GOD'S WORD AGAINST LEGALISM

September 17, 2006 am
Mike Blume

  Scripture Text:


Rom 4:2-6 KJV  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.  (3)  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  (4)  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  (5)  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  (6)  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

  Message:


Legalism is heard far and wide by many Christians.
  • The problem is that many know about the word, but do not know what it means, and some even think they are not legalistic, since they know its a bad word, when in fact they are VERY legalistic.
  • I am going to help you determine how legalistic you are, if you are at all, and understand what legalism is.

Legalism is CONFORMITY TO LAW.

Now, conformity to law is good.
  • We need to be legalistic in society so we do not go to jail!
  • However, when it comes to RELIGION, legalism is a bad thing.
  • In religion, legalism is reliance upon GOOD WORKS FOR SALVATION.

And when it comes to LAW in the Bible, law was salvation by works.
  • And the New Testament teaches that it is impossible to be saved by works of the Old Testament law.
  • So legalism in the church is a bad thing.

First of all to understand legalism, you have to familiar with the term RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Deu 6:25 KJV  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Psa 45:7 KJV  Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Mat 5:6 KJV  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

God looks for it:  Isa 5:7 KJV  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.


Preach it:  Psa 40:9 KJV  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

Follow it:  Isa 51:1 KJV  Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Seek it:  Zep 2:3 KJV  Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Righteousness is being RIGHT with God.

But what makes us right?
  • We must be right to go to heaven.
  • What do you depend upon top be right with God?
  • What do you think gives you your ticket to heaven?

Everyone knows we need to obey God.
  • We require good works.
  • But the problem comes when we know a saved person should do good works, but they hear that good works do not save anybody.
  • They think we do not need to do good works.
  • But yet the bible says do good works.

Tit 3:5 KJV  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Eph 2:8-10 KJV  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

That verse says a mouthful!
  • He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done
  • But then it says we are created by God unto good works.
  • We should walk in good works.
  • But yet they do not save us.

Let's unravel this whole ball of yarn.

Legalists are separated from true believers right here in this issue of what place good works have in relation to salvation.
  • What place you believe your good works  have in your life will determine if you are a legalist or not.
  • And that will affect your salvation.

Romans 3 taught that nobody could keep the LAW of the Old Testament.
  • LAW is the Old Testament.
  • the old covenant.
  • The covenant that God used before the NEW covenant, or testament, was called LAW.
  • the BOOKS of the law are called the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible.
  • Moses wrote them, so they call it the law of Moses.

Jos 8:31 KJV  As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

Romans 3 actually quotes the Old Testament in 9 of it's verses.

All the verses from the Old Testament say the same basic thing.
  • And the first one Paul quotes, from Psalm 14:1-3 is as plain as it gets.

Rom 3:10 KJV  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Now righteousness is obedience to God's Law.
  • And after Paul quotes from the law, he says this...

Rom 3:19 KJV  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

DO we all know who the people were that were NOT UNDER THE LAW -- and by LAW we mean the OLD TESTAMENT?
GENTILES.
  • Now, if righteousness is obedience to God's Law, and God;s law is the Old Testament, then the GENTILES could never have righteousness.
  • How can you be obedient to God's law if you do not even have God's law to obey?
  • But Paul throws out a real zinger when he quotes the Old Testament saying that there is none that is righteous, and comments that this was said to THOSE UNDER THE LAW.
  • He did not speak of gentiles outside the law when God said there is none righteous.
  • He spoke this to the very ones under law!
  • Israel!

That is why we read:

Act 15:10 KJV  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Gal 2:21 KJV  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Verse 19 again:

Rom 3:19 KJV  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

This makes perfect sense.
  • If gentiles cannot be righteous, since they do not even have law to be obedient to law (or be righteous), and Israel who was under the law was told that none of them were righteous, then no wonder Paul said God said that so that all the world may become guilty before God.
  • We knew people outside law were guilty.
  • But if nobody in Israel was righteous, too, then the entire world of jews and gentiles are guilty.

Verse 20 gives a conclusion.

Rom 3:20 KJV  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Forget about law, then.
  • If everyone under law is unrighteous, then nobody can be justified by law.
  • Law would not say it's own adherents were unrighteous if one could be made righteous by works of the law.

