45 Bible Verses about Legalism

but Israel, who followed the law of justice, hath not attained to the law of justice. why? because they sought it not by faith, but indeed by the works of the law: for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone;

for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin.

but they that rest themselves upon the works of the law, are obnoxious to the curse: for it is written, " cursed is every one, who continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them:" but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, is evident: for, " the just shall live by faith."

yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in him, and not by the works of the law, by which there is no justification.

Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who prey upon the estates of widows, under the pretext of making long prayers; therefore ye shall be punish'd with the greater severity.

for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin. but the divine justification certified by the law and the prophets, is now clearly proposed independently of the law: that divine justification, which by faith in Jesus Christ is extended to all, that believe; for there is no distinction:read more.
for all having sinned, all have forfeited eternal glory: being justified by his unmerited favour through the redemption that is by Jesus Christ:

nay I think them disadvantages when put in competition with the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whose sake I abandon all these things, and count them as straw, that I may gain Christ, and be his true disciple, not professing that justification, which is derived from the law, but that which is from the gospel,

which I might do more justly than any other man can pretend to: being circumcised the eighth day, of the family of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew by descent, by sect a Pharisee. if zeal is to be regarded, I persecuted the church; if the integrity prescrib'd by the law, I am without reproach;

and that I made a greater proficiency in Judaism than many my contemporaries of my own nation, being an extraordinary zealot for the traditions of my forefathers.

wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.

wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye not only refuse to go in your selves, but hinder those that would.

a certain priest happen'd to be travelling that way, who look'd upon him, and then pass'd on. a Levite too came to the same place, gave him a look, and pass'd on.

but the populace, who are ignorant of the law, are such wretches.

the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican. I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.

Take care not to perform any religious act in order to be observed by men: otherwise you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven. therefore, when you give alms, do not make a proclamation of it as the hypocrites do, in their publick assemblies by sound of trumpet, that they may have the applause of men. for I assure you, they have their reward.

their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others: they affect the uppermost place at feasts, the principal chair in the synagogues, to be saluted in publick places, and to have men address to them with the title of Doctor Doctor.

but he said to them, you pretend to piety before men, which, however they may admire, is an abomination to God, who knows your real temper.

because being ignorant of the justice which is of God, and going about to establish a justification of their own, they have not submitted themselves to that which is of God.

Jesus answered, to such hypocrites as you may well be applied those words of the prophet Esaias, "this people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the institutions of men." for laying aside what is of divine appointment, you stick to their human traditions, about the washing of pots, and cups, and many other the like practices.

wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like whited sepulchres, which to outward appearance are fine. but within are full of dead mens bones, and all sort of filth. just so ye put on an air of probity in the sight of men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

but he answered them, why do you violate the law of God to follow your tradition? for this is a commandment of God, "honour thy father and mother; and, he that curses father or mother, let him be punish'd with death." but your doctrine is this, if any man declares to his father or mother, that whatever he has to give for their relief is dedicated to the temple; he is not oblig'd to regard his father or his mother.read more.
thus have ye disannull'd the commandment of God by your tradition. the prophecy of Esaias exactly suits such hypocrites as you; "this people, says he, draw nigh to me, they honour me with their lips: while their hearts are far from me. but in vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines the institutions of men."

You are in the right, said he, to abolish the laws of God, to make way for such traditions. Moses said, "honour thy father and thy mother;" and, if any one speak contemptibly of his father, or his mother, let him be put to death. but your doctrine is this, if any one shall tell his father or his mother, that what he could bestow for their relief, is corban, that is, to be given to the temple;read more.
you discharge him from the obligation of doing any thing for his father or his mother. by such traditions, and such a number of practices, as you have settled, the word of God is stript of all its authority.

wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup, and of the plate, but within they are full of rapine and impurity. thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and plate, that the outside may be likewise clean.

was it not Moses who gave you the law, and yet none of you observe that law?

thereupon some of the Pharisees said, this man has no divine mission, because he does not observe the sabbath. but said others, if he be an impostor, how can he do such miracles? and there was a schism among them.

and Jesus said to them, have a care of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees.

as he was then directing them diligently to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod,

then they perceived, he did not caution them against the leaven of bread, but against the Pharisaick and Sadducean doctrine.

observing as you do, the days, the moons, the feasts and years. you make me apprehensive, that the labour I have bestowed upon you will be all in vain.

take notice, 'tis I Paul declare it to you, that if you are circumcised, Christ shall be of no advantage to you. for I testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is under an obligation to perform the whole law. Christ is of no use to you, whoever of you seek to be justified by the law; you have lost all interest in the gospel-dispensation.

why therefore do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our forefathers were able to bear?

for he that violates but one precept of the whole law, is as obnoxious to punishment, as if he had broke thro' all the rest.

but we believe that it is by the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are to be sav'd, as well as they.

Don't think that I am come to abolish the law or the prophets: I am not come to abolish, but to complete them.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. (for it is written, " cursed is every one, that hangeth upon a tree.")

But tell me, you that are so willing to be under the law, why don't you consider the law? for it is there written, Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman. he, who was of the bond-woman, was born according to the ordinary course of nature; but he, who was of the free-woman, was born by virtue of the promise.read more.
these things have an allegorical meaning: the two women signify the two covenants, the one from mount Sinai, which is represented by Agar, whose children were born in a state of servitude. this Agar answers to the Jerusalem now in being, for she is in servitude with her children: but the heavenly Jerusalem is represented by the free-woman, who is the mother of us all. for it is written, "rejoice thou barren, that bearest not; break out into loud acclamations, thou that hast not the travels of childbirth, for more are the children of the desolate, than of her that hath an husband." Now we, my brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise. but as then, he that was born in the ordinary course of nature, persecuted him, who was born by an extraordinary power; even so it is now. but what saith the scripture? "cast out the bond-woman and her son; for the son of the bond-woman shall not share the inheritance with the son of the free-woman." so then, my brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free-woman, by virtue of that freedom which Christ has procur'd for us.

for by grace are ye saved, thro' faith (and that not from us: it is the gift of God) but not by works, so that no man can boast:

upon which the Pharisees said to him, pray observe how they trespass on the sabbath-day.

upon which some of the Pharisees said to them, why do you do what is not allowed to be done on the sabbath-day?

but the ruler of the synagogue being highly incensed at Jesus's healing on the sabbath-day, said to the people, there are six days for work, you should come therefore for cure on those days, and not on the sabbath.

who also hath enabled me to be a minister of the new covenant, not of the literal sense, but of the spiritual meaning: it is the letter that denounces death, but the spirit gives life.

I know, being fully assured by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: it is only so to him that thinks it is unclean.

then he said, I am a Jew, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but had my education in this city: at the feet of Gamaliel I was instructed in the law, and in the exact decisions of our fathers, and was as religiously zealous as you are at this time.

Then a doctor of the law objected to him, saying, master, your discourse is an insult upon us also.