No one is to act as your judge (Part 2)
No one is to act as your judge (Part 2)
Colossians 2:16-17 A look at the difference between legalism and heresy
“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Colossians 2:16-17 NASB1995
If you didn’t read Part 1 of this look at Colossians 2:16-17, I urge you to stop right now and go read it.
In writing that devotional, which dealt with legalism, I was going to bring up an example of a person Barb and I are acquainted with who is extremely critical of anyone who doesn’t follow her own notions of what Christianity is all about. Yet it occurred to me that doing so would be judgmental, something that Christians should avoid at all costs.
Let’s define the word legalism in the theological sense. From Wikipedia:
The Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States defines legalism as a pejorative descriptor for "the direct or indirect attachment of behaviors, disciplines, and practices to the belief in order to achieve salvation and right standing before God", emphasizing a need "to perform certain deeds in order to gain salvation" (works). Additionally, legalism pejoratively refers to the view that Christians should not engage in social practices perceived as contrary to a Christian witness, such as gambling, dancing, consuming alcohol, enjoying secular entertainment, or wearing immodest clothing.
GotQuestions.org says this:
The word “legalism” does not occur in the Bible. It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth. Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations. Doctrinally, it is a position essentially opposed to grace.
Our acquaintance is certain that we’re not going to be recipients of God’s grace, since we don’t follow her specific religious practices and sometimes (going back to that Wikipedia reference) “engage in social practices perceived as contrary to a Christian witness”.
This got me thinking that I could be considered to be just as legalistic when I think of my feelings about certain denominations that go out of their way to celebrate “Pride Month” and fill their ranks with LGBTQIA+ clergy and bishops, or state publicly that they don’t agree with the statement of Jesus in John 14:6 (“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”) in order to avoid “offending” those of other faiths.
All this is leading up to the question of the day — what is the difference between legalism and heresy? I’ve already provided a few definitions of legalism, so let’s see what GotQuestions.org says about heresy:
A basic definition of heresy, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is “adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma.” A second definition is “dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice.” That’s a good starting point for us. These definitions identify two key elements: a dominant position and a contrary position. With regards to religion, any belief or practice that goes against the official position of the church is considered heretical.
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Of course, not every disagreement in the church is heresy. Having a different opinion is not wrong, but when the opinion is divisive or maintained in defiance of clear biblical teaching, it becomes heretical. The apostles themselves disagreed at times (see Acts 15:36-41), and Peter once had to be rebuked for divisive and legalistic behavior (Galatians 2:11-14).
(Emphasis in the last paragraph is mine).
My head hurts…
OK, so our acquaintance is being legalistic in that she “believes in and demands a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations.” Our best course of action with her will be to pray that she realizes that those rules and regulations don’t make her any better than any other Christian and let her continue to voice her opinions on social media without wanting to “correct” her. In other words, show her compassion, understanding, and love. If we want to rebuke her, we should do so privately and use Scripture, not opinions, to make our argument.
How about those Christian denominations that are being outright heretical in their teachings? Looking at the question of the “rainbow people”, for example, the Bible spells out in any number of places (Genesis 19:1–13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10) that homosexuality is a sin. For these denominations to “maintain their opinion in defiance of clear biblical teaching” is heresy! Once again quoting GotQuestions.org:
The Bible teaches that Christians are to live for God, deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24), including with their sexuality.
That other example I used earlier is clearly heresy. You cannot just decide to ignore one of the major precepts of our faith just to appease those of another religion! What we did on August 27, 2018 was to walk away (quickly!) from that denomination after politely pointing out to our pastor that they were embracing false doctrine to the point of being heretical.
The point of today’s long and winding devotional? Both legalism and heresy should be avoided at all costs. It’s not being legalistic to point out another’s sin; done with love and kindness, your rebuke may help someone realize that they are offending God, are in jeopardy of spending eternity separated from Him, and should change their ways. Heresy and false teaching need to be dealt with in another way — by first discerning the heresy through application of Scripture, by praying for those who are engaged in those practices, and to take appropriate steps to make sure you aren’t caught up in the web of deceit.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, help me to be more understanding to those who have a legalistic view of my relationship to You and insist that I must follow certain rituals, calendars, or liturgies to receive your saving grace. Remind me and all of Your faithful to be more discerning of what churches are teaching to avoid straying from Your Word and risking our eternal salvation. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.