So what good is such a law, then, if it's own people cannot be made righteous by obeying it?
  • What good is it if nobody could obey it?
  • The end of verse 20 says it.
  • The good is that the law really shows us what sin is.

Now Paul says something awesome.

Rom 3:21 KJV  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

He speaks not just of righteousness, but of the righteousness of God!
  • Not of man.
  • Man has none.
  • If man could obey all of the law, he would be righteous.
  • But Peter said it was a yoke nobody could bear.
  • And this righteousness of God is OUTSIDE THE LAW.
  • WITHOUT THE LAW, means OUTSIDE THE LAW.
  • He even says the Law and the writings of the prophets witnessed of the righteousness of God that was outside the Law altogether.

Then...

Rom 3:22 KJV  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

He says that the righteousness of God outside Law is what we have come to be blessed in knowing today as the righteousness which is NOT BY LAW, but INSTEAD BY FAITH.
  • And it is the faith of Jesus.
  • And instead of coming upon people who obey a law, since nobody ever could obey the law perfectly, Paul says the way it is OUTSIDE the law is because it is gained through a completely different avenue than by works.
  • BY FAITH.
  • It is for everyone WHO BELIEVES.

Paul says this is because there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, since we already proved that when we thought about how not even the jews under law were called righteous, since they could not obey the law adequately enough.

the only way anyone is going to become righteous, if God gives a law to obey to become righteous, and nobody can obey it, is by something other than obedient works.
  • AND THAT WAY GOD CHOSE WAS FAITH.

Nobody can work good enough to be righteous.
  • But how many here can BELIEVE?

We know everyone is guilty due to verse 19.
  • Verse 23 says the same thing all over again.

Rom 3:23 KJV  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We know gentiles came short of glory, because they were not even under law to be able to try to keep it and become righteous.
  • But when we found out that even the folks under Law, Israel and the jews, were all accused of being unrighteous, then we realized ALL have come short of the glory of God.

So since by faith we are made righteous, and as far as WORKING TO become righteous, Paul says it happens like this, ...

Rom 3:24 KJV  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

IT IS FREE!

Free things are unpaid for things.
  • Things you buy cost money and you get money by working.
  • But you do not work to BUY this righteousness!

Rom 3:25 KJV  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Jesus was set forth by God to declare GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  • This is the righteousness outside the law that Paul spoke about in 21.

And verse 26 repeats this and hereby emphasizes it to drill it into our heads.

Rom 3:26 KJV  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

So what can we brag about?

Rom 3:27 KJV  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Eph 2:(9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

People boast because they have done something better than others could.
  • But when you have a case of gentiles and even the jews under law all being grouped together as unrighteous, and not even jews under law could obey that very law, what is there to brag about if you are righteous?
  • If you are righteous, You never got it from your works.
  • Law proved that.
  • If you are righteous, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN GRANTED IT FROM GOD due to faith in Jesus Christ whom God set forth to declare GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  • You cannot brag how you worked for a gift, because gifts are not worked for, but GIVEN FREELY.

Tit 3:5 KJV Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

HIS MERCY saves us!

Verse 28 sums it all up and makes this conclusion:

Rom 3:28 KJV  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Now, he begins talking about giving righteousness to jews and gentiles both by Jesus, which Jews might disagree with, and proves this is what God is doing now by talking about by pointing to TWO PEOPLE the jews highly admire!
  • They can disagree with Paul all they like, and they did in those early church years.
  • They said the church made the law something you could disobey!
  • They twisted the sermons up as people do today who think that if we preach we are not saved by works then we preach you do not have to be obedient.
  • Yes, we need to obey... BUT NOT TO BE MADE RIGHTEOUS.

Rom 3:29-31 KJV  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:  (30)  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.  (31)  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

(Jews thought He is only God of the jews, and not gentiles.  Paul proves that ALL Wrong.)

Rom 4:1-2 KJV  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?  (2)  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

We now come to the place where some Christians are discovered to be legalists.
  • For Paul to say Abraham could not boast before God due to justification by works, Paul is implying he was not justified by works.
  • Recall 3:27?

Rom 3:27 KJV  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Rom 4:3 KJV  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

The Old Testament (Scriptures) actually said that Abraham was counted righteousness by his FAITH.

