Common Legalist Arguments - Part II

In my last post in this series Common Legalist Arguments - Part I, I went over the idea that "The law is harder to keep; the Spirit helps you to keep it, grace makes up for your failures." We saw the flaws hidden in that approach of partial law-keeping. Now, I would like to investigate the next argument that I commonly hear from legalists. I believe this one is much craftier and more likely to trip us up.

Argument #2

"God wants people to be obedient."

This is a well crafted argument; very sly in its design. After all, who wants to be seen as DISobedient? Herbert Armstrong was filled with these clever little traps. But never the less, is this the right approach to a New Covenant relationship with God?

Answer: absolutely, positively not!!

You're taken aback already, I'd wager. My answer hinges on what is hidden in the word "obedience". Let's investigate.

One can always go to the Old Covenant, which we have as an example to us, and see exhortations to obey. Regulations and restrictions controlled, from the outside, almost every aspect of a person's life. The inside, however, rarely changed. Israel as a majority did not obey, and they received the punishments prescribed in the law. God predicted it from the very start that they would fail and be carried away (DEU. 31: 16). Now it becomes all the more easy to distract a person and claim that unless we obey then we will draw the wrath of God on us as we see in the Old Testament.

But in contrast, in the New Covenant, God does not want obedience in the same manner.

(JOHN 15: 15) 15 No longer do I call you servants... but I have called you friends...

He wants people to be faithful and believe in His Son. That is the very core of the Good News! Our salvation is already prepared; we need merely accept and confess it. That work of salvation already is complete, once and for all time, from Jesus' death, forward into all eternity. If we are faithful, God will then grant us His Spirit. It is that Spirit which causes God's will to be fulfilled in us.

This argument that God wants an obedient people betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of the New Covenant. Why? First, because as we saw in the last post, the righteousness God wants is not our righteousness. It's His righteousness. Second, because the law, as holy and righteous as it was, controls from the outside, whereas the Spirit of God in us transforms from the inside.

It is not about us. It is not about what we do or fail to do. It is not about control. It is not about obedience. It's not about law at all. It is about Jesus Christ. It is about God replacing the sinful persons we are. Out of sinfulness creating righteousness. Who besides God can do such a marvelous thing? It is He who does the work, not us. He does not control, He transforms, not from the outside but from the inside. The difference is likened to a child learning to obey, and a mature adult who has already learned well to the point where the lesson is now nature. He puts away the childish things.

We are re-born. We are not reborn into the same Old Covenant, or even a modified Old Covenant, but a glorious New Covenant. Not subject to the old letter of the old law and ordinances, but to the spirit of a Spiritual law, a Royal law, of faith and love.

This new Way, this spiritual way, replaces the old way in its entirety. The old way isn't brought forward, it isn't altered, but is destroyed completely. That is the nature of Covenants. Even so, the new way fulfills the righteous requirements of the old way. The new is not without righteousness, even though there is no law written in stone. The new way fills up the old way and overflows it; tearing it like an un-shrunken patch on old clothes; bursting it like new wine into old skins.

That being the case, we have to ask, what do you mean when you say "be obedient"? You say "obey", but you don't obey (GAL. 6: 13)! Only one Man has ever been sinless. So, "obey" what? The Old covenant law? The Old Covenant is gone (ROM. 7: 6; II COR. 3: 7, 11, 13). Do you seek to earn through obedience to it? You cannot earn anything from God; it is a gift (ROM. 5: 16-18; EPH. 2: 8). What good comes of your partial "obedience", then? Righteousness? Your righteousness is like filthy rags (ISA. 64: 6). Righteousness is not of the law anyhow (GAL. 2: 21). What does make a man righteous?

(ROM. 5: 19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

It is Christ! And Christ alone. You can't be "obedient" to the law and receive this. You can't be obedient to the law at all. Men tried for 1,500 years under the Old Covenant and failed. It's not about you. To even think that you can do anything is to steal from Christ.

(GAL. 3: 2-4) 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

To think you know anything, let alone do anything, you do not yet know as you should (I COR. 8: 2).

(ROM. 10: 2-3) 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God

Romans 8: 3 says people seek their own righteousness. How do they do that?

(PHP. 3: 9) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith

This expressly says God does not want us to pursue our own righteousness from the law!! This completely smashes the second legalistic argument! People say "God wants obedience." Yes, but not by law. God Himself says that He doesn't want you to pursue your own failed righteousness by law, He wants His own righteousness in us by faith! This is a profound difference not to be taken lightly!

This is why I said, "absolutely, positively not," when speaking about obedience. Because I know what is really meant by "obedience" is "obedience to law." That is not what God wants.

The law was brought in to condemn you so that you could clearly see how hopeless you are, see how inadequate you are to this task, see your need, and see how you must depend entirely on the grace of God. He has saved you. God doesn't want condemnation, He wants humility. He doesn't want obedience to law, He wants you to let Him give you what he has prepared for you. And that is the length, breadth, width, height, and depth of the good news! In what way is that insufficient?

(ROM. 5: 15-18) 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

God wants people to be faithful. He will take care of the obedience on His own.

(ROM. 9: 30-32) 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law.

There is obedience, but not by law. To "obey the Gospel" is to have faith. If people were actually obedient to what God says He wants, they would have faith. Once faith has come in, they would have the Spirit. Once the Spirit has come in, they would have love. Love is the fulfillment of the righteous requirement of the law. And once love has cone in, the actions in life - the works - would be a response to faith and love, not a cause of it. Works are a byproduct of grace, not a cause of it! And it would all be because of God's grace, and nothing of your own. As I once heard, "Jesus Christ did not come to make you better, He came to replace you." (GAL. 2: 20)

CONCLUSION

What was argument #2 again? "God wants people to be obedient."

There is an obedience, and it is to the truth. God's word is truth, and it desires faith. If there is a commandment, it is to love. God is love. It is about God, not us. In all sincerity, invite Christ in to do these things from the Spirit within you, and you have fulfilled ALL righteousness.

Deeply loved by God, I hope you all come to fully understand what the New Covenant entails. I pray you are completely transformed from the inside by the indwelling of the Spirit of God. If the Spirit is in you then you are the temple of God, and are made holy by His presence, not by anything at all that you can say or do (or not). Be transformed! Step into the New Covenant!

(I PET. 1: 22-25) 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.”

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

[Also see Part I, Part III, Part IV, Part V, & Part VI]

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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom.

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