GUARD YOUR FREEDOM
IN CHRIST
One of the great threats to vibrant Christian faith and
to the testimony of the church is legalism. Laws are necessary for order and
the maintenance of civil liberty. Sometimes in order to keep the spirit of the
law we invent rules to assist us. In time, the rules become like law
themselves. Buried under rules, regulations, and traditions lies the truth, but
we forget the heart of the law. We call this legalism.
Throughout
the U.S. there are rules on the books that demonstrate the intention to keep
the law, however misguided and unfounded:
- In Indiana, it’s illegal to attend a public event or
use public transport within 4 hours of eating onions or garlic.
- In Wyoming, you may not take a picture of a rabbit from
January to April without an official permit.
- In Arizona, if you are found stealing soap, you must
wash yourself until the bar of soap has been completely used up.
- A motorist with criminal intentions must stop at the
city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town in
Washington.
- And in Waynesboro, Virginia, it’s against the law for a
woman to drive a car on Main Street unless her husband is walking in front of
the car waving a red flag.
When
applied to our faith, legalism promotes performance as a way to gain favor with
God. It is the human effort to gain salvation or prove one’s spirituality by an
outward show of living by “do’s” and “don’ts.” Some would call this “good
Christian conduct.”
In our
passage this morning we read of how the Colossians were being convinced that
their faith was lacking. False teachers led them to believe that tradition and
rituals would make them more spiritual. Paul responded “NO – Christ died to set
you free from such legalism. And now that Christ has died for your freedom,
guard that freedom from the laws that brought us death.”
1. Be wary of Legalism
From our text we can deduce that these false teachers may
have been Jewish, although the Jews do not have prohibitions about drinking
certain beverages, only unclean foods. Whoever they were, these teachers were
trying to impose their version of good behavior on the believers at Colossae.
Paul warned the believers in 2:8, and now a second time, not to let these
philosophies become a stone around your neck.
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by
what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day” (2:16).
When
such restrictions or requirements are imposed, legalism becomes the focus of
our living instead of Christ. What does legalism do and what does it look like?
a) Legalism is
myopic (narrow-minded) – We can all be legalistic at times. We judge each
other by standards we believe are true and acceptable. Sometimes we think our
sins smell better than others and we have very little tolerance for those who
do not agree with our definition of sin.
b) Legalism dulls
our faith – It acts like a wet blanket on enthusiasm and snuffs out joy.
Many who seek freedom in Christ can be burdened by the expectations of older
believers.
c) Legalism puffs
up – We may not realize the subtleness of our self-righteous attitude, but
our evaluation and categorizing of others fills us with pride. We believe we
are doing Christianity right and expect others to follow our example.
d) Legalism
divides us – We believe “everyone needs to be like me.” When we think this
way, we miss the delight of diversity in the church.
e) Legalism blocks
our view of Jesus – Nothing pushes a seeker away from the church and Jesus
more than a list of rules. When we focus on rules we are not presenting Jesus.
Some people want to control others – but if we allow them to do this we give
them the place that is reserved for Christ.
f) Legalism gives
a false sense of security – We feel good that we are doing all the right
things and don’t realize that we are simply conforming to peer pressure. We
have not come to Christ at all.[i]
Paul
says that these rituals and rules and traditions are really ten steps backwards
in faith. Some of the rules were good. The celebrations, the Sabbath – they
were pointing to Christ; they were symbols of hope of the coming Messiah. But
now that Christ has come, there was no longer any need for those rules and
traditions, they were a shadow of the reality (2:17; Hebrews 10:1a).
I read
about a family that owned a German shepherd named Rex. He was a ferocious
looking dog with the heart of a chicken. Rex never bit and he never barked. One
thing made Rex bark however – when a flock of birds would fly over his yard.
But he chased after the shadows on the ground and barked wildly. One bird flew
in circles over the yard, Rex running in circles trying to catch it. Poor dumb Rex
didn’t know it was only a shadow, that it wasn’t real.
To focus
on the rules of Christianity and miss the person of Christ is like chasing
shadows.
2. Watch out for Legalists
Rules are important – don’t get me wrong – but if the
rules are everything, we miss the joy of living. A few years ago when I coached
soccer here in Kleefeld, I didn’t care if my young players stepped out of
bounds with the ball. I just yelled, “Keep it live! Bring it in!” I liked to
keep the game going, to have fun. One game, though, the opposing coach was a
stickler for the rules. It slowed the game down, and we argued about the
importance of the rules. Soccer, and any sport, needs rules. But we all know
that too many rules can ruin the game.
Paul
seems to echo this when he said, “Do not
let anyone…disqualify you for the prize” (2:18). To be “disqualified” is an
athletic term – it carries the idea of an umpire calling you “out” for
disobeying the rules, like being red-carded in soccer. What’s the prize? You
know…Paul told us “I press on toward the
goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil
3:14). Christ is the prize…and you don’t win the prize by stellar spiritual
performance, but by humbly confessing that Jesus died for your sins and
accomplished everything you needed to do. Don’t let anyone disqualify you with
rule-keeping then.
Legalists
have definable characteristics that we can identify, according to Paul. They
delight…
…in false humility. They present themselves as humble and
holy. It’s really a paradox or a contradiction of character. In reality, they
are filled with their own sense of importance and pride. They present
themselves as meek, but believe they are superior to other Christians.
