Friday, August 14, 2015
Legalism is a Killer of the Soul
Legalism is sin, those who indulge in it are more concerned about fleshly appearance than they are about inner holiness of the soul. The desire to impress others through their appearance is pride.
I once encountered a woman who dressed rather shabbily in plain cloths that were two sizes to large for her frame. She mentioned to me how others see her in the supermarket, stopping her to ask for prayer because they thought she had a special “in” with God. She thought her clothing drew them to her, in their minds she must be more holy because of her plain look. I was personally disgusted by this, since I knew this woman was divorced and remarried, which was not an issue for her, but her outer appearance was her focus. She was “straining out a nat and swallowing a camel.”
Matthew 23:24 “"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
It was the legalists who put Christ on the cross as much as adulterers, murders and thieves. They were proud of their personal accomplishments, even proud of their false humility. Their focus was their own righteousness, rather than the righteousness of Christ. We might say they were “proud of how humble” they were.
1 Peter 5:5 “5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Colossians 2:20-23 “20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
I painted the inside walls of our house this spring. It had been a long time since I did anything to the house so I thought it was time to spruce up a little. Every room but one, got a touch up, everything looks so fresh and clean now.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. It makes sense to me to take the time to spruce up the temple when it begins to look shabby. If we were living in a perfect world, as was the Garden of Eden in the beginning, I am quite sure that everything was perfect and never in need of much attention.
However, when God cursed the earth He said that we would have to work hard to subdue the earth, making the gardens would be work and things would fade and die as they didn’t before. Weed come in the garden just as blemishes grow on the face.
The same is true of our bodies, they fade, they wither, they become dirty and shabby without attention. When I hear from people the excuse that God made our bodies the way they are, we don’t need make up and jewelry, I quickly remind them that our bodies are now in the condition of the fall, in need of care and restoration when before the fall it was not necessary, now it is important to do things that keep the temple clean and painted, restoring to it what was lost.
I know that there are those who are deeply committed to living without cosmetics and jewelry and that is their personal conviction, if they do it for Christ. However, a problem arises when these people judge others as sinning or unsaved, who are free to decorate their temple with a little make up and some pretty jewelry.
It is my opinion that when God made the jewels He placed in the earth, He meant for us to use and enjoy them. After all we will have jewels in our crowns when we get to heaven, God never once said he was against jewels for our use.
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly SUPPLIES WITH ALL THINGS TO ENJOY.”
God gave us the jewels, the means to make cosmetics as well as the medicines we have to help us take care of our temple when it deteriorates and degrades from the effects of the fall.
In Ezekiel God tells of His work in giving to Israel wonderful things, the things were not bad, they were a blessing. What was bad is that the people began to trust in those things, becoming haughty, rather than using them wisely they began to pervert them. God never blesses with bad things, but often when God gives us good things to use with discretion we pervert His blessings, forgetting where they came from, that does not make the blessings bad, only the way we use them.
Ezekiel 16:9-14 Jewelry and Cosmetics were blessings from God.
“9 “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
10 I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.
12 I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
14 Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord GOD.”
But the people misused His blessing. We should never think that just because man will misuse something that we should avoid that thing entirely. After all, if we really believed that we should give up anything that would be misused by some, we would not use food, it is misused and abused everyday in a nation that has food and drink at its’ fingertips all day long.
Ezekiel 16:15-19 The people misused the blessings!
“15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing.
16 You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen.
17 You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them.
18 Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them.19 Also My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil and honey with which I fed you, you would offer before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares the Lord GOD.”
Should we avoid having children because the people of Israel burned them in the fires to their gods? Children are a blessing from God, but the Israelites abused and misused them.
Cosmetics, jewelry and medicine are gifts from God to be used in moderation as a blessing from God, just as children are a blessing.
It is possible to refrain from using the blessings with the idea that it glorifies God not to do so, and that is the decision of each individual. Personally I believe that using God’s blessings appropriately is glorifying to Him too.
The problem is not the cosmetics or the jewelry, the problem is the abuse of them. It is entirely possible to enjoy these things without placing our trust in them or using them inappropriately.
My advice to those who are being hammered by others about their make-up and jewelry, is to ignore it, if it becomes abusive through the process of shunning, then get away from those people. It is entirely likely that those who would mistreat others over these things, are probably indulging in all kinds of pious nonsense that detracts from our walk with Christ. They often are gossiping and judging about many things that do not matter, but are their idea of righteousness based on appearance.
Legalism always focuses on the external often to the exclusion of the holiness of the soul.
James 4:6 “4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
Our focus ought to be Christ and His principles, never going beyond, adding to His Word to control others as the Pharisees did. If our focus is Christ, we are free to express our personalities within the guidelines of Scripture, each one a little different from others, while glorifying God in the Spirit.
