The devil is not content to encourage us to fall off one side of the horse. He takes great pleasure in seeing us fall off both sides. We live, for instance, in what is a most permissive culture. This is true of both the world and the church. All things, we seem to believe, are permissible. Law is something old fashioned and forgotten.
For this reason I define legalism three different ways. The first, and most deadly is when we see our obedience to God as a means to the end of our justification. This was the Galatian error, and it is perhaps most commonly reprised in our own day among the Campbellites who teach that we have peace with God through the work of Christ and our baptism.
The second error, which is far more benign, is when we simply add to God’s law. The Pharisees were experts at this, as are fundamentalists in our own day. No dancing, no cards is no God-given law. The most common usage for this word, however, is this- it is a word we use to accuse others who call us to obey the law of God. That is, in terms of raw usage, legalism means teaching others to obey whatsoever Christ has commanded.
While we live in light of this third definition, the question is grounded in the second definition. That is, while we have no scruples about disobeying God’s law, we often also have scruples about that for which there is no law. We do this often in failing to understand spheres of authority and responsibility. To put it more bluntly, we end up with misplaced scruples when we think ourselves master of all that we survey.
Consider for a moment the Roman soldiers that were baptized by John the Baptist. Prior to their conversions they had served as henchmen for the most rapacious, aggressive and vile state the world had as yet known. The Roman empire put the whole world under its boot. It kept its citizens happy with the bloody gladiatorial games. And John tells them, “Keep serving, and serve honorably.” He does not hold them responsible for the actions of their superiors. He only holds them accountable for themselves.
Now suppose I am employed by Widgets Are Us. My job is to write ad copy for these widgets. My calling is to write honestly and fairly. My calling is to give an honest day’s work for an honest wage. My calling is to submit to those who are in authority over me. My calling is not to make sure that the powers that be at Widgets Are Us don’t use their profits to buy crack cocaine, support wicked political candidates or write checks to Planned Parenthood. I have traded my labor for my wages. I have not been assimilated by the Widgets Are Us Borg wherein we are all one being and I am responsible for what happens with the profits.
Remember this. The single biggest contributor to Planned Parenthood over the past 30 years has been the United States federal government. Even with Republican majorities in the Senate and House, a Republican president and a majority of Republican appointed justices. But the ethical principle is this. Neither you, nor your taxes support Planned Parenthood. Your taxes are paid to the federal government, and your responsibility before God is to pay them.
The government’s obligation is to spend those tax moneys on legitimate government callings, the protection of life and property against aggressors foreign and domestic, or in Biblical language, the use of the sword. Their failure to obey is their fault, not yours.
Please note that Planned Parenthood is almost certainly the most wicked organization in the country. The point isn’t, “It’s okay because they are okay.” They are most assuredly not okay, and should be the object of our frequent and heartfelt imprecatory prayers. But your work does not support them; your bosses may.