Gen 15:5-6 KJV  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.  (6)  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:4 KJV  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

If Abraham had been justified by works, the blessings he received would have been given to him as a reward for those works.
  • That would mean his faith had no part in his justification, and his faith would have been useless.
  • But GOD SAID HIS FAITH is what made God count righteousness to him.

Rom 4:5 KJV  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

So when the bible said HIS FAITH was counted for righteousness, then that means the ones who are justified do not work for it, but BELIEVE FOR IT.

Did you know that this is saying ABRAHAM WAS UNGODLY when God called Him?
  • He was involved in idolatry.
  • So when he believed God, God immediately made him righteous.
  • Since everyone has sinned, and is ungodly, if justification is ever going to take place, then it must occur for the ungodly.

Paul explains that Abraham's case was a PATTERN of how everyone will ever be made righteous.

Now the next man the Jews adore....

Rom 4:6-8 KJV  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,  (7)  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.  (8)  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Did you read verse 6?
  • God imputes righteousness to a man WITHOUT WORKS being involved at all!

Psa 32:1-2 KJV  <A Psalm of David, Maschil.> Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  (2)  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

So Paul asks if this blessing comes on the jews alone or not.

Rom 4:9 KJV  Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

If we read Abraham was reckoned to be righteous by his faith, then is there some indication in that statement -- some hint and clue -- that answers the question of whether or not gentiles can be made righteous by faith?
  • We know they can be, but if you were given only one piece of evidence to determine that, and it was Gen 15:6, how could you use that prove it?

Here is how Paul did it.
  • Awesome Paul.

Since THE CIRCUMCISION refers to the jewish people, and the UNCIRCUMCISION refers to everyone else, the gentiles, then lets look at how circumcision applied to this issue of when Abraham was counted righteous.

Rom 4:10 KJV  How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

When God counted Abraham righteous in Gen 15:6, Abraham had not yet been circumcised.

Gen 17:26 KJV  In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

Not until chapter 17!
  • And that was after Ishmael came along.
  • Abraham had not even fathered Ishmael yet in Gen 15.

Rom 4:11 KJV  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Circumcision was only a SIGN.
  • Signs are the not thing you want.
  • They only indicate something else is present.
  • And this is a sign of something.
  • We are told what it is when Paul says it was a SEAL of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  • And that righteousness was what he had while he was still uncircumcised!
  • Months and months and months before he was circumcised.

So if Abraham was in a state of uncircumcision when God counted him as righteous, what do we call one how is THE UNCIRCUMCISION?
  • A GENTILE.
  • So if HIS FAITH that he had while NOT CIRCUMCISED makes him a father of the faithful, then is he a father of only the circumcised jews who are faithful?
  • No.
  • He is father of the faithful to ANYONE who believes, even if they are not circumcised jews.

Paul used circumcision because he was trying to prove that the New testament was not a bunch of nonsense, and that the Old Testament itself witnesses very clearly to that effect.

Now, in our cases, no one here thinks they need to be circumcised in order to be righteous.
  • But the principle Paul showed was that we are not made righteous by works.
  • No deed of obedience will move God to count us righteous.
  • Even if you do not concern yourself over circumcision, is there ANYTHING ELSE YOU DO AS A DEED OF OBEDIENCE THAT you hope is causing God to count you righteous and ready for heaven?
  • If so, you are a legalist.

Tit 3:5 KJV  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Paul applied circumcision to David's statement that God imputes righteousness to a man without works.
  • But we can APPLY ANYTHING TO IT!
  • ANY WORK of obedience.
  • The plain fact is that righteousness is imputed WITHOUT WORKS.

Substitute any obedient act for circumcision to be righteous and you violate grace.

Eph 2:8-10 KJV  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We need obedient works, BUT NOT TO SAVE US.

Some might say that if they do not save us, then who cares about them, since we just want to be saved.
  • So they imagine they do not need to be obedient.

But although Paul said works do not save, he still said we are saved so that AFTER we are saved we do good works, and God ordained that we walk in good works.

Tit 3:5 KJV  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:8 KJV  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

And the fact remains that the kind of faith that moves God to save us and count as as righteous people is LIVING FAITH that PRODUCES WORKS.
  • And if you do not have any good works of obedience, you have dead with.
  • Faith without works is DEAD.
  • INACTIVE.
  • Does nothing.
  • Produces nothing.

SO RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES BEFORE WORKS, NOT AFTER.