…in worshiping angels. Their focus is on spiritual beings
other than Christ. This can work the other way too, by paying too much
attention to spiritual warfare and finding demons everywhere.
…in sharing visions. These people are eager to tell you
the “latest word from the Lord.” The danger of these visions is the reality of
subjective bias. We cannot trust our own imaginations or emotions. We want so badly
for these impulses to be from God. When a legalist has a vision, they are
certain that it must be a revelation and follow it religiously.
…in idle notions. They draw false conclusions. They come
up with a teaching that promises to lead you to God but it really leads you
away.
When
legalists succeed in building into you a fear of making mistakes or not living
up to their standard of faith and life, we become like ill-taught piano
students. We play our songs, but we never really hear them or enjoy them
because our main concern is not to make music but to avoid flubbing and getting
into trouble.
Then…then
we know… that they…and we…have lost connection with the Head, that is, Christ.
3. Remember that you are Free
Whether you are prone to being legalistic or are a victim
of legalism, you need to remember the essence of this letter to the Colossians.
Christ is supreme; Christ is the sustainer; and Christ is sufficient. Christ is
enough. You are saved by what He did, not what we can do.
Paul
refers to 2:11-12 (we were buried with Christ in baptism) when he says, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental
spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world,
do you submit to its rules?” (2:20).
You no longer belong to this world. Is
vibrant Christianity defined by one’s refusal to dance or enter a bar? Are you
more saved because you are an environmentalist and recycle? The rules “Don’t
taste! Don’t touch!” focus on personal denial. They were trying to help people
to put the brakes on the appetites of the flesh. Sounds reasonable. And we are
definitely called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. We
need discipline. But these legalists were saying that the rules themselves made
them more acceptable to God. Nothing you do can make you acceptable to God,
because Christ has already made you acceptable to God.
You are not bound by rules then. It
seems that we are drawn to making rules so that we can put everything in a
category. People who are orderly and neat like it when everything has a place.
I know that I am like that; I am someone who appreciates rules. We need to
remember that rules are a human invention and belong to a world that is passing
away. They are based on “human commands and teaching” (22).
The
Pharisees and teachers of the law once asked Jesus why His disciples did not
live according to their traditions, traditions that had been passed down from
generation to generation. Jesus replied, “Isaiah
was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written ‘These
people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship
me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of
the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men” (Mk
7:6-8).
Do you
see the difference in Jesus’ words concerning commands and traditions? God’s
commands are at the heart of knowing who He is, so we don’t abandon His law in
that sense. Human traditions, however, distract us from the heart of God. We
must differentiate between God’s command and our own rules about those
commands, how we think we ought to keep those commands.
You are free from the flesh. Since we
died with Christ, our sinful nature is buried with Him. We are no longer slaves
to the sinful nature because we are essentially dead to it. So Paul says that
even though these rules look wise and helpful, and denying oneself harshly
seems spiritual, “they lack any value in
restraining sensual indulgence” (23b).
Since
legalism focuses on superficial spirituality, it seems easier to keep the
external rules than actually deal with the issue of the heart. It’s easier to
“not play cards,” or whatever, than to deal with a bitter heart. It is easier
to conform outwardly to the standards of a social group like the church than to
put on the nature of Christ. Thus we can pretend to “be” Christian, all the
while struggling inside with our guilt.
But you
are free in Christ. Guard that freedom. “It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). If we
believe that Christ is enough, then our righteousness does not need to be
earned by rule-keeping; Christ is the only person who kept the law 100 percent;
we never could. Put your faith in His work on the cross and know that you are
free indeed.
Extreme
adherence to the letter of the law can come back to bite you in time to come.
One year
Dave Hagler was working as an umpire in a rec-baseball league in Boulder,
Colorado. Unfortunately, Dave got pulled over for speeding one day. He tried to
talk the officer out of giving him a ticket. Dave asked for leniency since it
could make his insurance go up. But the officer was relentless and told Dave
that he could take the matter to court if he didn’t like the ticket.
Fast-forward
to the first game of the next baseball season. Dave was umpiring behind the
plate when he recognized the policeman coming to bat. The officer also noticed
Dave and asked how the whole ticket thing turned out. Dave simply replied,
"You better swing at everything!"[ii]
You will
notice that I did not get specific about the rules we follow. I did not want to
be legalistic in pointing out legalism. I leave it to you to take these words
and evaluate your own path in life.
Let me
ask you this: "What is your Christianity like?"
1. Is it focused on yourself or
on Christ?
2. Is it focused on sin and
failure or grace and forgiveness?
3. Is it anchored in personal
experiences or in the Word of God?
4. Has it set you free or tied
you up?
5. Does it make you cry, or
dance?
Remember
your freedom in Christ; Guard your freedom in Christ.
AMEN
[i]
These definitions of legalism are a compilation and improvisation of two
pastors’ works: Bruce Goettsche and Brian Bill. I used their ideas and came up
with my own list, as it were.
[ii]
Source: Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them, John Ortberg, 2003, p.158
(Found in "In Other Words - June 2007 #2 - by Dr. Raymond McHenry) From a
sermon by Rick Crandall, "God’s Plan for Our Relational Health"
2/19/2009
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