Legalism vs Lawlessness
This year has been quite a challenging year for me, as I think I have stated in a couple of other posts. My mind has been opened to a whole new range of things and some of what I have believed all my life is definately being challenged.
Last night at life group we watched a very good teaching (IMO) from John Bevere. John is someone that until this year I hadn’t heard of, but throughout this year I have heard much from and have really enjoyed his teaching. Many pentecostal/charasmatic teachers are questioned on their theology because it doesn’t seem biblical. This is not a charge that I believe could be laid on John, whenever I have heard his teaching I myself have followed it in the word and what he says definately fits.
The session was talking about the ‘fear of the Lord’. Some versus on this (not necessarily quoted by Bevere)
Psalm 85:9
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
Psalm 96:4
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 103:17
But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Acts 10:34-36
34Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
1 Peter 1:17
17Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
I could go on, but I won’t. Anyway, the entire point of his teaching can be summed up with this sentence. (paraphrased, not exact)
Love keeps us from legalism, fear keeps us from lawlessness. Todays church has a healthy understanding of love but doesn’t understand fear.
I heard this…and it made sense. Now John was very clear to point out that ‘fearing’ God is NOT being scared of God, its have a reverence for him. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
Another thing John said was that the church today is almost afraid of preaching anything about works. We are so caught up in ’saved by grace’ (which is 100% truth, nothing we DO can save us) that we forget so many of the versus that explain that it is by our works that it is known if we have faith.
Matt 3:7-10
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:16-18
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
And many more.
Something that has been burning inside of me for so very long now is that we make it so very easy to’become Christian’ and expect very little. Now please, hear me correctly here. To become a Christian IS very easy. God saves us by grace, we accept this grace, we are saved…but what tends to happen is we get a person to say a little prayer, and then declare them saved! We do an altar call at church, get a response, and declare them saved. Who cares whether or not this person makes any significant change and starts to bear fruit…they prayed the prayer, they are in. Why do we continue with this when it clearly isn’t cutting the mustard?
Bevere made a good point. He was discussing the rich young ruler story. The young rules asked what he must do to be saved. The bible says in Mark 10:21 “21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus loved him by being truthful. He told him the way it is.
Bevere went on to say here ‘many today would have probably said ‘just pray this prayer’, then you could slowly move the guy from -5, to -4, to -3, to -2 etc…we would do anything to keep the rich guy in church! But Jesus told him the truth.
It is commonly held that many people in ‘church’ today are Sunday Christians. They attend church, and thats it. But what else can we expect? For years the church has preached love WITHOUT fear? We tell people about grace (right on!) without explaining what faith LOOKS like. We ‘convert’ people without telling them that means picking up THEIR cross and carrying it.
I guess overall I really resonated with Bevere’s calls for the church to re-find what it means to ‘Fear the Lord’ because when we understand THIS, it empowers us to follow his ways. Grace saves us, fear(reverence) empowers us to live in his ways. Love saves us from legalism, fear saves us from lawlessness, which is a good thing because the antichrist isn’t known as the man of love…the anti-christ is known as the man of lawlessness! When will our ‘conversion’ processes start to include fear alongside love?
