49 Bible Verses about Legalism

But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law. Why that? Because [they did] not [pursue it] by faith, but as [if] by works. They stumbled over the {stone that causes people to stumble},

For by the works of the law {no person will be declared righteous} before him, for through the law [comes] knowledge of sin.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who does not abide by all [the things] that are written in the book of the law to do them." Now [it is] clear that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because "the one who is righteous will live by faith."

but knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law, if not by faith in Jesus Christ, and we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law {no human being will be justified}.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you shut the kingdom of heaven before people! For you do not enter, nor permit those wanting to go in to enter.

For by the works of the law {no person will be declared righteous} before him, for through the law [comes] knowledge of sin. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets-- that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For [there] is no distinction,read more.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

{More than that}, even consider all [things] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all [things], and consider [them] dung, in order that I may gain Christ and may be found in him, not having my righteousness [which is] from the law, but [which is] through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith,

although I [could] have confidence even in the flesh. {circumcised on the eighth day}, from the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [born] from Hebrews, according to the law a Pharisee, according to zeal persecuting the church, according to the righteousness in the law being blameless.

and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important [matters] of the law--justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these [things] {while not neglecting those}.

Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriads of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body [for the] sin of my soul? He has told you, O mortal, what [is] good, and what does Yahweh ask from you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Now by coincidence a certain priest was going down on that road, and [when he] saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. And in the same way also a Levite, [when he] came down to the place and saw [him], passed by on the opposite side.

But this crowd who does not know the law is accursed!"

The Pharisee stood [and] prayed these [things] with reference to himself: 'God, I give thanks to you that I am not like other people--swindlers, unrighteous [people], adulterers, or even like this tax collector! I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.'

"And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; {otherwise} you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

And they do all their deeds in order to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels long. And they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by people.

And he said to them, "You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For [what is] [considered] exalted among men [is] an abomination in the sight of God.

For ignoring the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

And the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with its mouth, and with its lips it honors me, and its heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught,

So he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me.

And they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.' Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean! In the [same] way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal."read more.
Then Samuel said, "Is there [as much] delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as [there is] in {obeying} Yahweh? Look! {To obey} [is] better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams.

So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] a gift [to God],"read more.
need not honor his father,' and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'"

And he said to them, "You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or to his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] corban" (that is, a gift [to God]),read more.
you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, [thus] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar [things] such as this."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?"

So some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath!" Others were saying, "How can a man [who is] a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.

And Jesus said to them, "Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

And he ordered them, saying, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod!"

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

You carefully observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid [for] you, lest perhaps I have labored for you in vain!

Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing! And again I testify to every man who becomes circumcised, that he is under obligation to keep the whole law. You are estranged from Christ, [you] who are attempting to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.

So now why are you putting God to the test [by] placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

If you, O Yah, should {keep track of} iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one [point only] has become guilty of all [of it].

But we believe [we] will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in {the same} way those also [are]."

"Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy [them] but to fulfill [them].

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law [by] becoming a curse for us, because it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who hangs on a tree,"

Tell me, [you] who are wanting to be under the law, do you not understand the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the female slave and one by the free woman. But the one by the female slave was born according to human descent, and the one by the free woman through the promise,read more.
which [things] are spoken allegorically, for these [women] are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bearing [children] for slavery, who is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is a slave with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren woman, who does not give birth to [children]; burst out and shout, [you] who do not have birth pains, because many [are] the children of the desolate [woman], even more than [those of] the one who has a husband." But you, brothers, are children of the promise, just as Isaac. But just as at that time the [child] born according to human descent persecuted the [child born] according to the Spirit, so also now. But what does the scripture say? "Drive out the female slave and her son, for the son of the female slave will never inherit with the son" of the free woman. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female slave but of the free woman.

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this [is] not from yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; [it is] not from works, so that no one can boast.

And the Pharisees began to say to him, "Behold, why are they doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?"

But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered [and] said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is necessary to work. Therefore come [and] be healed on them, and not on the day of the Sabbath!"

who also makes us adequate [as] servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing [is] unclean of itself, except to the one who considers something to be unclean; to that person [it is] unclean.

"I am a Jewish man born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the exactness of the law received from our fathers, being zealous for God, just as all [of] you are today.

And one of the legal experts answered [and] said to him, "Teacher, [when you] say these [things], you insult us also!"