45 Bible Verses about Legalism

but Israel, who pursued the law of righteousness, has not attained that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,

Therefore no flesh will be justified in his sight by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to do them." Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith."

yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law will no flesh be justified.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who would enter to go in.

Therefore no flesh will be justified in his sight by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For there is no difference,read more.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith,

though I myself have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law, justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

(...)

Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "Thus, when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But they do all their works to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and the tassels of their garments long. And they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi.'

He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

And he 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 they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' You let go of the commandment of God, and hold on to the tradition of men."

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might have received from me is a gift to God'read more.
he is not to honor his father with it. Thus you have made the word of God of no effect for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, when he said: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'"

And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God),read more.
then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?"

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.

Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

And he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

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

You observe days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen away from grace.

Now therefore why do you test God by putting upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all of it.

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are."

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for usfor it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"

Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave and one by the free woman. But the son by the slave was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.read more.
This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate are more numerous than the children of her who has a husband." Now you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now. But what does the scripture say? "Cast out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

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

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

who has made us competent as ministers 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 in itself; but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, by saying these things you reproach us also."