Grow With Pastor Joe

In John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” Christian heads out toward the wicket gate to relinquish the weight of his burden on his back. He has left the City of Destruction after reading from the book and heeding the warnings of Evangelist. Now, on his journey, Christian runs into Mr. Worldly Wisdom. He seems like a decent fellow and appears to drip with wisdom. This man tells Christian to turn from his current path and go see Mr. Legality who has helped so many others before with the weight on their back. As Christian diverts and approaches the dwelling place of Mr. Legality, he sees that the mountain side is quaking, he feels his burden get heavier, and fills with dread. Then, Evangelist appears again and warns Christian of the distraction and diversion from the true way that Mr. Legality is. On the surface, Mr. Legality seems to have all the answers and wisdom to help weary travelers. However, it is Mr. Legality who makes the burden heavier and the weary traveler even wearier. Mr. Legality offers no real help and no real hope.

I don’t know anyone that says that they like legalism, including those who I would categorize as legalists. However, many go the road of legalism or influence others into its joy-sucking trap. Legalism itself is the trusting in one’s own righteousness either for acceptance before God for salvation or to earn God’s approval. With this definition, I believe (sadly) that many fall under this category of belief and experience. Those who are legalists focus on external rituals and personal righteousness. Most who fall under the spell of legalism know the right answers of saying that we are saved by grace, but somewhere along the line they begin to believe that they are approved of God because of their righteous living. Such was the life of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Everyone starts off as a legalist believing that somehow God will overlook their sin because their good outweighs their bad. People believe that they are genuinely good people and good enough to get to Heaven on their own merit or righteousness. Sure, they make mistakes and certainly aren’t perfect, but they certainly aren’t bad. The truth is that we are all born guilty before God and are incapable of saving ourselves. We are devoid of the righteousness and merit to be accepted by God. This is why Christ came. Apart from the supreme and sufficient work of Jesus Christ there is none who could be accepted by God. Legalism itself is futile in its attempt to gain God’s favor. You have a better chance of walking to the moon then getting to God through legalism. Those who are enslaved to legalism are self-righteous and blinded by their own spiritual elitism that is disguised by piety, good works, and religious gobbledygook.

In our study today, we will continue to see the need to understand and apply the truth of the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. Our verses today are Col. 2:16-17 which say, “¹⁶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷ Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” The “therefore” is critical in pointing us back to what Paul has just presented. Throughout the previous passages, Paul has declared the supremacy and sufficiency of the person and work of Christ culminating in the supreme and sufficient work of the cross. The hope of the gospel and the hope of glory which is Christ indwelling the believer shows us that those who are in Christ are complete in Him. All that the believer needs is Christ. There is no substitute or supplement for the Christian life. Jesus is more than enough! To close the second chapter, Paul is going to be showing that the victory and freedom that the believer has in the cross of Christ includes freedom and victory over their present danger of false teaching. There are three specific issues that he will cover. Col. 2:16-23 shows the victory and freedom that the believer has over legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. Each of these are inferior to Christ and are insufficient within themselves. These things can’t save, sanctify, or satisfy. They offer no strength or security; yet, Christ in His supremacy and sufficiency saves, sanctifies, satisfies, strengthens, and secures eternally. Today, we will focus on the believer’s freedom from legalism. Legalism is a cross that only leads to death, but our life is in the death of Christ which has brought us liberty from legalism. The Colossian believers did not come from a legalist background. Most were formerly pagan gentiles in background. However, legalists were everywhere attempting to take away from the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ by adding to His work. They preached that the only way to really be right with God, accepted, righteous, or spiritual was to live a life of legalism. Paul battled the Judaizers who were the legalists of the day who espoused a false gospel that added the law to the grace of Christ. There is a horrible bondage found in legalism that Christians have been set free from which can be seen in Gal. 2:4, 16-21; 3:1-6; 4:8-11; 5:1-12. Legalism was being used as a tool of power and control over people. It is the tool of those who aren’t submitted to Christ’s supremacy and satisfied by His sufficiency. Legalism can never find a supreme righteousness because no one is as righteous as themselves. Legalism can never find sufficiency because in legalism one must be better, do better, do more, and outperform all others to be approved by God. It leads to spiritual elitism that is empty of love, grace, and ultimately truth. It is spiritual pride disguised by external works, behavior, and performance that impresses and imposes on man; but it does not impress God nor gain His acceptance. It will paralyze your faith, stunt your growth, break your security, drain your strength, and steal your joy and peace. As we study Col. 2:16-17, we will see the judgment of legalism and the joy of liberty.

