Sin, Sanctificaton, Conviction, and Legalism
I have come to a disconcerting realization that church people avoid sanctification by adhering to rules rather than allowing God to transform their hearts. Recently, I found myself in a discussion about alcohol in response to an article in Relevant Magazine about Christianity's Most Famous Beer Enthusiasts. The discussion, while good natured seemed to quickly stray into the bounds of legalism, a religious predisposition that is more dangerous than any other I know. It reminded me of the dangers thereof as well as the good intentions that often fertilize it's root, inspiring me to address the issue here. While the example I am sharing relates to the use of alcohol, the issue is much further reaching.
Consider this simplified legalist approach to the consumption of alcohol:
- God told us not to get drunk and that drunkenness leads to sin in Ephesians 5:18. (This is solid truth.)
- My drinking could lead to drunkenness or tempt an alcoholic to drunkenness (This is a loose--but not stretched--application of 1 Corinthians 8. We are still good.)
- It is better that I don't drink at all (This is a personal decision, perhaps conviction that is potentially helpful.)
- It is better than no one else drink at all. (This is legalism, and it is dangerous.)
Considering that that some practices benign to one person are overwhelmingly tempting to another, the application of personal convictions is both valid and helpful. I have boundaries related to interaction with women that some would consider overly cautious. I have chosen to be exceptionally careful in the area, knowing that not every person needs to apply the same level of caution as I do.
However, the formulation and application of rules made by men instead of God is dangerous. During the discussion I mentioned proponents of not drinking (teetotalists) asserted that drinking alcohol while not explicitly called "sin" was "unwise" and that no good could come of it. I mentioned the danger of this kind of thinking, reminding the teetotalists that our Savior drank wine. Not only that, Jesus used wine to establish communion (Matthew 26:28). This in addition to the fact that Jesus chose to bring glory to Himself by turning water into wine in John 2. Notably, the practical purpose of the miracle was to keep a party going.
Can we really say that Jesus' use of alcohol was "unwise"? Can we accuse Him of causing the people around Him to be tempted to sin? To say that it is unwise to do something Jesus did is itself an unwise statement.
When we make rules the focus of our faith, we are turning our focus toward works rather than grace.
“ Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
When we add rules to God's commands, we find ourselves in opposition to His heart.
The Fundamental problem with legalism is that it focuses on the modification of behavior rather than the transformation of the heart. There are uncountable men and women who have left one addiction in favor of another. The heroin addict who gives up substance abuse but works 100+ hours every week is still an addict. He has merely traded one addiction for a more socially acceptable one. The condition of his heart remains the same, and thus his sin becomes hidden and more damaging. He sins in ways that bring him praise and isolates himself from the heart of God all the more.
With legalism, man makes himself savior and lord and worships at the altar of pride.
We have found ways to give up public sins in favor of hidden sins and obscured the depraved condition of our heart. We are still selfish. We are still unloving. We are still prideful. We are all the things that come from our sin nature, but we are still in opposition to the heart of God.
Mere behavioral change is not enough. Jesus wants us to bear Spiritual fruit. He wants for us an inward transformation that results in fruit that can only come as a result of His Spirit's work in us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Jesus calls us to bear fruit of love, to be people of joy and peace, patient in everything, preemptively kind and good, faithful to the end, gentle to all, in control of our actions. More than actions, these are conditions of the heart. This spiritual fruit is descriptive of who you are. You can't"joy;" you are joyful. Patient is something you are, not something you do. These things grow out of a heart that is filled with the Spirit, they are not mustered up through the power of your will.
Following Rules Is Our Way of Ignoring Our Heart's Condition
Legalism is our way of adding rules to God's command, banning the tools of sin without addressing the condition of our hearts. In this way, we not only prevent good but obscure the condition of our hearts.
For every object of sin we remove, there are a thousand more waiting to be bent to our selfish purposes. Our culture suffers from over-indulgence of every kind, and no amount of regulation will change us. We have food addictions. Sexual addictions. Drug and alcohol addictions. We find ways to be addicted to power or to work. We even crated the concept of "binge watching" television.
How can it be that we adhere to standards without conforming to the heart of God? It is because modifying our behavior does nothing to changer our heart. In Matthew 15, Jesus talks about how the condition of the heart and the actions that proceed from it are the real issue.
“And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”...But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.””
Transformation of the Heart
This begs the question: How can my heat be changed? If I cannot be changed by my actions, then how can I be changed at all? Jesus says to abide.
When Jesus teaches His disciples how to bear spiritual fruit, He simply says to abide in Him. There is no step by step process, no rule book, no routine to master. The transformation of your heart, the sanctification of your life happens just as your salvation, through relationship with Jesus.
Jesus wants you to abide in Him.
Paul talks about this a little more specifically in Romans 12:2 when he says that rather than being conformed to the mindset of this world, we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This does not merely mean accumulating knowledge, though knowledge is helpful. This means allowing our mind to be renewed by Christ.
Many Christians want to know then what actions are acceptable or unacceptable? Paul addresses that concern by saying that as we renew our mind, then we will be able to prove the will of God.
It isn't by making rules that we adhere to the will of God; it is by transforming our minds through relationship with Christ.
Practical Ways to Abide in Christ
- Read His words (The Gospel of Matthew has a lot of them).
- Talk to Him.
- Let His Holy Spirit lead you (Romans 8:14). Pay attention to those gentle nudges to do something that wouldn't normally come from you.
- Ler His people speak into your life (Ephesians 5:21)
- Dwell on the attributes of Christ.
- Spend time with His followers (Matthew 18:20).
- Meditate (not merely study) His Word (Psalm 63:3).
Any other suggestions? How does one abide?
