Legalism vs obedience and love
The question begs, what exactly is legalism, specifically as it deals with our faith in Jesus the Messiah? According to the free dictionary online legalism is defined as: “the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works”. So, in order for one to assume that the person who is obedient to word of God, or specifically the “Old Testament” word of the law, is legalistic, would be to assume that that person also believes that his obedience will bring him salvation. Contrary to legalism is the idea that obedience is an evidence of faith and love for his Lord and Messiah. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:21 also says, ”He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." 1 John 5:3 states, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” Similar sentiments’ are expressed in John 15:10, and 2 John 1:6. I’m sure that other similar verses are available beyond what is listed here.
Easter addressed in scripture
How does God specifically address Easter scripture? First lets begin with a brief history lesson. The goddess of Easter is also known by the names of Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Simiramis, and Astarte (among others, I will refer to her as Ashtoreth in order to avoid too much confusion) and is known as the goddess of the moon and fertility. Ashtoreth was said to have been hatched from an egg that fell from heaven into the Euphrates River. Ashtoreth (also known as the wife of Baal and the ‘queen of heaven’) was said to have given birth to a son named Tammuz via a virgin birth and Tammuz was said to be Nimrod reincarnate. Nimrod is known as the “father of heaven”, “the god of the sun”, and the deceased husband of Ashtoreth. (Don’t ask me where they get the virgin birth bit when Ms Ashtoreth was obviously no virgin) Anyways, Tammuz, Ashtoreth’s beloved son was killed one day by a wild boar and sent into the underworld. This sent his mother into great sorrow. It was said that through his mothers weeping he was revived each spring (weeping for Tammuz, also known as or adopted as Lent).
Ashtoreth is mentioned in 1 Kings 11 as “goddess of the Sidonians” and further explained in 1 Kings 11:13 “The high places which were before Jerusalem, which were on the right of the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled.” She is also mentioned in 2 Kings 23. Despite what the wisdom that Solomon thought he had it is quite apparent that this specific goddess is mentioned in scripture as being displeasing to the Lord.
If at this point your saying to yourself, “I don’t worship Ashtoreth” or “Easter is all about Jesus to me so what I do is different” let me show you one more scripture that deals specifically with the nonsense surrounding this goddess worship that the Lord specifically addresses in Ezekiel 8-9. In Ezekiel 8, the Lord takes Ezekiel in a vision into the places of worship in Jerusalem. As He leads Ezekiel on in the vision the Lord takes him into rooms where He shows him greater and greater abominations. He shows him the “idol of jealousy” (also referred to in Jeremiah 7:30 "For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight," declares the LORD, "they have set their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.” With further research this could easily be identified as the “mother of heaven” Ashtoreth or “the virgin Mary” of the Catholic Church). Next in the vision the Lord shows Ezekiel elders of the house of Israel in front of carved images of animals, in dark rooms waving incense as they hide themselves from the Lord, an exercise eerily similar to the practices of lent! Next He shows him the women weeping for Tammuz. Remember that the weeping for Tammuz is Ashtoreth’s weeping for her son in order to bring him back from the underworld. Ever heard of Ash Wednesday and Lent? These are directly related. Next the Lord shows Ezekiel the elders of Israel as they are prostrating themselves toward the sun in worship of the sun. Ever wondered where the tradition of the sunrise service originated? Eventually “The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."(Ezekiel 9:4) I would guess that it would be easy to identify those who mourned in this vision, as they would NOT have an ashen cross of Tammuz on their forehead on that day. Instructions are then given for every man, woman, child and baby who does not bear this mark to be slain, sparing none.
I’m sure at this point you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t worship Ashtoreth, Tammuz, the sun or idols.” No matter what these “holidays mean to you” one cannot deny that at their roots they are detestable to God.
Can we worship as we please?
I guess the next question to address is: Does the fact that Jesus conquered sin and death leave us open to worship God as we please? It certainly wasn’t ok for the Israelites. In Deuteronomy 12: 31 the Lord said "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods” (as a side note, part of the worship of Ashtoreth includes, or included, raping virgins and then one year later sacrificing the babies that were a fruit of the rape on alters and dying eggs with the blood). “But this is the “Old” Testament”, you say, “now we live under grace. All that has been done away with.” Is not the Lord the same yesterday, today and forever? (We as humans certainly haven’t changed much.) Hebrews 13: 8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever was His grace any different for the Israelites? Is not God outside of time? Was the grace, mercy and forgiveness offered by Jesus non applicable to the Israelites. If God is outside of time is it possible that what He said and meant then, He also says and means now? Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as… “The Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” Based on what the Lord instructed the Israelites concerning worshiping Him in the ways that others worshiped their gods, does it really matter what Easter means to us? God didn’t bring the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt to worship Him as THEY pleased as was well demonstrated when the Israelites attempted worship HIM with the golden calf. Even if we are under grace now, how much do we dare take advantage of it?
How then do we celebrate the Lord?
Many people love the traditional “American holidays”. Generations of customs surrounding family and church make them very pleasing to our hearts. We have been taught that these are the ways in which we are to celebrate our Lord and that there is no other way. Scriptures would suggest otherwise. In scripture the Lord instructs the Israelites to remember Him in specific times and ways. In Hebrew these times are referred to as His Appointed Times, in “American” these are referred to as “Jewish Holidays”.
