Tommy Nelson's Post on Legalism: The fungus among us

Legalism: The Fungus Among Us "Legalism."  The term has all sorts of connotations and arouses all sorts of adverse emotions but actually "legality" is a wonderful idea.  It means that there is a standard and just recompense to worthy actions.  Civilization is built upon it.  Even our salvation is graciously given because it was legally purchased and thus justly offered through the death of Jesus.  Hell will be a legal and just recognition.  The Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ is a recompense or reward of "deeds done in the body."  Simple legalism is divine. But when does it become errant?  Church history has been one of errant views of recompense.  When this error is present it yields black mold that poisons all within. First, there is what we would call "Hard Shell" legalism.  It is classic errant legalism - salvation by works.  It is that which the gospel confronts.  That which grace dispels.  It is the idea expressed whenever one is asked how he knows he will go to heaven.  The answer of "I have done my best - loved my family - never killed anyone."  This is hard shell legalism.  This person demands heaven as the legal just recompense of an obedient life.  It is against this self-righteous idea that the book of Romans organizes its assault.  Remember that Exodus is followed by Leviticus; law is followed by grace and sacrifice.  God never even hints that heaven can be earned.  Hard Shell legalism fosters a low view of God and a false view of me. The next we would call "Hard Hearted" legalism.  This type feels that God loves them based upon their obedience.  When walking correctly I am loved but when in sin I am not, which in the final evaluation means that I am not truly loved because a love that comes and goes is not truly love by any standard.  The biggest problem with this attitude is not that I am always now struggling to be loved, but rather that I will feel accepted when obedient.  And thus I will inevitably begin to "superficialize" biblical obedience into that which is attainable.  I will become a Pharisee by explaining away the spiritual heart of obedience.  "Hard Hearted" legalism will not just be neurotic ("He loves me, He loves me not") but it will make one grotesquely self-righteous.  Not that I am never able to feel accepted but that I think that I am because of what I myself have judged as acceptable.  Hard hearted indeed.  God's image will be changed into this person's likeness. And then we have "Hard Headed" legalism.  This is one who feels he is holier-than-thou because he has canonized a personal, non-biblical area.  What should be just personal conviction he makes a Biblical maxim.  He has become his own Sinai and created an area that he conveniently happens to obey. He places himself above others because he is a tea-totaler, attends a Wednesday night service or because she does not wear make-up.  This type of legalism at times can be seen in those who confuse the Old and New Testaments; those who confuse the church with Israel and fail to distinguish moral law with ceremonial and hygienic law.  They feel more acceptable because of Saturday worship, a Levitical diet code (no pork, no catfish), or total cessation of Sunday activities.  These folks are a little more exotic than the previous legalists.  They are those to whom Galatians was written. There is another form of legalism that is a little more insidious.  It is called "Hard and Fast" legalism.  This person's life is not so much the love of God and love of others but just a "hard and fast" code of rules.  They attend church, read a certain amount daily, pray at meals, tithe a tenth, and go to revival.  Their God is a list.  They feel self-satisfied and complacent because they have measured to the lowest expectation and no more.  Often their prayer is, "I thank Thee, O God, that I am not like other men."  How much better to say, "forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on..." How much deeper joy shall we have who understand God's grace.  Not "Hard Shell" but those who trust fully upon God's grace, who put no confidence in the flesh and glory in none but Jesus!  Not "Hard Hearted" but who know that all our acceptance is through the work of Christ.  Who know that we are loved always by God.  Maybe we are not always pleasing to God but we are always loved.  Our usefulness may increase but our position in Christ stays constant and secure: loved no more when good, no less when bad.  Chastened maybe, loved forever.  Just like our own children.  And we are not "Hard Headed."  Our personal non-biblical convictions may differ because of a great number of reasons but we know that is just what they are - personal convictions.  In no way do they elevate us above those who hold differently.  We are not better because we follow rules, and thus we are not "Hard and Fast."  In short, a person of grace has no struggles with legalism because grace by definition runs contrary to legality or earning what you have.  We rest in our acceptance before God through nothing else but Jesus.  Thus grace makes for some very kind and humble and congenial folks. Where grace is not present, however, its vacuum will be filled by a growing noxious fungus of legalism.  Check the hymnal and see that there are no songs of us - only of Jesus. Sola Gloria Deo, Tommy

Tommy Nelson Senior Pastor ---------------- Denton Bible Church 2300 E. University Dr. Denton, TX 76209

The Nearness of God is our Good/addendum

Psalm 73:28

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; 

I have made the Lord God my refuge, 

that I may tell of all your works.

This is one of those passages that you can really pass over until you are in a crisis. When you read this passage in a crisis it really confronts you with its claim.  Do  I really believe that God's nearness to me is what is good? It doesn't have to be circumstances, it doesn't have to be outcomes that result in healing, health and prosperity. Simply having the nearness of His presence I can say with confidence: You are my refuge Oh Lord. I am really safe because you are with me. Not safe from. Not always delivered from. But safe through the fire, in the furnace, even through the portal of death.

You know at some point in my walk with God it finally began to really sink in what David realized against Goliath: that it doesn't matter what my battle is,  how formidable my opponent is, or how overwhelming my circumstances are. The reason God ALWAYS puts me in those circumstances or up against overwhelming odds is so that He can show up. He means to impress upon my heart with every single instance, that I will never be able to predict the outcome based on the odds of my success. Because it doesn't matter what I'm capable of, but what He's capable of.

And I don't say this tonight from an ivory tower of a tranquility. My husband got a call today that no one ever wants to get: He needs to fly up and see his dad because it might be his last time to see him. He has been battling lung cancer for two years and he has developed pneumonia during this last round of chemo. He may not make it through this round. Mike might be going up there to say goodbye.  Meanwhile I have to stand by on the sidelines and take care of two kids at home and pray. All I can do is pray. 

Wait let me say that to myself again: All I can do is pray. I guess I'm in good company: with the likes of Daniel (in the lion's den) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Abraham, Job Anna, Hannah, Moses, Elijah, Noah, Peter, Paul...the list gets long. I got a pretty good cloud of witnesses that know what it means to pray and wait for God to show up. So I'm going to say in faith at the beginning of this week, without any good outcome to report: The nearness of God is our good. I say that for myself, and for my husband. I pray that and declare that over both of us. I know that He will show up for Mike in this and for me. I know that if He chooses to shed Leo's body from his soul and take him to glory, that He will give those of us longing for His appearing, the grace to wait a bit longer. The hope to know that someday the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first, and those of us who remain will be caught up in the clouds with them, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. I really can say it: The nearness of God is my good. 

As an addendum to this blog I wanted to share that Leo passed into glory this morning at 7:30 am May 14, 2013. How is God good to us even in this?  He did not have to suffer the terrible pain of his lung cancer which had metastasized. He was surrounded by his family. My husband got to see and talk to him yesterday while he was lucid. When my husband first got to the hospital, his dad motioned for a piece of paper to write something. He wasn't able to speak b/c he had been intubated due to fluid in his lungs. On the piece of paper he wrote "Thanks for coming Mike, I love you." God gave Mike a few precious hours with his dad yesterday to say goodbye. His other two kids and their families had just been down to visit him the weekend before so they had time with him too. 

Death is not an easy reality. It is not an easy passage. But just as God promises in Isaiah 43:1-3 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned, for I am the Lord your God." Yes, we have passed through the waters and we are walking through the fire. But I know that there is safe passage for us, and there was safe passage for Leo. In Jesus Christ, he walked through the portal of death and into glory. And he will be the first in the clouds when Jesus comes back, ready to usher us home. We can't wait to see you again, Leo. But in the meantime let me say, "The nearness of God is my good."

Contentment--your issue or God's

Tonight was a sobering but uplifting night for me. I have finally taken the plunge and joined a women's bible study at my church. You never know how honest those forums will be. And I don't really have time for a group unless its spiritually earnest. But tonight I was refreshed by a sister's very honest answer to the question--How are you? She replied, " I am struggling with being content in my life. I have this vague sense of discontent that makes me wonder if I am doing enough. I feel like I'm in a rut." My heart connected to hers. I so get that.

When it comes to being discontent sometimes it can be hard to discern if we are the problem or our attitude is the problem. Sometimes we are genuinely discontent about because we aren't doing what we ought to be doing. We are the problem. Other times, our discontent stems from really being trapped in our current circumstances and we just can't get out of them. We are stuck because of things beyond our control. "Divinely confined" as my friend Brenda Smith says. So how can you tell the difference?

Well I think it begins with prayer. Ask God to show you if He has put you in these circumstances and it really is out of your control. If it is, you can take comfort that God is doing a work in this "remaining season" and you need to press into it and learn all there is to learn.

Sometimes though upon reflection I have realized that I am paralyzed by my own fear. It's not God holding me back, it's my own fear of risk and the unknown. For me in those cases, I need to ask God to show me what root of fear is holding me back and force myself to take some steps to move through that fear.

A very personal example for me is actually writing and blogging. I have felt called to do it for years but I think fear of failure (and possibly success) has held me back. This past January I was redoing my personal mission statement (via Franklin Covey's method) and I realized what was operating to keep me from achieving personal goals. So...I began to lean into my fear and write. Since that self-reflection about five months ago, I have one book I'm about to self-publish and I've been blogging regularly.

I have come to believe more and more in the past few years that there is no personal or spiritual growth without reflection. We must consider what God has done, is doing and how we are to respond to that. It means sitting still and doing some work of looking at and listening to the message in my life. It is from that place that things begin to shift. Internal shifts that can happen regardless of my circumstances; all of the sudden just like Paul and Silas, the doors of my prison swing open, and I am free. Free to stay as an opportunity or free to go. And so I pray for the eyes to see...

