The word Legalism predates Jesus by roughly 400 years. A man named Shang Yang, a Chinese Statesman, started the philosophy of rule by law. Fast forward roughly 400 years to the times of Jesus. HE never once taught or acted in a way that would infer His Father’s commands were legalistic. In fact, HE upheld the commands and taught those around Him to do the same.
Jesus said:
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void”
“Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law”
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me”
“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”
The theology behind the following of commands making one a Legalist would then convict Jesus of the same offense.
“Always Learning”
Biblical Truth
I’m trying to genuinely understand – should Christians then follow the Old Testament laws (like in Leviticus regarding cleanliness, dietary, etc.)?
They aren’t “Old Testament” Laws. That was established to make us move away from them. If Christians believe that in the beginning was the word and the word is Yeshua, then Yeshua wrote the Torah.
Our current understanding is that the Torah wasn’t “nailed to the cross”. We are to be a set apart people. If we are eating and doing everything everyone else does, how are we set apart….