Celebrating Jesus birth
Concerning the celebration of His birth. When the Israelites left Egypt the Lord commanded them to remember Him with Sukkot, The Feast of Tabernacles. He commanded them to build temporary dwelling places and to dwell in them during the week of the feast. This feast was meant to remind them of their redemption from slavery and the sustainment that God provided for them in the wilderness as they dwelt in temporary dwelling places, just as we have been redeemed from our sins and God sustains us in our temporary dwelling places. It is also a reminder that Jesus would come for a time to “tabernacle” with us and then again to “tabernacle” with us for eternity. Much evidence suggests that it was during this time that Jesus was born. When we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles we are not just celebrating Gods sustainment of the Israelites as He led them out of bondage, our temporary condition on this earth, and the birth of Jesus (as it is very likely that He was born during this season) but we are also celebrating what is to come. Ezekiel 37:27-28 states, “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever." Referring to Jesus’ eventual eternal reign and that He will ‘tabernacle’ with us for eternity (Revelation 7:15).
Celebration of the Death and Resurrection
Concerning the celebration of the death and RESURECTION of our Lord Jesus (yay!). On Pesach (Feast of Passover) I can celebrate the exact same feast that Jesus celebrated as he broke the bread and drank the final cup, knowing the blood He would sweat and the pain that he would feel as He became THE perfect Passover lamb. I am reminded of the fact that He was pierced for my transgressions and crushed for my iniquity and that He was raised again three days later, through the retelling of the Exodus and the elements of the Passover Seder. All this being experienced, knowing that Jesus went through this same retelling and experienced the same elements just before He was to become the fulfillment of it all!
Pesach and Sukkot are not the only appointed times that God set forth for the Israelites to remember Him by. As fellow heirs with Israel (Romans 11 we are grafted in as believers) we to can celebrate and remember Him through His appointed times and customs. How cool is it that we get the opportunity to understand the fulfillment of prophecy and scripture and we get to celebrate and understand what was and is to come simply by doing the things that God set forth for us to do. With the privilege of this opportunity to do things the way God Himself laid out, why then is there a need to try and honor Him with the traditions laid out by the imposter?
Colossians 2
In regards to Paul’s letter to the Colossians, I believe that it is first important to understand who exactly Paul was addressing in order to fully understand what it was that he was addressing. First, the Colossians where a people who where deeply steeped in Oriental mysticism. In Colossians 2:15 Paul makes a public spectacle of the rulers and authorities because of their principles of this world not because of the principles of following Gods commandments. Verse 8 explains, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” The believers of Colossae were still heavily steeped in the ways of their culture. Coming to a belief and relationship with their Messiah Jesus didn’t automatically delete their pasts and how they had lived for generations. Paul’s letter to them is an attempt to encourage and set straight the believers in Colossae so that they could walk blamelessly before the Lord. As the new believers of Colossae embarked on the journey of knowing the true Lord, they undoubtedly were also learning to keep God appointed times and commandments as they are described in the Torah. (There is no reason to believe that Paul, with an understanding of the fulfillment of the Torah, wouldn’t have kept the Lords Feasts and commandments) As the believers of Colossae became more set apart they were undoubtedly taunted and judged for not keeping their old ways. Paul reminds them that they are firmly rooted and established in their new faith. He reminds them of the circumcision of their hearts and that their transgressions had in fact been nailed to the cross. There is no need for them to allow these people, whom Paul has just made a spectacle of (or anyone else for that matter), to judge them for following Gods commandments and ways. For they are a shadow of things to come and since Jesus has yet to return again they are still a shadow of things to come (please note that in verse 17 the word mere does not appear in the Greek. This word downplays the significance of the meaning the food, drink, festivals, new moons and Sabbath days that the new believers where undoubtedly learning to keep). The substance of these things (food, drink, festivals, new moons and Sabbath days) belongs to Christ because He is the fulfillment, not abolishment, of them. Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. We do these things to honor Jesus.
Verse 18-19
“Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.” What is the prize that Paul is talking about? Philippians 3:14 suggest that the prize is Christ Jesus, who is salvation. Paul obviously feels that it’s important for the believers of Colossae to understand the importance of the salvation of Jesus which is unlike the “salvation” those of their culture seek after by punishing themselves, worshiping angels, depending on visions made of utmost importance by those who followed these others gods, and not holding fast to Jesus who is the head of the Body. I would challenge anyone who believes that Paul is referring to Old Testament commandments here. Where in Gods word, front, back of middle, does God ever ask of His people self-abasement or to worship angels? He doesn’t, in fact God has always warned against such things. Why would God discount or disqualify visions that He has given? These things Paul speaks of are not now nor where they ever the things of God. These are the ways and ideas of men that he speaks against. Could one consider Easter to be the ways of men?
Verse 20-23
“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
In verse 20 what are the elementary principles of the world? I certainly would challenge anyone who would suggest that the laws set forth by the Lord in the Old Testament where “of this world”. The mere suggestion, to me, would be to de-deitize God and place ourselves as equals or better than Him. I would suggest that the “elementary principles of the world” that Paul is eluding to are the principles set forth by the world and the ways of the mysticism that they were enveloped in. This would explain why he refers to these decrees as being the commandments and teachings of MEN and containing “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion”. How could one claim that abiding by the commandments set forth by God are the ways of men? Are they not from the beginning the wisdom of God? Sure men have added to Gods ways but God speaks strictly against that too. To conclude the chapter… these “are of no value against fleshly indulgence” only faith in Christ is of value (which includes obedience to Him). Only through the saving blood of Jesus can we conquer sin and the ways of the world and cleave to that which is good and brings forth life.
