On Legalism and piety?

Question

I understand that legalism is viewed harshly upon in the united states, but Jesus christ says in Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

many Protestants clain that one can be saved just by accepting Him once and go to church every now and them, but how can this be if Jesus says here that one must obey the laws. I know paul says salvation is not through human works, and our work cant ave us alone. Is there a balance between works and grace?

Good point problem. But what if someone who calls him/herself saved and still lives as though s/he were of the world and you want to help them, what do u do?

Answer 1

In the Old Testament, the Israelites upheld their Covenant with God by keeping Moses' Law and, of course, the great Commandments. Christians are freed from The Law (later twisted into Talmudism by the Pharisees) and enter into the New Covenant by Baptism. We are saved by the grace of His Passion and Blood alone, a grace we have to actively cooperate with through metanoia (repentance and a turning of the heart toward Christ), submitting our wills to our Father's, and obedience. When we enter into this Covenant, we literally become His children, His family. God the Father becomes for us Abba and Christ seals us to Him with His own Blood. Our task -- and our reward -- is to "become divinized" (to undergo "theosis"), to "put on Christ" and share in the Divine Energies of God and Christ's Sonship. We become the heirs of God Himself. In this divinization, this theosis, His Chosen will share in God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) -- but still as creatures of God and not as God Himself or in any way apart from God. We will forever and always be creatures, "becoming God" by sharing in His divine nature, but never in His divine essence -- and never, ever apart from God, which is the lie Satan first told to Eve. The created can never become Uncreated.

We agree entirely with the many Protestants who say one has to "have a personal relationship with Jesus" or "let Jesus into one's heart" if, by that, they mean that we are to pray earnestly, walk the walk, make His Will manifest in our lives, preach the Gospel, etc. We are to turn our hearts toward Christ! We must experience true conversion! We believe, too, that no aspect of our relationsip with Christ can be more intimate and awesome than by prayerfully and humbly receiving Him through the Eucharist and receiving His graces through His other Sacraments!

We refute the idea that all one needs to do in order to be saved is to say "The Sinner's Prayer" (though it is a nice prayer, as far as it goes); we believe that we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) lest we be cast away (I Corinthians 9:27) -- but always with the knowledge of God's Fatherly Love and Mercy for us, His adopted children. Likewise, we reject the idea that one can work his way into Heaven or that any Christian's works have salvific merit outside of Christ's grace. Neither faith alone, nor works alone, nor faith and works together saves us or puts God into debt to us; He owes us nothing! Neither getting on your knees once and saying the "Sinner's Prayer," no matter how sincerely, nor a lifetime working at soup kitchens, but without faith and the Sacraments, will save you. It is His grace alone that saves -- a grace we accept in faith and by doing His will!

Though we believe in predestination (Ephesians 1:11), we see it as an inscrutable Mystery, and we reject any ideas of predestination that deny the free will of man or which make God the Author of sin by seeing Him as also predestining some souls to go to Hell (i.e., as in any idea of "double predestination"). We assert that we are created by God in His image, that He created us freely able to choose Him or to choose sin, and that predestination beyond recognizing His omniscience, would render His divine plan meaningless. We believe that free will exists both before and after justification. In other words, a person who enters the Covenant may freely leave it and lose his salvation (2 Peter 2:20-21). While we do believe that whom God elects, He will save, we don't presume to know who the elect are (I Corinthians 4:4)! This is a Mystery of God that we can't presume to know, let alone base an entire theology and soteriology on.

Summary: We are saved by grace alone, through a saving faith (a faith that works in love, Galatians 5:6), and as a fruit of Christ's having suffered and shed His blood for us. Christianity is both a "head religion" and a "heart religion"; we intellectually assent to the Truths given to us by the Church through Her Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and these Truths affirm that we must give our hearts to Jesus. In other words, we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). To focus only on the heart without including the mind ( to forget doctrine and rely on "experience" and "feelings") is to lapse into heresy and subjectivism; to focus on the intellect without including the heart (to forget humility, repentance, and, above all, charity) is to lapse into a legalistic Pharisaism.

To be saved: believe and trust in Jesus, repent of your sins, be baptized, receive the Eucharist, and obey the will of God as taught to us in the Bible and the constant teachings of the Church. Love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Answer 2

The basic laws are that you should love God and that you should love one another. Out of that, works will come, laws will come, grace and mercy will come. It not so much a balance of works and grace, as rather a condition of the heart. Many a wicked man would love to be in authority of even a church and would work to get there. Many a wicked man would consider the grace of God a license to sin. In both cases the heart is not with God.

Answer 3

there are so many scriptures I could quote here.
First a person must be born again (that's in John)
if you are born again you cannot sin (that's in 1John)
if you are born again Jesus is the "author and finisher of your faith" (I believe that's in Hebrews) Anyway I could go on and on but if you are born again.....that is you died to your old life and gave your whole life to Jesus not just let him be in "part of your life" If you let your old you DIE and you let him have full possession of YOU then there is nothing to worry about because the incorruptible seed is planted in you and will take over and outgrow everything else in your life. It's hard to explain unless you have experienced it.

Answer 4

It is not a balance. It is a question of cause and effect. If you think Law obedience causes Grace, you are a legalist, and toast. If you think Grace causes Law obedience, you are a true believer, and are on YHVH's side.

Answer 5

those are area of chinese language lifestyle. they suspect in doing their very own homework. Confucius would be nagging at people who do no longer do their very own homework. Taoist will enable nature take that's course for people who do no longer do their very own homework. Legalism will punish people who do no longer do their very own homework.

Answer 6

We are saved by faith, but faith without works is dead. If you are saved you want to do the works.

Answer 7

OUR OWN WORKS CANNOT PLEASE GOD

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. —Romans 10:2,3

But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. —Isaiah 64:6a

"When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die." —Ezekiel 33:13

So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. —Romans 8:8

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be Justified in His sight. —Romans 3:20a

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. —2 Corinthians 3:5

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "The just shall live by faith." —Galatians 3:11

REPENTANCE BRINGS FORGIVENESS

Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. —Isaiah 55:6,7

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. —Psalm 34:18

"... that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive . . . their sin." —Jeremiah 36:3b

I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. —Psalm 32:5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all un righteousness. —1 John 1:9

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." —Acts 3:19a

I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. —Psalm 85:8

Repentance means turning from sin as well as confessing it to God.

THROUGH JESUS WE HAVE NEW LIFE — 35

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. —1 John 5:11, 12

But God, who is rich in mercy...even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. —Ephesians 2:4, 5a

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." —Galatians 2:20

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. —Romans 8:2

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. —1 Peter 1:23

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.
—1 Peter 2:2