Was Jesus a Legalist?

Things have changed over the years. My, how things have changed, and many of these changes have come within my lifetime. It seems that very few today who name the name of Christ find any need to live a consecrated life for Him. What most “Christians” do not understand is that the way we conduct ourselves does one of two things. It either brings honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ or it disgraces Him. The use of vulgar language; living a licentious life; dressing indecently; sex outside of marriage; homosexuality,  are only a few of those things that are considered to be sin by biblical standards, and these things cannot be excused within the realm of the professed Christian’s life.

The sad truth is that, in almost any church, if a man aspires to be sanctified; to live a consecrated life for Christ; to dare stand and preach against sin or a sinful life, he most likely will be labeled as a legalist or as an extremist. Any man who would dare define sin as recorded in the Bible will not be tolerated for long. However, contending to keep oneself unspotted from the world while teaching others in the church to do the same is not legalism, it is the duty of the Christian.

The bare bones and the truth of the matter is that Jesus called sin, sin and did not flinch in doing so. Not once did He ever pull one from the mire and filth of a sinful life and direct or even insinuate that it was acceptable for that person to return to the sty. His directive was “go and sin no more”. It is sad that we some should question today what He actually meant by this saying.

We can be assured that even though salvation is by Grace alone, we are not excused of those duties we are expected to perform as Christians. God’s promise of forgiveness does not give us license to do and live as we please. We are biblically summoned to live our lives in a manner as to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Anyone who thinks they can do this while walking in rebellion against God’s laws is way off the mark and has received their teaching from something other than the Bible.

We are commanded to “Go and sin no more” We are commanded to “Come ye out from among them and be ye separate”. We are commanded to: “be not conformed to this world”. We are commanded to “depart from iniquity”; to “abstain from all appearance of evil”. and the list goes on and on. And yes, these charges remain as current today as the day in which they were given.  

Sin, whether defined in the day of Moses or in the day of Christ, still remains sin today. Anyone who reads the Bible should understand what sin is, and what it can and will do to the individual who knowingly commits it. Yet there are those who read the Bible and attend church each Sunday, who are inching away from the Godly life. Common logic tells us the more we inch away the wider the gap becomes.

To answer the question in the title of the paper; no, Jesus Christ was not legalistic in the sense that we use the term today, but it is a biblical fact that He required strict obedience from those who would call themselves his disciples, and by the way, He still does today.

Sam Everett