Question:  Hi Greg

            Thanks so much again for helping me work through my theology.  I’m a legalist in recovery.  Admittedly, it’s hard for me to accept some of the things I’m learning and I don’t want to be led astray.  But this is where I stand with regards to the law (old covenant).

            Basically, as I understand the New Testament, we are not under the old covenant at all (not even the Ten Commandments).  We are under grace and are to live the Christian life by faith, focusing on Christ to live through us by the spirit.

            Do you agree?  And if so, what place does the old covenant hold in teaching, preaching and Bible study?  I could answer my own question and say only so far as it points to Christ.  If that is true, then it surely places those who believe that way in the position of going against the tide of so much Christian teaching and theology.  As always, I appreciate your comments.

            Grace,

            Steve

Answer:  Dear Steve,

            I too am a recovering legalist.  And much like the recovering alcoholic, I believe that I must always be on my guard, and with God’s help I can remain recovering, rather than falling once again for the virus of legalism.  By God’s grace I am able to help others because of the path I have walked—and I am thankful he is using me as one of his tools in this way.  We here at PTM will do all we can to help you and others who find themselves in a similar situation.

            Of course we don’t want to be misled, especially if that has happened before.  So please, do study and prove your beliefs.  But remember the vast majority of legalists depend on someone else to tell them what the Bible says.  They trust in humans to interpret the Bible for them, and in so doing they are skating on thin theological ice.  They may trust someone who trusts completely in Christ, and thus not fall for legalism.  But even if they do, they still have not experienced what God offers and the New Testament is clear about—a one-on-one relationship with God.  Other humans are helpful to us, but we should never depend on them absolutely for they are just like you and me—sinful human beings that need a Savior.

            We have, as you probably know, a number of questions and answers here on our web site directly addressing legalism—you can use “search our site” and enter words like law, salvation, commandment and grace and find many.  We have also a great radio series on the book of Galatians, one on Romans and a four-part series on legalism.

            To your point—yes, exactly.  Christians are not under the old covenant at all.  We are not free to be under some percentage of it and some percentage of the new—it’s one or the other.  Same thing, as you probably know, with the straw man argument of law “and” grace.  No such thing.  We either try to sanctify ourselves and please God by our own obedience and good works, or we trust completely in the finished work of Christ on the cross.  It’s not Jesus plus what we do.  Jesus alone.  That’s it.

            So as you say, as Christians we are under grace, living by faith.  What place does the old covenant have in our teaching?  As you said, it leads us to Christ.  The law leads us to Christ.  The law convicts us of our sin, our inadequacy—the law defines our need.  The law existed only to bring us to the cross, and it still exists, for those who live under it, to bring them to Christ.  But the law is a curse.  That is it is a curse if we try to be justified and sanctified by the law.  It is a curse because it leaves us always short of our goal of obedience, always not good enough, always not making it and always short of the goal.  Jesus and the cross are a blessing, for Jesus does for us what we can never do for ourselves.

            Please let us know if you have further questions or any other way that we can help serve you.  May God continue to bless you, Steve, and may you always trust in and live by his grace alone.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht