Set Apart: Legalism v Holiness

"Legalism" seems to be the newest Emerging Church catchphrase. I hear it constantly, but it's always a bit obscure and ill-defined. What, exactly, is legalism? I myself have this word flung at me occasionally, because, being a hardcore Bible girl, I often /suggest/ to people that as followers of Jesus, there's a fairly specific code of conduct laid out for us in Scripture. That is, there are rules. There are things we are supposed to do and things we are not supposed to do. This idea used to be accompanied by the Duh Factor, but lately I'm finding that it's met by gasps of dismay and random, angry, Bible proof-texting.  So let's take a look at these two ideas, holiness and legalism, and see if we can't lend some clarity to this divisive issue.

Legalism is no simple concept, and pages could be written exploring and defining it. But simply put, legalism is the belief that what we do affects our redemption. You've perhaps heard it called "works-based faith," and it's an insidious, dangerous, anti-Biblical, and entirely wrong-headed doctrine still espoused by misled and misinformed people all over the world. Anybody who has any any decent teaching or done even a little studying will know that it is grace and faith alone that save us (Ephesians 2:8-10, Galatians 2:16), and we are not justified, or reconciled, to our God through works (Romans 3:20).

SO ....to clarify ...this is NOT what I'm saying when I exhort you to holiness and obedience. I am NOT telling you that you cannot know Jesus or be reconciled to God unless you live a certain way or follow certain rules. We all sin and fall short (Romans 3:23), this is Bible 101, and neither you nor I could ever obey well enough or live rightly enough to earn our own redemption. So again, that is not what I'm saying. I hope that's clear.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that just because we cannot earn our own salvation does not give us license to live however we want. The Person who did earn our salvation is owed a little more than that. When you come to know Christ, EVERYTHING changes, and I mean EVERYTHING. He transforms you from the inside out and makes you into a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). And yes, that transformation comes with expectations. It's a free gift, redemption, but just because your Savior has granted you liberty to live as you please does not mean that He has given you license. So let's go through a few Bible verses and see what God-breathed Scriptures tells us about all this.

John 14:15: “If you love me, keep my commands." -Well that's pretty self-explanatory. We're all comfortable with the idea of loving Jesus, we all want to do that more, and more effectively. So what are His commands? And remember, all scripture if God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), so the words do not have to come directly out of the mouth of walking-talking Jesus to be considered His commands. 


Galatians 5:19-21: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." -Also fairly self-explanatory. Amongst other things, here Paul is saying that if you're having sex with someone you're not married to, or getting drunk, or throwing temper tantrums and punching walls,  (things happening every day in your average local church), there's a problem. A big one. But why is there a problem?

1 John 2:3-6:  "We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.  But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." -Now THIS is a fully loaded verse! Explicit and convicting. 

Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — His good, pleasing, and perfect will." -Live like Jesus, it doesn't matter one bit what society thinks or what's culturally relevant or acceptable. So everyone you know is sleeping with their boyfriends and girlfriends, hitting the bar every weekend, and outspokenly supporting marriage equality and a woman's right to choose?  They tell you that if you take a moral stance on any of these things, you're judgmental? hate-filled? You don't really understand Christ's message of radical love? (now there's one we'll definitely have to address, and soon). Who cares?! Don't listen to all those babbling voice, those are some of the very patterns of this world to which we've been explicitly commanded not to conform! 

Romans 8:9: "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." -Again, obvious. If you belong to Christ, you won't live like the world anymore.

Romans 6:1-2: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" -Sin is clearly defined all over the New Testament, you don't need me to link a dozen more verses to help define it. And this verse is saying that once we are saved, we cannot possibly keep living in sin! We technically have the right to, but we won't want to! Because knowing Jesus changes us! It changes our hearts, our desires, and our actions.



