All things are lawful, not all things are profitable.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:
all things are lawful for me,
but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 6:12
In other words, don’t serve any of them.
Keep Christ as your true adoration and focus.
Legalism is very hard to explain
because those who participate in it
can cite countless scriptures where it should be followed,
just like the Pharisees and Sadducees.
If each of us were to examine each others’ lives, no doubt,
we would find countless faults and covenant-breakings in the bible.
Jesus overlooked much of that.
Jesus was concerned with the inward parts of those He met.
And the Lord said unto him,
Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter;
but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
Ye fools, did not He that made that which is without
make that which is within also?
But rather give alms of such things as ye have;
and, behold, all things are clean unto you. Luke 11:39-41
All things are clean unto you, He said.
Jesus wants us to not have an outward display of holiness,
but to keep our hearts pure in Him.
The fancy robes and the attire the religious leaders wore did them no good.
Those displays were empty forms of service.
Legalism can be difficult to grasp for those who have been taught
rules and regulations and the mandates of men’s doctrine.
There is quite a difference between legalism and serving the Lord.
I have become all things to all men…
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all,
that I might gain the more.
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews;
to them that are under the law, as under the law,
that I might gain them that are under the law;
To them that are without law, as without law,
(being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,)
that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak:
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
And this I do for the gospel’s sake,
that I might be partaker thereof with you. 1 Corinthians 19-23
Notice Paul said:
being not without the law to God, but under the law to Christ.
In other words, not partaking in sin.
By proclaiming the law over people who do not know or understand the law,
we can become a noisy gong or sounding cymbal.
What good will that do to concentrate on
what they are not doing lawfully right in furthering the gospel?
Our ultimate goal should be to point people to our Savior,
who will transform them and teach them of Himself
in His ways and in His time and most importantly, to teach them of His love.
We cannot do that in our flesh.
It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest:
for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself;
for thou that judgest doest the same things.
But we are sure that the judgment of God
is according to truth against them which commit such things.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things,
and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness
and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart
treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: Romans 2:1-6
Concentrating on what people are doing wrong
is not going to help them grow close to the Lord.
That can most often fall under the category of condemnation.
Unless you are certain God is directing you to speak them about their sins,
do so, otherwise, let Jesus deal with them.
That does not mean we cannot correct people,
but make sure that is really the Holy Spirit prompting you
and you are not correcting out of legalism.
The flesh profits nothing, but the Spirit gives life.
If we act in the flesh and Lord is not in it,
we will accomplish nothing for His Kingdom.
Jesus responded to those who accused Him of eating with sinners:
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say,
Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber,
a friend of publicans and sinners.
But wisdom is justified of her children. Matthew 11:18-19
Your responsibility might be to pray and leave things in God’s hands
who will complete the work in any of us He has begun.
Always seek the Lord for direction when trying to do His will.
if you wear a self-appointed hat of honor and judgment, woe unto you.
We can be alienating by ordering people around:
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
What about a celebration you don’t agree with?
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself:
but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean,
to him it is unclean. Romans 14:14
For meat destroy not the work of God.
All things indeed are pure;
but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. Romans 14:20
When Peter had the vision of the unclean animals,
he learned about Gentiles, but the idea reaches further, if not to all things.
Leave the judging to God and let His love pour through you.
Honor Him, Obey Him, let Him live through you and in you
and do what He tells you to do in all things,
if it is correcting or warning,
make sure it’s really the Holy Spirit leading you
and not being bound by men’s constricting doctrine,
which is just washing the outside of the cup.
Additional Scriptures:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63