There are three approaches in living the Christian life, and we must understand the subtle differences and likenesses if we would succeed in living an authentic spiritual life that will bring glory to Jesus and joy to our own lives.
The first approach to living the Christian life is Legalism. What is legalism? The word “legalism” means “living by the law”. So the legalist tries to live by an external set of rules and prohibitions. Example: The legalist attends his church regularly, prays some, reads the Bible, tithes, and partakes of the Lord’s Supper (positives). He also does not drink, dance, curse, or hang out with sinners. “I don’t drink, I don’t chew, and I don’t runaround with girls who do,” the legalist would proudly say (negatives). What is his motive? The legalist is striving in his flesh to achieve, by his works, favor with God and a good impression with mankind. In a word the legalists thinks that by following a set of religious rules of “Do’s” and “Do Nots,” he is leading a life of personal holiness which makes God proud of him and elevates his standing in the sight of his fellow church members and friends. What’s the problem with the legalist approach? Simply this: the legalist is not really serving God because he loves Him and wants to glorify Him, but he is following external rules, in the power of his flesh, and often under great burdens and no joy – all to bring glory to himself and make a good impression on those who see him.
How do we know this is the wrong approach in living the Christian life? Because the Pharisees in the Bible were the masters of legalism, and Jesus condemned them even above the “publicans and harlots” (Matthew 21:31; Matthew 23). The Pharisees carved out of the Law of Moses 613 definite rules, some of which were exceedingly ridiculous. Example: A Pharisee would not eat an egg laid on the Sabbath because a hen had to work in order to lay it. Or a Pharisee would not kill a tick which was biting him on Saturday, for to kill the “critter” would involve work and break the rule to “keep the Sabbath day holy.” In the final analysis the great damning sin of the Pharisees is set forth by Paul in Romans 10:3,”For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Thus Jesus warned, “Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will under no circumstances enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:20). Yet much of the professing Christian world, Protestant as well as Catholic, is seeking to be saved by keeping religious rules, with no inner relationship with Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
The second approach to living the Christian life is License (or Libertinism). While the legalist lives by keeping a set of religious rules, the “licenist” person or libertine goes in the opposite direction: He lives by no rules and does what he pleases. This extreme approach stems from the attitude that one is saved by grace, not by works, and he is free to live in sin and satisfy his fleshly desires as he feels. This view, of course, completely misunderstands the work of grace in the human heart, namely, that grace which saves one’s soul at the same time transforms his life. In fact as one famous theologian said, “Grace that will not change your life is grace that will not save your soul.” The Scripture makes this clear. 2 Cor. 5:17 plainly asserts, “If ANY person be in Christ (any truly saved person), he is a new creation; old things are passed away, and all things are become new.” An airtight truth – no exceptions to it. In Romans 5:20b, Paul sets forth the glorious truth that “where sin did abound, grace did much more abound.” What a glorious truth to know. But some have used this Scripture to justify their sins, saying the more one sins the more God would shower His grace upon them. But Paul strongly condemned such error in these words, “Shall we continue to live in sin that grace may abound? Perish the thought. How can we who died to sin live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). Then the apostle goes on to show the impossibility (Romans 6:3-14). Moreover, Paul makes it clear that not only does grace save a person, but grace saves, separates from sin, saves from the practice of sin, and serves God being “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14), and the apostle strongly commands that believers “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your labors in the Lord are not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:55 – “work” means ordinary exertion; labors, tiring and exhausting.
A final word about saving faith and works: The apostle Paul rather than teaching that works are not important in the Christian life asserted that they are inseparable. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul makes it crystal clear that a person is saved by grace through faith alone and not of works, but in Ephesians 2:10, he quickly adds that one is saved “for good works” and that God has ordained then that the saved person should walk in them. Likewise both Luther and Calvin, while insisting that a person is saved by grace through faith alone, also made it very clear in the context that faith that saves is never alone – but is always accompanied by works. The apostle James even declared that faith without works cannot save one (James 2:14), for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Jesus speaks the strongest word of all in this regard by asking, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things (the works) I command? (Luke 16:46)
Finally, the 3rd approach to living the Christian life is Liberty. Liberty lies between the excesses of legalism and license (libertinism). Instead of living by a set of religious rules (legalism) or living as we please to satisfy our flesh and feelings (license), we are given in true salvation (the new birth by the Holy Spirit) the freedom in Christ to do as He commands. This freedom is an inner transformation, given by the new birth produced by the Holy Spirit, which causes us both to desire and to do what pleases our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So we are commanded not to work for our salvation but to “Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working within us both to desire and to do His good pleasure.” These verses to not refer to salvation by works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-24), but they do refer to the believer’s responsibility for active pursuit of obedience in the process of sanctification, without which no man will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Note: the Greek verb “work out” means to continually work to bring something to completion or fulfillment.
By now some may be asking, “But what is the difference in teaching that a true Christian will work and should work, but that the works of the legalist are not acceptable to God?” Because the motive of the true Christian and legalist are entirely different. The legalist is hard at keeping his little rules to prove he is saved, or to gain the favor of God and the approval of his brothers and sisters, while having no relationship in the Spirit with Jesus. Also, he is busy doing external acts but has no heart for the deepest needs of people. Example: The Pharisees even tithed the income of the spice plants in their gardens and yet omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23).
On the other hand the true Christian works not to impress God or earn His favor or impress others, but simply because he loves Jesus from his heart. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will love to keep my commandments” (John 15:15) and that He would send them the Holy Spirit to enable those who love Him to keep His commandments. The apostle John expands on this truth when he writes, “Loving God means doing what He tells us to do, and really that isn’t hard at all for every child of God can obey, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him” (1 John 5:3-4 TLB).
How does all this truth about living the Christian life relate to “MMM”? Simply in this way. Our central focus in “MMM” is the emphasis on “Internalizing the Word of God,” which is commanded in the Bible in several places (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2-3; Jer. 15:16; Psalm 119:11; and James 1:21-25). To “Internalize the Word,” one must:
Know it in the head by diligent study,
Stow it in the heart by memorization and meditation,
Show it in the life by obeying its teaching and
Sow it in the world by our witness.
These activities require work, even hard work at times. But we always stress with our mentorees (interns) that we must do these four things because we love Jesus and desire to bring glory to His Name by obeying Him and living as He has commanded us and enabled us – in our personal lives, our homes, our churches, our businesses, and our world. Such is authentic spirituality and true Christianity.
Conclusion: Paul, called to write the “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) and inerrant Word of God, undoubtedly understood both the dangers of legalism, license, and liberty, and he gives God’s answer in Galatians 5:13, “Brethren, you have been called to liberty; ONLY use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, (license) but by love, serve one another,” (liberty). Serving one another would undoubtedly require works, but not legalism, but works done of a heart of love in relation to Jesus Christ (liberty). So legalism is forbidden, also license, and liberty is commanded.
As President of “MMM”, I condemn license as plain sin, warn against legalism, but promote liberty as obedience in love done for Christ’s glory, our own fulfillment, and as the greatest need in our personal lives, the life of our churches, and the kingdom of God in general.