In a previous post, I explored Jesus’ statement “It is finished,” and explored the implications in our everyday life. The central question was: How do we live a finished life? My conclusions were that a finished life accepts the grace that God has given us and then strives towards becoming like Jesus, which is towards righteousness.
Unfortunately, when many modern Christians hear the word righteousness, they often replace it with the word legalism and fight against it, claiming that righteous living is no longer relevant to Christianity. In my opinion, this is a tragedy and is a big reason why many people are fleeing the church. This blog post seeks to understand the difference between righteousness and legalism, so please read it and let me know if you agree or disagree!
Read: “It is Finished”: How Do We Live a Finished Life?
The Focus on Grace and Forgiveness
On the surface, the intense focus on grace and forgiveness is a good thing, but when we dig a little deeper, if this is all Christianity is, it really doesn’t mean much. Do we really want to be forgiven so that we can go out and continue our sinful lives? When we look at the book of Acts, we see that a part of the reason that people were joining the church in droves is that they saw a huge change in the way people lived. When comparing Christians to the rest of society, there was something different, something desirable, something worth converting for.
On the other hand, when we look at Christians today, in many cases there are no discernible differences between a Christian and a non-Christian. A big part of this is because many Christians are told that since God will automatically forgive their sins, there is no reason to put effort into changing. The old law doesn’t apply and we can make our own laws. A lot of this type of teaching comes from Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17-20.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)
Some people say that we no longer need to uphold the law since Jesus fulfilled it for us. Then they go even further and say that if we do try to live a righteous life that we are just as bad as the Pharisees and are in danger of hell!
Jesus’ Teachings on Righteous Living
However, if we hold to this interpretation of these verses, it will contradict many other things that Jesus taught. All we have to do is look at some of the verses that follow, and we will see that Jesus is actually teaching that Christians should be held to an even higher standard than the words of the law! It isn’t the rules that matter, but the heart behind the rules! In Matthew 5:21-22, we find that it isn’t just murder that makes God sad, but the anger that precedes the murder.
You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)
This is then quickly followed in Matthew 5:27-28 with the idea that it isn’t just adultery that is bad, but that a lustful heart is just as bad!
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:27-28 (ESV)
Jesus continues on with comments on divorce, oaths, and retaliation. The culmination is his orders to love your enemies in Matthew 5:43-35!
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:43-45a (ESV)
As we can see from these verses, if we want to follow Jesus, we should not have a legalistic heart, but a righteous heart. The Pharisees had legalistic hearts that only cared about following the letter of the law, but Jesus desires us to understand why God made the rule in the first place and change our lives to live by the reasoning. Do you see the difference? In the first case, the desire is to avoid punishment. In the second, the yearning is for closeness to God.
To be close to God we need both justification and sanctification. Justification is the acceptance of God’s grace. Sanctification is the process of becoming holy or righteous. Without grace, we cannot leave our sin behind. Without righteousness, we cannot see God. We will make mistakes, but the good news is that God has more than enough grace for us as we make the sanctification journey.
The next time you hear the words righteousness and legalism, I hope that you will consider these thoughts and really evaluate which word is more appropriate. It is my hope that you will see that our gracious and forgiving God truly does desire righteous living, but that he wants us to do it out of love for him, not fear of punishment.
Reflection Questions
Please consider the following reflection questions:
- How does the concept of living a “finished life” resonate with you, and what implications does it have for your everyday life?
- Have you ever encountered the misconception that righteousness is synonymous with legalism? How has this affected your understanding of Christian living?
- Reflect on the idea that an intense focus on grace and forgiveness may, on a deeper level, lack substance if it doesn’t lead to a transformation in the way people live. How does this resonate with your own experiences or observations?
- Consider the comparison between Christians in the book of Acts and Christians today. Do you notice discernible differences between believers and non-believers in your community?
- How has the emphasis on automatic forgiveness sometimes influenced your attitude towards personal transformation and righteous living?
- Reflect on Matthew 5:17-20 and the interpretation that Jesus fulfilled the law. How does this impact your understanding of the relevance of Old Testament laws in the Christian life?
- How do you interpret Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5:21-22 about the connection between anger and murder, and in Matthew 5:27-28 about the relationship between lustful intent and adultery?
- Consider the shift from a legalistic heart to a righteous heart as discussed in the post. How can you cultivate a righteous heart that goes beyond adhering to rules?
- In what ways can you practically apply the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-45 about loving your enemies in your daily life?
- Do you agree that God desires righteous living but wants it to be motivated by love for him rather than fear of punishment? How does this perspective influence your approach to living out your faith?
Respond
Consider sharing your insights and experiences in the comments below!
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English Standard Version (ESV): Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
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