The Law's Claws

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"My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Mt 11:28-30)

How can we know a doctrine is a sound or not? Find out if it leads you to liberty or bondage! (Gal 5:1). There are usually three areas where legalistic preachers bring God's people into bondage.

Days

For Christians there is no law of observance of any day or days. When the Galatian believers were seduced to add the Old Testament laws of observance of days to their Christian faith, Paul rebuked them saying, "Now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years" (Gal 4:9,10). Some Christians think that in the Old Testament the Sabbath was Saturday and now it is Sunday! No! There is no law for Christians to keep any day. We are free to observe or not to observe any day. If we observe, it is to the Lord; if we don't observe also, it is to the Lord (Rom 14:5,6). However, keeping one of the seven days of the week exclusively for the things of God to honour Him has a great sanctifying value.

Diet

The dietary regulations of the Old Testament are not binding on us under the New Covenant. "He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks!" (Rom 14:6). A woman preacher a few years ago came up with a "revelation" that those who desire to participate in the First Resurrection should not eat meat or sweet. The Bible admonishes us, "Do not be carried with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them" (Heb 13:9).

Dress

There is nothing wrong in dressing fashionably if it is modest. In the eyes of some who use only face powder, a woman with lipstick looks an awful sinner! What they fail to understand is while the face powder improves the look of the facial skin, the lipstick improves that of the lips. Dyeing the hair or wearing jewels and flowers is considered sin in some Christian assemblies. They find nothing wrong in wearing a flowered saree or dress! After all a natural flower is three-dimensional whereas a printed flower is two-dimensional! Beware of building doctrines around issues which must be left to the discretion of individuals!

"Legalism is bound to produce pride of heart!"
(Watchman Nee, 1903-1972)

Courtesy : http://www.stanleyonbible.com/dd/daily_devotions.php

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