Legalism, Liberty and Licence

...turning the grace of our God into licentiousness. – Jud 1:4

There’s a marked distinction between living under the Old Testament and under the New that we have to be aware of. Under the Old, holy living is legislated from the outside in; that’s why it is full of rules, instructions and regulations. How to dress, how not to dress, what to eat, what not to eat… in fact, it had over 600 regulations that aimed to cover just about every aspect of life.

The New Testament functions under a different paradigm. Prophesying about the New Covenant, Jeremiah said, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.” (Jer 31:34).

But even though it’s not New Testament practice to legislate morality, many churches and Pastors today still find it necessary to put in place some form of regulation in order to keep certain excesses in check.

But the truth is, the Newman in Christ is not controlled from the outside with rules; rather he or she is led from the inside by the Holy Spirit. Rom 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Controlling people from the outside will only lead to LEGALISM, which results in bondage and back to the Old Covenant that Christ liberated us from.

Unfortunately, not all Believers yield to that said inward controlling of the Spirit. Just like in the early Church, some Believers interpret this newfound liberty as opportunity to live, dress and drink as they want. This is what the Bible calls licentiousness – using God’s grace as excuse to live unchecked.

This balance is what the Believer has to keep continually. We’re free from legalism > we have full liberty in Christ > but liberty does not mean licentiousness. That’s the balancing formula.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN