MARK 7:1–23
“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men”
(Mark 7:8).
Legalism wears several different hats. For instance, there is the belief that good works will earn salvation. Another is when we encounter people who joylessly obey scriptural commands because they want to “be right,” not because they want to please God. Today, we will focus on the most common kind of legalism—adding the laws of man to the laws of God.
All too often Christians add their own prejudices to God’s law and treat them as if they were on the same level. This is a great evil that has afflicted the church since the time of Cain and Abel. In Jesus’ day, the rabbis of the old covenant had added to the law of God and had bound the people’s conscience. Where God had left men free, the Pharisees had put them in chains. Much of Jesus’ teaching and most of His conflicts with the Pharisees arose over this issue.
This does not mean that the church has no right to enforce rules and policies for the sake of good order, such as “No soft drinks in the auditorium.” Such man-made rules of order, however, must never be elevated to the level of Scripture and made binding on the consciences of men in the same way as Scripture.
When we elevate our rules to the level of Scripture we make our rules the test of true Christianity. There are many people inside and outside the church who think that a Christian is someone who doesn’t dance, smoke, drink, go to movies, or play cards. Nowhere in the Bible does it say a Christian may never drink wine or play cards. Certainly the Bible addresses these issues, such as the need to respect our bodies or to avoid giving offense. By making wine or cards the test of Christianity, we come perilously close to blasphemy by misrepresenting Christ.
CORAM DEO
Isaiah 29–30
Ephesians 6
When we obey the authentic commandments of God, other problems tend to take care of themselves. Think about any such issues in your congregation that should be handled in this manner. Prayerfully determine whether you are guilty of falling back into the “easy solution” of legalistically adding new rules to God’s Word.
For further study: Mark 7:1–13; James 4:1–12; Building a Christian Conscience series
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