LEGALISM

Continued

Author: Ray Shelton

From the legalistic point of view, man needs to be saved because he is guilty of breaking the law. Salvation is accordingly conceived of as a removal of that guilt. Justice requires that the penalty be paid before the guilt can be removed. It cannot be forgiven freely but only can be taken away by the paying of the penalty which alone can satisfy justice. Because of the enormity of the guilt - it is against an infinite moral being - finite man himself can never pay the penalty and go free. From this legalistic point of view, man's sin demands an eternal punishment, and being finite, man cannot meet the infinite demand of justice. If he is to be saved at all, he must be saved by another - one who is man like himself but without sin, but also one who is God who alone can meet the infinite demands of justice. Where is such a one to be found? Only God can provide that one, and God has provided the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty by sending His Son to become man. His death is the perfect sacrifice. It can remove the guilt by paying the penalty. In His death, He endured the eternal punishment due to man's sin.

This penal satisfaction theory of the death of Christ is clearly legalistic. It assumes that the order of law and justice is absolute; free forgiveness would be a violation of this absolute order; God's love must be carefully limited lest it infringe on the demands of justice. Sin is a crime against God and the penalty must be paid before forgiveness can become available. According to this view, God's love is conditioned and limited by His justice; that is, God cannot exercise His love to save man until His righteousness (justice) is satisfied. Since God's justice requires that sin be punished, God's love cannot save man until the penalty of sin has been paid, satisfying His justice. God's love is set in opposition to His righteousness, creating a tension and problem in God. How can God in His love save man from sin when His righteousness demands the punishment of sin? This is the problem that the death of Christ is supposed to solve. According to this legalistic theology, this is why Christ needed to die; he died to pay the penalty of man's sin and to satisfy the justice of God. Redemption is misinterpreted as paying the penalty of man's sin and propitiation is misinterpreted as the satisfaction of God's justice. And reconciliation is misinterpreted as as a vicarious act, instead of another, God being reconciled to man by Christ's death paying the penalty of man's sin.
According to this legalistic Christian theology, the necessity of the atonement is the necessity of satisfying the justice of God; this necessity is in God rather than in man. And since this necessity is in God, it is an absolute necessity. If God is to save man, God must satisfy His justice before He can in love save man.

Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say that Christ died to pay the penalty of man's sin and satisfy God's justice. Not in the three passages (Rom. 3:24-25; II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13) usually cited to support this doctrine does it say explicitly that Christ paid the penalty of sin or satisfied the justice of God. In the Rom. 3:24-25 passage, propitiation is not the satisfaction of God's justice; neither is redemption the paying the penality of sin.

"^3:24Being justified by His grace as a gift,
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,
^3:25whom God set forth to be a propitiation,
through faith in His blood...."
(Rom. 3:24-25 ERS; see also Isa. 32:17)

"^1:18Knowing that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, like silver or gold,
from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;
^1:19but with the precious blood,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,
even the blood of Christ."
(I Pet. 1:18, 19 ERS; see also Heb. 9:14-15).

"In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the deliverance from our offences,
according the riches of His grace..." (Eph. 1:7 ERS)

"In whom we have redemption,
the deliverance from sins. (Col. 1:14 ERS)

"In Him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according the riches of his grace..." (Eph. 1:7 RSV)

"In whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:14 RSV)

Salvation is not just forgiveness. It is more than forgiveness of sins; salvation is also deliverance from death; it is the resurrection of the dead. Forgiveness of sins is not enough; man needs to be made alive to God because he is spiritually dead. And he is dead, not because of his own sins, but because of the sin of another, Adam. So the forgiveness of a man's sins does not take away spiritual death because the spiritual death was not caused by that man's sins. Thus forgiveness of sins does not remove spiritual death. But the removing of spiritual death does removes sins. Salvation as resurrection from the dead is also salvation from sin and thus it is also the forgiveness of sins. Thus to be made alive to God means that sins are forgiven.