First, we must see the judgment of legalism in Col. 2:16 which says, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” Legalism judges externally. It cannot see the heart of man and is blinded to the condition of its own heart. Legalism can never be the measure of true spirituality or the true test of one’s standing before God. Here, Paul gives the believers a strong command to stop letting the harassing influence them and intimidate them. Legalists are nothing more than spiritual bullies. They are spiritual elitists who look down their noses at all others. They are Pharisees. They are hypocrites. The word “judge” here has the idea of to distinguish, separate, and discriminate through passing judgment. Biblical separation is a good, biblical, and Christlike thing. Paul covers that throughout his many letters that darkness and light don’t mix. However, legalism is hyper-separatism. It separates from all others that don’t fit a personal box, mold, or checklist of spiritual dos and don’ts. The Colossian Christians were being judges as unspiritual because of externals. Today’s equivalent might sound like this, “If you were spiritual then…” Have you ever heard that line before? I have. I’ve been on the other end of it a time or two. Years ago, we had a revival speaker come in for the week. I was serving as the Associate Pastor, and my Pastor had scheduled the speaker without knowing the man. I had heard him previously and was concerned it wouldn’t go well, and unfortunately, I was right. Before the service, the many men gathered to pray together for the service. Once the praying was done and we proceeded to the sanctuary, the guest speaker stayed behind with my pastor to inform him that if my Dad were spiritual and godly that he’d cover up his tattoos. To make a long story short…God protected the church and the “revival meeting” ended early. The legalist believes that the outside is the measure of godliness and spirituality. This is why the Pharisees held themselves in such regard by comparing themselves to others (Lk. 18:9-14). It is for this reason that Jesus pronounced so many woes upon them in Matthew 23. Paul tells the Colossian believers to not be influenced and intimidated by these legalists. Ultimately, man doesn’t have the right or ability to impose on us. We should not be intimidated by those who are unsubmitted to Christ and unsatisfied by Him. The way to not be influenced and intimidated by the legalism in our day is to be submitted to Christ’s supremacy and satisfied by Christ. It is to be who you are, what you are, and where you are in Christ. Free people aren’t put into bondage by others, nor do free people have to put others in bonds to feel freer. Who can judge our standing when we are standing in Christ? Paul mentions the externals that the legalists made these judgments calls, including diet and days. The diet deals with the food and drink as if it is food and drink that can make us unrighteous. Jesus dealt with this to show clearly that it is not what we bring in that defiles us, but it is what comes out of the depths of our defiled heart that show the reality of our spiritual condition (Mk. 7:15-23). The mention of days is a reminder that the legalists emphasized keeping the Old Testament laws of the Sabbath which included all of their additional traditions of legalism that took true rest away from the Sabbath. The early church met on the first day of the week to worship the risen Christ together as His gathered Body. We are not bound to keep certain diet and days but rather have the freedom of conviction and conscience when it comes to certain matters of the faith. Furthermore, Jesus showed that He has the power over the Sabbath in His healing of the man on the Sabbath day (Mk. 3:1-6). Now, let me say that although we are not bound to keep a certain diet or days, we should remember that we are now the temple of the Holy Ghost, Christ in us, the hope of glory. We shouldn’t abuse our bodies or sin through overindulgence. Nor should we sin through the forsaking of assembling with other believers. The judgment of the legalists should not bind our conscience. It is scripture alone that binds our conscience and convictions. If we focus on the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ in His word, work, and will then we will be able to then live in the joy of liberty free from the judgment of legalism.

Second, we must see the joy of liberty in Col. 2:17 which says, “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Liberty is not found in the Old Testament law, but in the life of Jesus Christ imparted and imputed to those who are His by faith under the New Covenant. The Old Testament was but a shadow of the New Testament substance. A shadow often shows up before the real thing. It isn’t the real thing but is the shadow of the real. All throughout the Old Testament there are countless figures, types, pictures, and foreshadowing passages, people, and things that point to Christ. As it has been said by others, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Examples of this shadow that is referenced would be the sacrificial system, Tabernacle, and Temple. These were external and temporal. They were supposed to be outward things that pointed to the true inward need of faith in God. The New Testament or Covenant in Christ is the true substance. The old shadows are like a picture of my wife, but the new substance is my wife in the flesh. The one may show what she looks like, but you can’t know someone through a picture. Christ is the fulfilment and the fulfiller of the Law. Legalism is just a shadow of spirituality. Christ is the true supreme and sufficient substance of spirituality. C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “Christ is the real one thing needful. Mind that you have the substance, for then you can let the shadows go.” If we look at the diet and days emphasized by the legalists, we see that Jesus deals with both of those as the true and better substance. He offers living water, He is the Bread of Life, and the true Sabbath as seen in John 4-6. Only Christ offers life, satisfaction, and rest. There is great joy in liberty. Our liberty is to be enjoyed, and it enables us to live in freedom from legalism (See Gal. 5-6). For the believer, our inward and outward life finds its source, strength, security, and satisfaction in Christ alone.            

As we bring this to a close, I want us to see that legalism cannot save. Salvation is not Jesus’ work plus your work. You and I contribute nothing to our salvation equation. We are saved and kept by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone and it is the scripture alone that we stand on. Legalism offers freedom but only delivers bondage. Legalism has many different forms; often it is subtle, but all of us have been touched by it. Many are still struggling with it in their life. You may feel bound and trapped but come to Christ in faith and find true freedom. Don’t let legalism keep you bound and don’t let it rob you of the riches that are yours in Christ. Christ is supreme and sufficient. We don’t need to add anything nor can we add anything to be more forgiven, accepted, loved, or united to Him. We are His and He is ours. Many today are influenced by legalism to earn God’s favor or blessing. In turn, they give, work, and perform all to be let down. Christ offers you rest and He will not let you down. There is satisfaction and rest for your weary soul in Him. Rest in His supreme and sufficient work. Don’t be intimidated by the legalists of our day that cry out that everyone around them is unspiritual, ungodly, or unbiblical. Keep your eyes on Christ. Be who you are in Him and be free to be who you are in Him. Let Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency be the ruling authority of your heart, not the spiritual elitism that intimidates you into being bound. Live free in Christ today and each day being empowered by His Spirit.