Remember God gave us our creativity and our personalities, we are free to express these things as long as we have consulted with Christ and our soul is free from condemnation.
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
I once encountered a woman who dressed rather shabbily in plain cloths that were two sizes to large for her frame. She mentioned to me how others see her in the supermarket, stopping her to ask for prayer because they thought she had a special “in” with God. She thought her clothing drew them to her, in their minds she must be more holy because of her plain look. I was personally disgusted by this, since I knew this woman was divorced and remarried, which was not an issue for her, but her outer appearance was her focus. She was “straining out a nat and swallowing a camel.”
Matthew 23:24 “"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
It was the legalists who put Christ on the cross as much as adulterers, murders and thieves. They were proud of their personal accomplishments, even proud of their false humility. Their focus was their own righteousness, rather than the righteousness of Christ. We might say they were “proud of how humble” they were.
1 Peter 5:5 “5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Colossians 2:20-23 “20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
I painted the inside walls of our house this spring. It had been a long time since I did anything to the house so I thought it was time to spruce up a little. Every room but one, got a touch up, everything looks so fresh and clean now.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. It makes sense to me to take the time to spruce up the temple when it begins to look shabby. If we were living in a perfect world, as was the Garden of Eden in the beginning, I am quite sure that everything was perfect and never in need of much attention.
However, when God cursed the earth He said that we would have to work hard to subdue the earth, making the gardens would be work and things would fade and die as they didn’t before. Weed come in the garden just as blemishes grow on the face.
The same is true of our bodies, they fade, they wither, they become dirty and shabby without attention. When I hear from people the excuse that God made our bodies the way they are, we don’t need make up and jewelry, I quickly remind them that our bodies are now in the condition of the fall, in need of care and restoration when before the fall it was not necessary, now it is important to do things that keep the temple clean and painted, restoring to it what was lost.
I know that there are those who are deeply committed to living without cosmetics and jewelry and that is their personal conviction, if they do it for Christ. However, a problem arises when these people judge others as sinning or unsaved, who are free to decorate their temple with a little make up and some pretty jewelry.
It is my opinion that when God made the jewels He placed in the earth, He meant for us to use and enjoy them. After all we will have jewels in our crowns when we get to heaven, God never once said he was against jewels for our use.
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly SUPPLIES WITH ALL THINGS TO ENJOY.”
God gave us the jewels, the means to make cosmetics as well as the medicines we have to help us take care of our temple when it deteriorates and degrades from the effects of the fall.
In Ezekiel God tells of His work in giving to Israel wonderful things, the things were not bad, they were a blessing. What was bad is that the people began to trust in those things, becoming haughty, rather than using them wisely they began to pervert them. God never blesses with bad things, but often when God gives us good things to use with discretion we pervert His blessings, forgetting where they came from, that does not make the blessings bad, only the way we use them.
Ezekiel 16:9-14 Jewelry and Cosmetics were blessings from God.
“9 “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
10 I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.
12 I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
14 Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord GOD.”
But the people misused His blessing. We should never think that just because man will misuse something that we should avoid that thing entirely. After all, if we really believed that we should give up anything that would be misused by some, we would not use food, it is misused and abused everyday in a nation that has food and drink at its’ fingertips all day long.
Ezekiel 16:15-19 The people misused the blessings!
“15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing.
16 You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen.
17 You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them.
18 Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them.19 Also My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil and honey with which I fed you, you would offer before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares the Lord GOD.”
Should we avoid having children because the people of Israel burned them in the fires to their gods? Children are a blessing from God, but the Israelites abused and misused them.
Cosmetics, jewelry and medicine are gifts from God to be used in moderation as a blessing from God, just as children are a blessing.
It is possible to refrain from using the blessings with the idea that it glorifies God not to do so, and that is the decision of each individual. Personally I believe that using God’s blessings appropriately is glorifying to Him too.
The problem is not the cosmetics or the jewelry, the problem is the abuse of them. It is entirely possible to enjoy these things without placing our trust in them or using them inappropriately.
My advice to those who are being hammered by others about their make-up and jewelry, is to ignore it, if it becomes abusive through the process of shunning, then get away from those people. It is entirely likely that those who would mistreat others over these things, are probably indulging in all kinds of pious nonsense that detracts from our walk with Christ. They often are gossiping and judging about many things that do not matter, but are their idea of righteousness based on appearance.
Legalism always focuses on the external often to the exclusion of the holiness of the soul.
James 4:6 “4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
Our focus ought to be Christ and His principles, never going beyond, adding to His Word to control others as the Pharisees did. If our focus is Christ, we are free to express our personalities within the guidelines of Scripture, each one a little different from others, while glorifying God in the Spirit.
Remember God gave us our creativity and our personalities, we are free to express these things as long as we have consulted with Christ and our soul is free from condemnation.
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
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