Legalism
There’s a new post for Yancey’s book, Prayer, over at the site Biblos. Do check it out.
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We just finished a discussion-study on 1 John, something we’ve been doing in our home for the last couple of months. I’ve been reading through Dr. Tom Olbricht’s little book on 1 John that he wrote for the 2005 Pepperdine Lecturship program.
I found this paragraph on "legalism" helpful. Maybe it will help you too.
(Comments on 1 John 5.3): John does not agree with those who believe that the keeping of commandments is legalistic. The word legalism is often not employed in a New Testament manner. There legalism means making a rule a law of God when it is, in fact, a tradition of men (Mark 7), or asserting that keeping the law apart from faith is the way to salvation (Romans 9.32), or focusing on the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law (Mark 2.23-28). John fully believed that Christians should obey the commandments, as did Paul (1 Corinthians 7.19).
God bless you as you walk in grace and love throughout this week.
November 13th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
I came across a passage this weekend that jumped of the page at me. Maybe because I’ve been seeing the same things I’ve read for years from a different angle.
But Hebrews 9 begins: 1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.[a] But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
The first verse really struck me about the first covenant having “regulations for worship” and throughout the point is made that the old covenant was far inferior to the second. Your post today made me think of this………….
November 13th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Good thoughts by Tom. I plan to preach through Johns epistles in 07 … if there is anyone left in Long Beach to hear me preach.
November 13th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
I like to imagine what my life would be like if I consistently walked in love and grace.