45 Bible Verses about Legalism

But Israel, pursuing after the law of righteousness, hath not come up to the law of righteousness. And why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as by the works of the law. For they stumbled against that stone of stumbling;

Wherefore by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified before God: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

For as many as are of the works of the law, are under a curse: for it is written, "Cursed is every one who continueth not in all the things written in the book of the law to do them." But that by the law no man is justified before God is evident: because "The just by faith shall live."

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

Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the kingdom of heaven from men; for ye yourselves enter not in, and those who were coming in, ye suffer not to enter.

Wherefore by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified before God: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now distinct from the law the righteousness of God is manifest, receiving testimony from the law and the prophets; the righteousness of God indeed by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe: for there is no difference:read more.
for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the transcendently excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as offals of ordure, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is by the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Though I too might have confidence in the flesh; if any other man thinks that he may have confidence in the flesh, I may claim more: circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; respecting the law, a Pharisee; with regard to zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is by the law, blameless.

and signalized myself in Judaism above many of those of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly a zealot for the traditions of my fathers.

Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithes of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier precepts of the law, judgment, and mercy, and fidelity: these thing ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others undone.

Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: wherefore ye shall receive greater condemnation.

And it so fell out, that a certain priest went down that way, and seeing him, he kept the opposite side of the road. And a Levite also, in the same way, being near the place, came, and seeing him, kept the opposite side of the road.

But this rabble, which knoweth not the law, is accursed.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, made this prayer: God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of mankind, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or as this tax-gatherer. I keep a fast twice a week, I pay the tenth of all things I possess.

TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, in order to catch their eye: for otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou givest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They receive their reward.

And all their works they do to be seen of men: they make their phylacteries broad, and deepen the fringes of their garments, and love the principal couch at suppers, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the places of public concourse, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

And he said unto them, Ye are they who affect to be righteous persons before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God.

For being ignorant of the righteousness which is of God, and seeking to establish a righteousness of their own, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Then he answering said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Now vainly do they worship me, while teaching doctrines the commandments of men." For leaving the command of God, ye adhere to the tradition of men, the washings of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye practise.

Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye resemble tombs whitewashed, which outwardly indeed appear specious, but within are full of dead men's bones, and all manner of impurity. And just so, ye without indeed appear to men righteous, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

And he answering said to them, And why do you transgress the command of God, by your tradition? For God commanded, saying "Honour thy father and thy mother:" and, He that curseth father or mother, let him surely die. But ye say, If any man declare to his father or mother, This is a [devoted] gift, which else might have been employed by me for thy advantage;read more.
then he shall not with it honour his father and mother: so have ye vacated the command of God by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well hath Isaiah prophesied concerning you, saying, This people draweth nigh to me with their mouths, and honoureth me with the lips, but their heart is far distant from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men.

And he said to them, Strangely do ye make void the command of God, that ye may observe your tradition. For Moses said, "Honour thy father and thy mother:" and "he that curseth father or mother, let him assuredly be put to death." But ye affirm, If a man say to his father or mother, it is Corban (that is, a gift), which otherwise might have been advantageous to thee from me;read more.
then ye permit him no more to do any thing for his father, or his mother; abrogating the word of God by the tradition, which ye have transmitted down; and many such like things ye do.

Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup, and of the dish, but within they are full of rapacity and intemperance. Thou blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and dish, that their outside may become clean also.

Hath not Moses given you the law, yet none of you practises the law? Why do ye seek to kill me?

Then said certain of the Pharisees, This man is not from God, because he observeth not the sabbath. Others said, How is it possible for a wicked man to do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

Then Jesus said to them, Beware and abstain from the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And he earnestly charged them, saying, Beware, take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Then understood they, that he spake about abstaining not from the leaven in the bread, but from the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid for you, lest haply I have bestowed on you labour in vain.

Behold, I Paul declare to you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you. And again, I testify to every man who is circumcised, that he is under an obligation to keep the whole law. Ye have vacated all expectations from Christ, as many of you as are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Why then now tempt ye God, by imposing a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offendeth in a single particular, he is chargeable with the breach of all.

But we believe that we shall be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the same way as they.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, "Cursed is every one who is hanged on a tree:"

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondwoman, and the other by a free. Now the son of the bond-maid was born after the flesh, but that by the free woman was by promise.read more.
Which things are allegorical; for these are the two covenants, the one from mount Sinai, gendering unto bondage, which is represented by Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds with Jerusalem that now is, and is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, "Rejoice, thou barren who bearest not, cry out and shout for joy, thou that travailest not, for more are the children of her that was desolate, than of her which had an husband." So we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of the promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so is it now. But what saith the scripture? "Cast out the bond-woman and her son for the son of the bond-maid shall in no wise inherit with the son of the free woman." So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

For by grace ye are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not by works, lest any man should boast;

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

Then said some of the Pharisees unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful on the sabbath-day?

Then the ruler of the synagogue, indignant, that on the sabbath Jesus had performed the cure, addressing himself to the multitude, said, There are six days in which work is to be done: on these therefore come and be cured, and not on the sabbath-day.

Who hath made us also able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

I know, and am convinced by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who thinketh any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

I am indeed a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed accurately in the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, as ye all are this day:

Then one of the doctors of the law addressing him, said, Master, thus speaking, thou reproachest us also.