This redemption from sin was accomplished by the death of Jesus Christ because His death is also the means by which we were delivered from death, the cause of sin. Since spiritual death leads to sin ( Rom. 5:12d ERS), sin reigns in the sphere of death's reign (Rom. 5:21). And since Christ's death is the end of the reign of death for those who died with Christ, it is also the end of the reign of sin over them. They are no longer slaves of sin, serving false gods. Sin is a slave master (Rom. 6:16-18) and this slave master is the false god in which the sinner trusts. We were all slaves of sin once, serving our false gods when we were spiritually dead, alienated and separated from the true God, not knowing Him personally. But we were set free from this slavery to sin through the death of Christ. For when Christ died for us, He died to sin (Rom. 6:10a) as a slave master. Sin no longer has dominion or lordship over Him. For he who has died is freed from sin (Rom. 6:7). That is, when a slaves dies, he is no longer in slavery, death frees him from slavery. Since Christ "has died for all, then all have died" (II Cor. 5:14). His death is our death. Since we have died with Him and He has died to sin, then we have died to sin. We are freed from the slavery of sin and are no longer enslaved to it (Rom. 6:6-7). But now Christ is alive, having been raised from the dead, and we are made alive to God in Him. His resurrection is our resurrection. "But the life He lives He lives to God" (Rom. 6:10b). This is the life of righteousness, the righteousness of faith. And so we, who are now alive to God in Him, are to live to righteousness. For just as death produces sin, so life produces righteousness.

"And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed." (I Pet. 2:24)

Since in those days of the Old and New Testament, slaves were also sold at the market, to buy a slave at the slave market could also be called "redemption." The context of the verbs translate "to redeem" is not the law court but the slave market and has nothing to do with "paying the penalty." The purchase price or ransom is not the penalty for breaking the law but is the means by which the purchase is accomplished. A ransom is given instead or in place of those who are to be redeemed or delivered; it has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin to satisfy the justice of God. The context of the words translated "to redeem" or "redemption" is not the law or the courtroom but slavery and the slavemarket. The redemption of Israel from bondage in Egypt has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin; and neither does the redemption in Christ Jesus by His death [His blood] have to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin, but with delivering us from bondage and freeing us from the slavery of sin.

In the II Cor. 5:21 and Gal. 3:13 passages, "made to be sin" or "a curse" does not mean paying the penalty of our sins.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes,

"He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (II Cor. 5:21 ERS)

1. When Christ in His incarnation took on human nature, which is "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), God made Him to be sin.
2. Christ in becoming a sacrifice for sin was made to be sin, the word "sin" (harmartia) meaning a "sacrifice for sin" (Augustine and the NIV margin "be a sin offering").
3. Christ is treated as if He were a sinner, and as such Christ became the object of God's wrath and bore the penalty and the guilt of sin
   (the traditional Protestant interpretation).

The Greek preposition huper does not mean "instead of" but "on the behalf of" or "for the sake of".
In the following passages, the Greek preposition huper cannot mean "instead of", but "on the behalf of" or "for the sake of".

"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of [huper] Christ
you should not only believe in him
but also suffer for his sake [huper autou, on the behalf of him]"
(Phil. 1:29)

"It is right for me to think this about all of you [huper pantan humon],
because I have you in my heart,
since both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel
you all are partakers of grace with me." (Phil. 1:7 ERS)

"^12:5On the behalf of [huper tou toitotou] such a man I will boast,
but on behalf of myself [huper emautou] I will not boast,
except of my weaknesses.
^12:6For if I wish to boast, I shall not be foolish,
for I shall be speaking the truth;
but I refrain from this lest anyone reckon to me
above what [huper ho] he sees in me or hears from me,
^12:7and by the surpassing greatness [huperbole] of the revelations.
Wherefore, in order that I should not be exalted [huperairomai]
there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to harass me,
in order that I should not be exalted [huperairomai].
^12:8About this [huper touton]
I besought the Lord that it should leave me;
^12:9and He said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is perfected in weakness.'
Most gladly therefore I will boast in my weaknesses,
that the power of Christ may rest on me." (II Cor. 12:5-9 ERS).

"So we are ambassadors for Christ [huper Xristou],
God making his appeal through us.
We beseech you on the behalf of Christ [huper Xristou],
be reconciled to God." (II Cor. 5:20)

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge,
that one died for all [huper panton, on the behalf of all],
therefore all have died," (II Cor. 5:14)

"And he died for all [huper panton, on the behalf of all],
that those who live might live no longer for themselves
but for him who for their sake [huper auton, on the behalf of them]
died and was raised." (II Cor. 5:15).

And when Apostle Paul writes to the Galations,

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
having become a curse for us -- for it is written,
'Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13),

The introduction of these legalistic concepts into the interpretation of these passages has obscured their meaning and interpretation. Apart from the clear and explicit statement of Scripture, it cannot be assumed that this is what these verses mean. Since this legalism is contrary to the clear and explicit statements of Scripture, any interpretation employing these legalistic concepts is suspect. In fact, the Scripture explicitly rejects the principle of vicarious penal sacrifice upon which this interpretation depends.

"The person who sins will die.
The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity,
nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity;
the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself,
and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
(Ezekiel 18:20 NAS; see also Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:30).

