45 Bible Verses about Legalism

but Israel, who sought after a law of justification, has not attained to a law of justification. And why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as if by works of law: for they stumbled against that stone of stumbling,

Wherefore, by works of law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight; for by law is the knowledge of sin.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that does not continue in all things written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by law in the sight of God, is evident: for the just by faith shall live.

knowing that a man is not justified by works of law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed on Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of law: because, by works of law no flesh shall be justified.

But alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you eat up the houses of widows, and for a pretext make long prayers. For this reason, you shall receive the greater condemnation.

Wherefore, by works of law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight; for by law is the knowledge of sin. But now, God's plan of justifying men without law is revealed, being attested by the law and the prophets; I repeat it, God's plan of justifying men through faith in Jesus Christ, which is for all, and on all that believe; for there is no difference;read more.
for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, yet may be justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;

Yes, verily, I also count all things to be loss, for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them to be refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which was by law, but the righteousness which is by faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith,

though, indeed, I have a ground of confidence in the flesh. If any other thinks he has a ground of confidence in the flesh, I more; circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as it respects law, a Pharisee; as it respects zeal, persecuting the church; as it respects righteousness which is by law, blameless.

and I surpassed in Judaism many of my own age and nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the tradition of my fathers.

Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, its justice, its mercy, and its faithfulness. These you ought to have done, and those you ought not to have neglected.

Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you close the kingdom of heaven in the face of men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you suffer those who are entering, to go in.

And by chance a certain priest went down along that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In like manner, also, a Levite, when he came to the place, went and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But this multitude that know not the law are cursed.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.

Beware of doing your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. When, therefore, you do a charitable deed, do not cause a trumpet to be sounded before you, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men. Verily, I say to you, They have their reward.

And they do all their works for the purpose of being seen by men. They make their amulets broad, and enlarge the fringes of their mantles. They also love the most honorable places at suppers, and the first seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

And he said to them: You set yourselves forth as righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men, is detestable in the sight of God.

For being ignorant of God's plan of justification, and seeking to establish their own plan of justification, they have not submitted to God's plan of justification.

He answered and said to them: "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

In vain do they worship me, teaching precepts, the commandments of men. For, neglecting the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the immersion of pitchers and cups; and many other things like these you do.

Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitened sepulchers, which without appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. So also you outwardly appear to men to be just, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

But he answered and said to them: And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and your mother; and, He that curses father or mother shall surely be put to death. But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, Whatever of mine might profit you, is a gift, he must in no way honor his father or his mother;read more.
and you make the commandment of God of no effect for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites! well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain, do they worship me, teaching precepts, the commandments of men.

And he said to them: Well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and, He that curses father or mother shall surely be put to death. But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, What ever of mine might benefit you, is Corban, (which means, a gift,)read more.
you no longer suffer him to do any thing for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect by your tradition, which you have delivered; and many things like these you do.

Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and the plate; but within they are full of rapine and excess. Blind Pharisee! first make clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside of them also may be clean.

Did not Moses give you the law? and not one of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?

Then some of the Pharisees said: This man is not from God, for he keeps not the sabbath. Others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them?

And Jesus said to them: Take heed and be ware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

And he charged them, saying: Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Then they understood that he did not bid them beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

You observe days and months and times and years. - fear for you, lest I have bestowed labor upon you in vain.

Behold, I Paul say to you, that if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. I testify indeed again to every man that is circumcised, that he is bound to do the whole law. You that are justified by law, have withdrawn from Christ: you have fallen from grace.

Now, therefore, why do you put God to the proof, by placing a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers, nor we ourselves, were able to bear?

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet fail in one, is an offender against all.

But we believe that we shall be saved, even as they, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Think not that I have come to make the law or the prophets of no effect. I have not come to make them of no effect, but to give them their full efficiency.

Christ has bought us off from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us: (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:)

Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not understand the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons; one by a bondmaid, and one by a free woman. But the one by the bondmaid was born according to the flesh; the other, by the free woman, was by promise.read more.
These things are allegorized: for these women are the two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai that brings forth for bondage, which is Hagar. For Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free; and she is the mother of us all. For it is written: Rejoice you barren, that do not bear: break forth and cry aloud, you that travail not: for many more are the children of the deserted, than of her that had the husband of the deserted. We, indeed, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as then, he that was born according to the flesh persecuted him that was born ac cording to the Spirit, so even now. But what says the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman. Therefore, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free- woman.

For by grace you have been saved through the faith; and this matter is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not by works, lest any one should boast.

And the Pharisees said to him: See, why are they doing on the sabbath-day what is not lawful?

And some of the Pharisees said to them: Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had performed a cure on the sabbath-day, answered and said to the multitude: There are six days in which work ought to be done; on these, therefore, come and be cured, and not on the sabbath-day. Then the Lord answered him and said:

who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of letter, but. of spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but if any one thinks that any thing is unclean, to him it is unclean.

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, yet educated in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, and instructed according to the strict discipline of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, as you all are this day.

And one of the lawyers answered and said to him: Teacher, in saying these things, you reproach us also.