians to be "blameless and sincere, the sons of God without rebuke" (Phil. 2:15). He wanted them to "obey" and to "work out" their own salvation (the proper execution of the Christian way of life) "with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). This would not only please God, but would cause Paul to "rejoice" and would also be an indication of his success as a pastor at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Phil. 2:16).

The pastor watches over the "souls" of his people and is accountable to God. He wants to do this with "joy and not with grief" (Heb. 13:17).

I am not a legalist if I preach against those things that are clearly identified as sin (I Cor. 6:9-10; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:22-32; 5:3-6) and insist with Paul, "let it not be once named among you as becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3).

I am not a legalist if I believe that God gave every believer many clear Biblicalprinciples so that they can judge the rightness or wrongness of questionable issues of life. I believe that God said such things as: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him " (I John 2:15); "Be not conformed to the world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2); "Putye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14); "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are. God's" (I Cor. 6:19-20); "Whatsoeverye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Cor. 10:31); "Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing" (11 Cor. 6:17); "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret" (Eph. 5:11-12); and "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:, so as to give us a frame of reference in order that we might be able to judge sin in our lives. It is through these and similar Scriptures that the grace of God teaches us that, "Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12).

I am not a legalist if I preach so as to warn people against those things which have proven to be hazardous to the Christian's growth, productivity and testimony. I am not a legalist if I warn people about the dangers of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drug abuse, dancing, gambling, unrighteous movies, music and dress or appearances that are not associated with Godliness.

I recognize that in the final analysis, participation in a questionable activity is a personal matter between the individual and God; but I refuse to be called a legalist because I have preached and will continue to preach against these things.

I am not a legalist because, as a pastor, teacher and evangelist, I insist on some rules and regulations for the orderly operation (I Cor. 14:33,40) of the local church, and a quality standard for its leadership to serve as an example to the congregation (Phil. 3:17; 4:9).

God has given specific individuals the authority to legislate (set up rules and regulations, do's and don'ts or standards) for others. For example, God has given parents the responsibility to set up necessary rules for the home (Eph. 6:1-3). God has given Government Officials the responsibility of establishing and enforcing necessary rules for an orderly society (Rom. 13:1-3). The Pastor/Teacher also, under God, has the awesome responsibility to determine the principles and guidelines by which the church must operate (1 Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:7,17). God expects these legislated rules to be obeyed unless they conflict with His Word (Acts 5:29).

No one should accuse a church or pastor or Christian school of being legalistic because, in order to maintain a God-honoring standard, they have taken a stand against certain questionable activities or have established sound standards of operation.

I am not among those who teach that since we are not under the Law but under grace, we have a license to sin. To such a perversion of grace, Paul cries out, "God forbid!" (Rom. 6:1-2; Gal. 5:13).

These same perverters of grace say "remove the do's and don'ts, tear down the standard"; but the problem is not with the standard but in how we approach the standard. If we approach the standard thinking that conformity to it is meritorious in the sight of God to either save us or to make us spiritual, then we are legalists! On the other hand, if we approach the standard because God the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ through His enabling power, this is not legalism, but rather the outworking of the grace provision in our lives.

Those who preach and practice holiness in and through the energy and power of the Holy Spirit will suffer at the hands of these perverters of grace. Paul says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution " (11 Tim. 3:12). Peter acknowledges the same problem when he instructed the saved Jew that he "no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excesses of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you" (I Pet. 4:2-4).

The Apostle Paul must have anticipated the abuse by these perverters of grace, who disdain the doctrines of godliness (I Thess. 4:7-8), and tells us "from such withdraw thyself" (I Tim. 6:1-5).

I am not a legalist! I am a "Grace Preacher" who wants to see an end to the awful worldliness, indifference, loose living, halfheartedness and selfishness which has emptied churches, given Christ second place and makes evil to triumph. I am a "Grace Preacher" who believes that all believers must meet the Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat (Col. 3:11-25; 11 Cor. 5: 10; 11 Tim. 4: to give an account of themselves.

Bible Doctrines to Live By. http://www.bdtlb.org/ Appears in the the May/June 1997 issue of Truth Aflame, a ministry of BDTLB.

[Heidi]

I do think, however, that it is the plank in our own eye that must be dealt with first. But paradoxically, as we deal with the plank in our own eye, we are a better testimony to others. We all have sin in us and the best thing I can do for others, is not only to reap the fruits of the spirit myself (which is a lifetime process), but to plant the seed in others so they will also be able to reap the fruits of the spirit.  

I am not disputing your statements, Am4 Christ, I am merely trying to put the focus of the goals of Christianity where I think it belongs:inside each one of us. In fact, I, of, course agree with all of your statements.

[Left Coast]

I still ask the question see reply #1.

[Brother Love]

I am not a legalist because I believe that my salvation is a free gift from God, and Christ finished the work of my salvation when he died on the cross, and I cannot add anything to the finished work of salvation.

I am not a legalsit because I do not make my salvation CONDITIONAL upon any obedience to God, an yet the obedience to God is what I desire, and so my obedience is now very pleasing to God and all my works are the works of faith, and not the works of the law.

I am not a legalist because I have a full assurance of my salvation, and have no confidence in the flesh and only depend on the grace of God.

A legalist person is easily recognised because he can never have the full assurance of his salvation as he believes in a conditonal gospel, conditional love, and conditional righteousness, in another words the rightoeusness of the law and not the righteousness of faith.

Same here Brother, AMEN!

Brother Love

[The Crusader]

I am not a legalist because I believe that my salvation is a free gift from God, and Christ finished the work of my salvation when he died on the cross, and I cannot add anything to the finished work of salvation.

