Legalism versus Obedience

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine this afternoon about an occurrence in the church he attends. The pastor and deacon council had recommended that church discipline be carried out upon an un-repentant homosexual who is a member of the congregation. The person in question had been dealt with through the scriptural method Jesus lays out for us in Matthew 18:16-20. When this person refused to turn from their lifestyle of sin Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 5 was brought before the church to "expel" the immoral person. A two-thirds vote was needed to carry out this biblical mandate to the church; it failed.

This brings up an interesting point. What constitutes legalism and what constitutes obedience? Many who voted for this person to maintain membership, of whom the bible says "will not inherit the kingdom of God," if they continue in this lifestyle, are claiming that they don't want to be a "fundamentalist" church. They view this as legalism, not love. Nothing, scripturally, could be further from the truth.

A simple definition of legalism is this: when we put our own opinions and beliefs above God's written word and expect others to follow them as they would scripture. This is what the Pharisees did. And sadly, that Pharisiacal spirit is still very much alive in our churches. You see, obedience to God's word is not legalism, it is obedience. It is the mark of our love for Christ who tells us, "If you love Me, obey My commands(John 14:15)." When we obey God's word, difficult as it may sometimes be, we are showing true biblical love. But in the church today, the world's definition of love, which is expressed through tolerance of others instead of genuine concern for their immortal soul, is more prevalent than biblically defined love.

Biblically defined love in this instance is defined by God. Galatians 6:1-2 tells us to gently try to restore a fellow Christian who has fallen into sin, taking care not to fall into sin ourselves. The person who is to do this should be spiritual, have judged themselves and found themselves not also living a life of sin. Jesus in Matthew 18 tells us that the first conversation and attempt at restoration, which is always the goal, is to occur one-on-one with the person who is overtaken, practicing as a lifestyle, any biblically defined sin. Homosexuality certainly fits this qualification. If the person cannot be convinced of their sin and does not repent, several people are to visit with the person to express, in love, their deep concern for their sinful lifestyle. If the person still is unwilling to repent Jesus says take them before the church, and have nothing more to do with them. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 5.

Because of a lack of true Christian love for this person, members of this church, many who do not even attend(that's a different issue altogether) have literally affirmed this person's sin and approved of it. They, in fact, are the legalists, as they have put their own opinion over the clear teachings of scripture. And their legalism in this case could have eternal ramifications for this individual. When we turn a blind eye to open, unrepentant sin in the body, we give approval to all sin. As Paul says, "a little leaven(sin) will work it's way through the whole loaf." If I give tacit approval to one person's sin, how can I help another overcome theirs, which is our biblical exhortation in Galatians 6?

So when it comes to the church you attend, is their a spirit of obedience, or, do the opinions of man override the clear but sometimes difficult teachings of the bible? How you answer that question will let you know whether you are in a Spirit led church or a worldly church. I feel for the good people who sought to do God's will in this church. Stand fast my brothers and sisters, for you truly loved this person enough to be honest and truthful with them. Continue to pray for them, and also for those who now openly condone their sin. Repentance is needed all around.