Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
(2 Timothy 3:5)
Religion is not godly or holy. It is precisely religion that makes people who were one time being drawn to genuinely seeking the truth about Jesus turn away from the truth. That is not an excuse that one is making on behalf on such people. It is a simply a true indictment about what religion is - false and hypocritical.
Religion is not of God. No where in the Word of God does it ever say that we are to be religious or that following Jesus is a religion. No! Jesus is not religion. Jesus is a person. No one can find Jesus if he or she is seeking religion. For Jesus is not religion or a religious leader. He is God Himself.
The essence of religion is not simply that one tries to keep the Law of God but cannot, because one is unrighteous (Isaiah 64:6). It is that it uses the Law of God unlawfully.This is the inevitable result of an unrighteous person trying to keep the Law of God. Trying to keep the Law of God when one cannot because one is unrighteous is itself nothing but hypocrisy. Furthermore, it cannot save one from one's sins. Indeed, cursed are those who seek to keep the Law of God!
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(Galatians 3:10-14)
Legalism, which is the attempt to keep the Law of God, is accursed! It is cursed because not only can one never keep the Law of God perfectly, but any attempts by an unrighteous person to keep the Law of God will inevitably lead to the perversion of the Law of God. The Law of God is righteous, but the unrighteous will attempt to pervert it owing to their wicked hearts, to turn it into something that is nothing but wicked, vile and evil. For how can an evil person keep a perfectly righteous Law and be justified? The only way he can keep the Law and be justified is to pervert the Law of God in accordance to his own perverse and wicked heart. This explains why religious people who profess to keep the Law of God are full of wickedness, carnality and hypocrisy.
Attempting to keep the Law of God is itself to deny one's unrighteousness which the Word of God makes very clear:
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)
Legalism is indeed an accusation against God that He is a liar. Legalism is of the devil. There is absolutely no place for legalism whatsoever in Christ.The wickedness of legalism is no more obvious in the example of the Pharisees. The wickedness of the Pharisees was not in being "too holy" or "too strict" being as many evangelicals think.The wickedness was their perversion of the Law of God itself, rendering any attempted righteousness they had to be all false:
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
(2 Timothy 3:5)
Religion is not godly or holy. It is precisely religion that makes people who were one time being drawn to genuinely seeking the truth about Jesus turn away from the truth. That is not an excuse that one is making on behalf on such people. It is a simply a true indictment about what religion is - false and hypocritical.
Religion is not of God. No where in the Word of God does it ever say that we are to be religious or that following Jesus is a religion. No! Jesus is not religion. Jesus is a person. No one can find Jesus if he or she is seeking religion. For Jesus is not religion or a religious leader. He is God Himself.
The essence of religion is not simply that one tries to keep the Law of God but cannot, because one is unrighteous (Isaiah 64:6). It is that it uses the Law of God unlawfully.This is the inevitable result of an unrighteous person trying to keep the Law of God. Trying to keep the Law of God when one cannot because one is unrighteous is itself nothing but hypocrisy. Furthermore, it cannot save one from one's sins. Indeed, cursed are those who seek to keep the Law of God!
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(Galatians 3:10-14)
Legalism, which is the attempt to keep the Law of God, is accursed! It is cursed because not only can one never keep the Law of God perfectly, but any attempts by an unrighteous person to keep the Law of God will inevitably lead to the perversion of the Law of God. The Law of God is righteous, but the unrighteous will attempt to pervert it owing to their wicked hearts, to turn it into something that is nothing but wicked, vile and evil. For how can an evil person keep a perfectly righteous Law and be justified? The only way he can keep the Law and be justified is to pervert the Law of God in accordance to his own perverse and wicked heart. This explains why religious people who profess to keep the Law of God are full of wickedness, carnality and hypocrisy.
Attempting to keep the Law of God is itself to deny one's unrighteousness which the Word of God makes very clear:
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)
Legalism is indeed an accusation against God that He is a liar. Legalism is of the devil. There is absolutely no place for legalism whatsoever in Christ.The wickedness of legalism is no more obvious in the example of the Pharisees. The wickedness of the Pharisees was not in being "too holy" or "too strict" being as many evangelicals think.The wickedness was their perversion of the Law of God itself, rendering any attempted righteousness they had to be all false:
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
(Matthew 15:3-11)
Indeed, the professing Church is full of Pharisees. What makes one is Pharisee according to Jesus is not one being serious about holiness or righteousness as these modern Pharisees make it out to be. What makes one like a Pharisee according to Jesus is one's false perverted 'righteousness', all justified under the guise of keeping the Law of God. The Pharisees, in trying to justify themselves under the Law of God, perverted it to suit their traditions, demonstrating their carnality in desiring human rules. It is not simply that it is carnal to desire human rules above the Law of God. It is carnal to desire human rules. The desire for human rules itself demonstrates a trust in the flesh, which is not the physical part of the body, but it is the unregenerate, rebellious nature of humankind.
The desire for human rules is itself rebellion against God for it is to seek one's own way, to seek independence from God. It is Adamic. The desire for human rules is itself vile and a stench in the nostrils of God. The desire to keep the Law of God is to seek one's own way but yet at the same time proclaim one's false righteousness, for all of one's so-called 'righteousness' is false righteousness. All our good works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). It produces nothing but false righteousness and false holiness, that blasphemes the true righteousness and holiness of God. Do you not know that you cannot keep the Law of God because you are unrighteous, and that he who is unrighteous and tries to keep it will be condemned by the Law?
The Law condemns people, not that the Law is unrighteous, but that we are unrighteous. Cursed are those who try to keep the Law! Keeping the Law is a curse! Being in bondage to the Law of God is a curse! Religion is simply a human way of trying to get right with God, and can only but be full of hypocrisy. We cannot even bring ourselves to desire to get right with God because we are unrighteous. The only way for us to desire to draw near to Jesus, who is God Himself, is if God draws us near: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44).
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to destroy sin. Righteousness does not come from the Law of God, but through faith in Jesus Christ alone. So, shall those of us who have received the Grace of God go back to trying to keep the Law? Keeping the Law of God only brings bondage. Such bondage is a curse!
Legalism is not godliness or holiness in any way. It is the unlawful use of the Law of God, leading to the perversion of the Law of God. This explains why many professing Christians throughout history have used the Law of God to justify all manner of wickedness, such as racism, slavery, usury, private property, liberalism and misogyny. For they sought to use the Law of God to proclaim their own righteousness, but are not righteous at all! This makes such people all the more wicked and of a perverse heart.
Those who attempt to keep the Law but fail are lawlessness and all the more condemned by the Law, because they fail. Legalism is not lawfulness at all. It is full of lawlessness. Such is the accursed lawlessness of legalism!
Repent, repent, repent.
Turn to Jesus Christ.
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