If Christ did not die to pay the penalty for man's sin and satisfy God's justice, then why did Christ have to die to save man? Why then do men need to be saved? An examination of Scripture (John 10:10; Eph. 2:4-5; Heb. 2:14-15; I John 4:9; etc.) clearly shows that the answer to this question is that man needs to be saved because he is dead. Man is separated and alienated from God (Eph. 4:8). He does not know God personally, and because he does not know the true God, he turns to false gods - to those things which are not God - and makes those into his gods (Gal. 4:8). The basic sin is idolatry (Ex. 20:2; Rom. 1:25), and man sins (chooses these false gods) because he is spiritually dead - separated from the true God. This spiritual death inherited from Adam is the personal, contemporary origin of each man's sin. Because he is spiritually dead, not knowing God personally, he chooses something other than the true God as his god; he thus sins.

Legalism has distorted the relationship of death to sin. Death is always the result of each man's own personal sins. The Biblical concept of sin as basically trust in a false god, idolatry, is misunderstood as basically a transgression of the law, the breaking of the rules and a falling short of the universal divine standard. According to legalism, sin is considered to be a crime against God, and the penalty for these crimes is spiritual, physical and eternal death. Until the penalty is executed at the last judgment, man is under the burden of an objective guilt or condemmation which must be satisfied by the execution of the penalty. And in addition to this objective guilt there is a subjective guilt of a bad conscience, which may or may not correspond to the objective guilt. This objective guilt has been conceived in terms of a debt which man owes and/or as demerit on man's record. Thus man needs to be saved because he is a guilty sinner.

This legalistic concept of death is a misunderstanding of the Biblical concept of death. In the Scriptures, death is not always the result of each man's own personal sins. According to Romans 5:12-14, all men have received spiritual and physical death from Adam but not eternal death.

"^5:12Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin, and so death passed unto all men,
because of which all sinned: -
^5:13For until the law sin was in the world;
but sin is not imputed where there is no law.
^5:14But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who had not sinned
after the likeness of the transgression of Adam,
who is a type of Him who was to come." (Rom. 5:12-14 ERS).

"^1:19Because that which is known of God is manifest in them;
for God manifested it to them.
^1:20For since the creation of the world
the invisible things of Him,
both His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made,
so that they are without excuse." (Rom. 1:19-20 ERS)

This is why a man needs to be saved. He is dead spiritually and dying physically. Man needs life - he needs to be made alive - to be raised from the dead. And if he receives life, if he is made alive to God, death which leads to sin is removed. And if death which leads to sin is removed, then man will be saved from sin. Thus salvation must be understood to be primarily from death to life and secondarily from sin to righteousness. And since God's wrath - God's "no" or opposition to sin - is caused by sin (Rom. 1:18), the removal of sin brings with it also the removal of wrath. No sin, no wrath. Salvation is then thirdly from wrath to peace with God (Rom. 5:1).
(1) Propitiation is the sacrificial aspect of Christ's work of salvation that saves us from wrath to peace with God.
(2) Redemption is the liberation aspect of Christ's work of salvation that saves us from sin to righteousness.
(3) Reconcilation is the representative aspect of Christ's work of salvation that saves us from death to life.
Being made alive to God, death, the cause of sin, is removed, and sin, the cause of wrath, is removed.
Thus Christ's death is a propitiation because it is a redemption;
and it is a propitiation and a redemption because it is a reconciliation to God, salvation from death to life.

Reconciliation, Redemption, and Propitiation are the three aspects of salvation.

This salvation (from death, sin and wrath) is exactly what God accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. This is why Christ died, that He might be raised from the dead. Jesus entered into our spiritual death in order that as He was raised from the dead, we might be made alive in and with Him.

"^2:4But God who is rich in mercy,
out of the great love with which he loved us,
^2:5even when we were dead in our failures,
made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:4-5 ERS).

The death and resurrection of Jesus was the means by which God removed death - the barrier to knowing God personally and knowing His love. In the preaching of the Gospel, God reveals Himself to us making us spiritually alive to Himself when we receive Jesus Christ who is the life (John 14:6; I John 5:12). To be spiritually alive is to know God personally, and to know God personally is to trust Him. For God is love (I John 4:8, 16) and love begets trust. The trust that God's love invokes in us is righteousness; it relates us rightly to God.

"^4:4Now to the one who works his wages is not reckoned according to grace [as a gift]
but according to debt [something owed since it was earned]
^4:5But to the one who does not work,
but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is reckoned for righteousness." (Rom. 4:4-5 ERS).

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