You have been sanctified by the blood of the Living Savior (1 Corinthians 6:11), and you have been set apart from the rest of the world for a holy purpose. You have been called to let go of the seductive or comfortable things things of this world (1 John 2:15), and to live holy lives that honor God (1 Peter 1:15-16). People should be able to SEE a difference in the way you live; it should be apparent. And that doesn't just mean that you should just be nicer to the bus driver, or more patient with your kids, tithe a little more or smile more or be friendlier to strangers. The way you actually live, the things you choose to do or not do, support or condemn, should be radically different from the rest of the world's. There should be no mistaking who you are and what you're about. Or Who has lordship over your life. 

A hundred years ago, Charles Spurgeon said: "An unholy church! It is of no use to the world and of no esteem among men. Oh, it is an abomination, hell's laughter, heaven's abhorrence. And the larger the church, the more influential, the worse nuisance does it become when it becomes unholy. The worst evils which have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church."

What stark and terrifying words! Yet still this seems to be the path the church as a whole is travelling. Not only does there seem to be a church-wide move away from a call for holiness and obedience, there seems to be less and less of a conviction that such things are even real or necessary!  I hear a lot about love and grace (doctrines of paramount importance, of course!!), but nothing of holiness, sanctity, or obedience. I hear a lot about not judging (a complex idea that warrants much study and examination), and nothing about repentance.  

Do you know what Jesus' main message was while he was here one earth? You've heard that it was nothing but love, and for sure, Jesus preached love. But do you know what His overall theme was? It was repent (Matthew 4:17). Repentance, simply put, is recognizing you are sinful, wanting to stop sinning, and then actively turning from sin. It's a call to action. But how can we follow Jesus' number one command, to turn from sin, if we're unwilling to draw clear lines between right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable, pleasing and grieving? How can we heed the call for holiness without first admitting that holiness is real?

This is a huge and complex subject. I struggled even in writing this, because the ideas are so big and there are so many different concepts in here that could each be studied for a lifetime. As always, I exhort you to two things: 1, please click on all the hyperlinks and read the verses for yourselves. And read the verses that come before and after. Heck, read the whole passages.  I'm doing my best to relay as much truth as I understand, but real truth can only be found in the Word of God. And 2, if what I'm saying doesn't sound right, if it wasn't what you were taught, what you've learned, what your local church is teaching you, call me out right here on this blog. If you think I'm wrong, don't just dismiss me as wrong and move on. Let's hash it out, that's how truth is uncovered and God's will is revealed (1 Corinthians 11:19).

Before I go,  "Bible Answerman" Hank Hanagraaf has a helpful mnemonic on the subject of holiness that I found both informative and succinct, so I thought I would share:

"The concept of holiness is central to Scripture. Today, however, the Christian church produces truckloads of materials designed to make men healthy and happy rather than holy.

The principles for holy living can be internalized by using the acronym "H-O-L-I-N-E-S-S."

H = Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is the agent of holiness. He is not called "holy" simply because He is God, but rather because He works to produce holiness in the life of the believer.

O = Old Testament:
In the Old Testament, God set apart a people not because they were holy, but in order to make them holy. The Israelites were set apart in a Holy Land (Canaan), set apart through Circumcision, and set apart by the Commandments. Holiness means to be set apart for the service of God rather than for the service of self.

L = Legalism:
Legalism does not equal holiness! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces the possibility of living solely for God and not for outward appearances based on the traditions of men.

I = Internal Holiness:
While man looks at externalities, God is concerned with our deepest internal motivations. He is not as concerned with what we do as He is with why we do what we do.

N = New Testament:
If the Old Testament symbol of holiness is found in the commandments, the New Testament symbol for holiness is found in the Cross. The difference between law and grace is the difference between religion and relationship!

E = Eschatology:
The eschatology of holiness will ultimately be realized in eternity when positional holiness gives way to practical holiness. On that glorious day we will behold Him "face to face."

S = Sanctification:
As Christ died that we might be justified, so we are justified in order that we may be sanctified, or made holy. Sanctification involves being conformed daily to Christ rather than transformed by our culture.

S = Suffering:
Suffering is an integral part of biblical holiness. Spurgeon once wrote that he was "certain that he had never gown in grace one-half so much anywhere as upon the bed of pain." We are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified in Him" (Romans 8:17)."