“I spent my whole education degree studying how Jesus taught. He never asked anyone to memorize anything.”
That was my friend James talking. James is focused on grace. He only reads the New Testament. He says things like, “Well, I’m not really an Old Testament guy.” James considers the idea of spiritual disciplines to be legalism. James is also a seminary graduate*.
Some Christians have taken on a posture that deeply resists anything even remotely similar to a rule. I’m not sure whether to call this an anxiety about legalism or an unbalanced view of grace.
But whatever you call it, this refusal to take on “rules”–even self-imposed rules–is unhealthy.
It renders us unable to commit to personal goals. We dislike New Year’s Resolutions. We cannot create for ourselves plans, schedules, or good habits, particularly in spiritual matters. We resist goals and rules of any kind, even the most benign rules we might have invented for ourselves.
My friend James considers memorizing scripture a legalistic practice. James is wrong**. Legalism is adopting rules in order to be justified by them.
Paul describes what we would call legalism this way: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” Galatians 5:4.
No Biblical author expounds more brilliantly on grace than Paul. Yet, Paul commands believers to follow all sorts of rules that Christians today might describe as “legalistic.” The difference is this: Paul encourages us to live holy lives to give glory to God, not because we “seek to be justified by law.”
Christians should live holy lives. “Be holy as I am holy” 1 Peter 1:16. Make good choices. Follow the rules (yes, rules!). Here’s one of Paul’s many ‘rules’– “There must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:4. It is not legalism to suggest we clean up our speech!
Paul, the great champion of grace, may be the most un-legalistic person in the Bible! Yet he commands believers to speak right, eat right, serve each other, and so much more. We should live right. Make good choices. Don’t shy away from ‘rules’ or goals or New Year’s Resolutions.
Create a rule for yourself now and then! It’s the fastest way to develop good habits; it is the fastest way to grow. But don’t drift into the prideful self-delusion that tells you that your new good habit somehow makes you better in God’s eyes. That is, don’t fall from grace as you “seek to be justified by the law” that you invented.
AΩ.
* James believes in something critics have begun to call “hyper grace.” https://www.gotquestions.org/hyper-grace.html
** As for Jesus not encouraging scripture memory, this fallacy is called the ‘argument from silence’ and cannot be used to prove a conclusion. Jesus never mentioned memorizing because it was understood. The entire nation was encouraged to memorize the five books of the Torah while still in school. The value of scripture memory was understood.
Household Words: 