I am not a legalsit because I do not make my salvation CONDITIONAL upon any obedience to God, an yet the obedience to God is what I desire, and so my obedience is now very pleasing to God and all my works are the works of faith, and not the works of the law.

I am not a legalist because I have a full assurance of my salvation, and have no confidence in the flesh and only depend on the grace of God.

A legalist person is easily recognised because he can never have the full assurance of his salvation as he believes in a conditonal gospel, conditional love, and conditional righteousness, in another words the rightoeusness of the law and not the righteousness of faith.

same here I am not a legalist.

The Crusader

[ollie]

Is any one legally bound by the law of Faith or the law of Christ?

[The Crusader]

Is any one legally bound by the law of Faith or the law of Christ?

From what posts I have read by you, I would say that your bound by both.

The Crusader

[Allinall]

Is any one legally bound by the law of Faith or the law of Christ?

Nope!  There is no law for the believer.  There is the expectation of obedience, even the demand.  However, the condemnation of disobeying the law has been paid, in full, by Christ.  By His stripes, I am healed.  

As for the other question Lefty posted (hope that's not insulting as it's not meant to be at all Brother), I think it's again a matter of symantics.  A4C I don't think argues that he had to obey God's call to repentance and salvation.  I think he argues that he doesn't have to obey to maintain, he doesn't have to earn that salvation in any way shape or form.  Just a thought...

[Left Coast]

I am not to sure what you mean by semantics, if you will bear with me for a somewhat long dissertation I’ll try to layout my stand.
Salvation is a rescue. Recently a skier got lost on the mountain. His family reported him missing. People went looking for him, they weren’t obligated to, and he didn’t ask them to. They saved his life, all he did was get himself hopelessly lost.
If we are required to attain our salvation or maintain our salvation by keeping any of Gods commandments then we are being legalistic. We are commanded to believe.

1 John 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Keeping Gods commandments is the result of salvation.
Man is corrupt at birth. We are born with a perverted heart. It is that seed of sin we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve.
Until the heart is changed we are not saved. God does command us to change our heart. However we can do nothing to change our heart, it is beyond our capabilities.
God tells us to circumcise our hearts.

Deuteronomy 10:16  Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Circumcision means to keep Gods commandments.

1 Corinthians 7:19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Because we can’t circumcise our hearts, God tells us He’ll do it.

Deuteronomy 30:6  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

Similar to  Deuteronomy 10:16 we have the commandment to believe.

John 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

While we can intellectually believe in Jesus, (few if any actually want to go to hell), we cannot have life changing belief by any effort of our own.
So just as Deuteronomy 10:16 has a companion verse in Deuteronomy 30:6, the verses on believing also have companion verses, such as John 6:29 that I use as my signature and others:

Philippians 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

A very popular verse to quote is:

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Notice how similar this verse is in Proverbs:

Proverbs 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

So many people feel they have done the requirement to get themselves saved, so they boast.
“Yah, I got myself saved at the crusade last month.
Hey did you see that babe, what a fine looking woman.”
Usually there is no true change of heart.
Many believe they are saved but their own hearts deceive them.

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

In order to be rescued, not only from eternal hell, but from sin itself God must do the work:

Ezekiel 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Ezekiel 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Hebrews 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Hebrews 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Because God gives the believer a new heart, it is the believers desire to do the will of God. Everyone sins, but sin does not bring happiness to the believer.  

Romans 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Romans 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Romans 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

This gives us an opportunity to test our salvation. For a believer there should be an honest and an ongoing desire to do the will of God. We are told to examine ourselves to prove our salvation:

2 Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

The bible doesn’t leave us to test ourselves with our own deceptive hearts, we are given a test.

1 John 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

It is a scary test, but we have to look at it in view of Romans 7 above.
When the Lord says we must be “born again” He chooses that term very carefully. What can anyone contribute to their birth? Did you have any choice in the matter? Did you get your parents together? Can the unborn child at any time decide whether they want to be born?
Think about Lazarus. He was dead and rotting. He couldn’t hear, believe, choose, think, or in any way contribute to the Lords commandment. That is a picture of man’s true nature.

John 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
John 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

We can plead with God, we can plead for Him to give us a new heart. He is not obligated to save us, God is sovereign.
Pleading is not a requirement for salvation, God does save very young children that are not able to understand the trouble they are in.
If we are truly pleading with God it is because He has drawn us to Christ.

John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

And every one that God has given to Christ will be saved, he will lose none.

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:29 ¶  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Romans 8:31 ¶  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

The bible says babies sin. We go astray as soon as we are born.

Psalms 58:3  The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

If a baby can’t get itself saved with the salvation plan in question, in the exact same manner as an adult, then it cannot be Gods salvation plan.
This is a test I often use. I’ll ask the question, “How does a baby get itself saved with your salvation plan?”

[Left Coast]

I feel a need to simplify my last post.
First of all I don’t offend easily, and I don’t insult easily; I used to be married, twice to the same woman.  
It is not semantics, it is a difference in opinion as to cause and effect. Sort of like the old question: Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
Today’s popular gospel claims you become saved because you believe in Christ.
I contend that true believing comes about as a result of salvation.
This is why it is possible for even the devils to believe.

James 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  

Salvation based on keeping Gods commandments is legalist. We are commanded to believe:

1 John 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

When I hear someone say, “All you have to do is believe in Jesus and then you are saved.” I have to ask the question: Are you saying you can become saved by believing? Or are you saying God has given you the ability to believe?

John 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.