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NASB | Matthew 5:20 ¶ "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 5:20 ¶ "For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. |
Bible Question: What is legalism? Are forms of it being practiced by any Christians today? Is legalism commanded or condemned in the New Testament? --Hank |
Bible Answer: "Don't handle this," "Don't taste that," "Don't touch the other". The NT itself gives us a good definition of legalism. Colossians 2:20-23 (Today's English Version) You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as "Don't handle this," "Don't taste that," "Don't touch the other"? All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings. Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions. "Legalism is keeping man-made rules and regulations in order to earn salvation. The Ten Commandments are God-given enduring principles of right and wrong. But simply keeping those requirements does not by itself guarantee salvation, as the rich young ruler who claimed to have kept all the law found out (Luke 18:18-27). How much less will the keeping of dress codes and entertainment guidelines fall short of earning our salvation. Yet it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that what we do or avoid doing will earn for us a place in God's kingdom. (...) "The Bylaws of the Assemblies of God . . . (legalism) . . . state the official teaching of the Fellowship on this question. "Section 2 (Legalism) explicitly disapproves of those who try to press "matters of conscience" (or private opinions) on others. The biblical example of "the eating or not eating of meats" is presented as an illustration of "a matter of conscience." The section furthermore disapproves of those who seek to add conditions to salvation and who seek to press such personal opinions as keeping the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday" (The Assemblies of God Perspectives: General Christian Doctrines, pp. 25-26, Assemblies of God Office of Public Relations)" --JVH0212 "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things charity." |