The Temptation To Legalism

March 10  The Temptation To Legalism

 


No human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Rom. 3:20, RSV.

Not everything Bates taught was pure gold. While no one can have the slightest doubt about his devotion to the seventh-day Sabbath from 1846 to end of his life, his understanding of the Sabbath in relation to the plan of salvation is much less clear.

At times the good captain comes across as extremely legalistic:
 * "Doing these commandments saves the soul."
 *"The keeping of God's Sabbath Holy Sanctifies And Saves The Soul! But the keeping of one, or all the other nine without it will not."
 *"We must keep the whole [law] if we would be saved."
 *"God's children are to be saved, if at all, by doing or keeping the commandments."

While Bates could make gospel-sounding statements, there is no doubt that he was entangled in a leaglism that ran through the course of his life.

One of his favorite texts to support his legalistic approach to the Sabbath is the account of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. Repeatedly Bates goes back to that story to make his point. "The young man came and said to him, 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Jesus answered, 'If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.'" Bates interpreted that teaching to mean that "the only way, to enter life, keep the commandments." Furthermore, he added, if Jesus did not mean what he said, "then he deceived the lawyer."

Twenty years after expressing those thoughts Bates was still on the same track with the rich young ruler, concluding that "if you really desire to have etenal life when Jesus comes, be sure, oh! Be sure, that you keep all the ten commandments of God."

Sadly enough, in the 1888 era Uriah Smith and G. I. Butler were still employing Matthew 19 in the same manner. In fact, recall published Bible studies still using that text as a proof for commandment keeping during the 1960s. For some, commandment keeping was still the route to life eternal.

That is exactly the point that Paul was attacking in  today's text(Rom. 3:20). It is unfortunate that sincere believers can use good Bible texts in bad ways.

Help us, O Lord, as we grapple with the true meaning of Scripture.