Having eyes to see

I bought a clock a few years back and had hung in on a wall in our bedroom. Even though I loved it in the store, once I got it home and put it in our bedroom, I just started hating it. It didn't look good at all. I was about to give it away and I had a thought: Maybe it's just hanging in the wrong place. So I took it out to the dining room and hung it on the wall next to my bookshelf. Suddenly it looked completely different. Immediately it belonged and I loved it again.  It looked great there. I can't believe I had hated it and wanted to give it away. As I think back on why I hated it so much in our bedroom, I think it was just too small a clock for such a big wall.

As I was staring at that clock one day thinking again about how funny it was that I had hated it so much in the wrong room, a thought hit me: Maybe there are lots of things like this in my life. I don't mean physical things. But maybe there are things that God hasn't removed from my life yet, because I just haven't gotten His perspective on them. Maybe they really do bring a blessing to me that so far has eluded me because I'm not seeing it the way He does. What things in your life are you longing to rid yourself of? Are there situations or people whose value you just don't see? Ask God to hang it on the wall of faith for you. Maybe you will see them with new eyes.

Which kind of beggar are you?

I was reading yesterday in Scripture about people who are beggars, and something very clearly hit me.  There are two kinds of beggars. The kind who know they are, and the ones who think they are rich but they are poor. Scripture is very convicting on this point because it tells the story of the man who prayed in the streets for all to see. Jesus says he went away still in his sins, because he prayed for effect, out of  his own sense of worthiness and therefore he receive nothing from the Lord. The other kind is the one who came to God keenly aware of his unworthiness and yet willing to come anyway because he so desperately wanted forgiveness. Jesus says that man went away forgiven. How convicting. I am going to begin to pray that God always gives me a fresh sense of my spiritual need before Him. I don't want to go away empty handed because I think I am an asset to His team. Lord, keep me always aware of how much I really need you. Amen.

We Grow in Community

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (ESV).

I just finished having one of the most amazing weekends of my life. I got to have a mini-reunion with several of my former roomies from my Flower Mound house. I was struck by the ease at which we moved from laughter to deep sharing and finally to prayer. There really is something divinely built about being in community. We are so wired in this society to feel that we have to face things alone. The strength of the individual is so exalted, that we really do place an expectation on ourselves to handle our struggles alone. But something really does happen when we practice sharing our struggles and asking others to bear our burden with us.  As someone who has just been freshly reminded of how freeing this is, I just want to say risk it and share yourself. If you aren't in community, ask God to give it to you and go seek it out. God's provision for you today is in community. Who are the people with whom God has surrounded you?  Let them be His hands and feet to you. There is healing to be found. You are not alone.

Ruth: And All These Things Will Be Added Unto You

My Bible reading for today was the entire book of Ruth. I have read it many times before. Today, I read it in the New Living Translation. I feel like sometimes reading an old text in a different translations lets me experience it freshly. Something hit me this time as I was reading it. I don't believe Ruth left Moab simply as an act of loyalty to Naomi. She left her country and her people because she was a true convert to the God of Israel. She wanted to stay in this life of the worship of Yahweh. Ironically, her mother in law Naomi--wanted her to stay so that she could have a life with another husband and children. It never occurred to Naomi that her pledge of devotion to follow her back to Bethlehem would be the means of her salvation. Naomi had felt so burned by the death of her husband and sons, she couldn't imagine that God had any good in store for her. She had lost faith in the God of her hope.

What's beautiful to me in this story is to see this an as true example of God's promise to His people.  Jesus tells us in the gospels two principles which play out beautifully in this story of Ruth. The first is in Matthew 6:33. Jesus tells us: So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. What a beautiful promise this is. And this is exactly what happens for Ruth. She doesn't think about or even consider these things. She makes an impractical decision, based on her devotion to Naomi and her God.

Which brings me to my second observation. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 17:33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. Isn't this the exact picture of Ruth? She let go of her life, of what looked like a hope for a normal future by staying with her own people. Naomi encouraged her to think practically about her future. But she didn't. She surrendered her life to a covenant promise.

The ways of God and the promises of God aren't Old and New Testament. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we want to experience God's faithful love in our lives, let's take a lesson from Ruth. She became the great-grandmother of King David, from who the Messiah was born. God is serious about keeping His promises to those who seek Him. In her wildest dreams she never would have imagined that her faithful promise to Naomi and her God would result in her being in the lineage of Christ. It reminds me of what Paul says in Ephesians 3:20-Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT)  What would my life look like if I didn't cling to it in all its security, but really sought first the things of God? Something for me to really ponder. I would love to see God write such a redemptive story in my life as well.