Bible verses about "legalism" | Moffatt

²⁰ For I tell you, unless your goodness excels that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Realm of heaven. ²¹ You have heard how the men of old were told, 'Murder not: whoever murders must come up for sentence, ²² whoever maligns his brother must come before the San hedrin, whoever curses his brother must go to the fire of Gehenna.' But I tell you, whoever is angry with his brother [without cause] will be sentenced by God. ²³ So if you remember, even when offering your gift at the altar, that your brother has any grievance against you, ²⁴ leave your gift at the very altar and go away; first be reconciled to your brother, then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵ Be quick and make terms with your opponent, so long as you and he are on the way to court, in case he hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the jailer, and you are thrown into prison; ²⁶ truly I tell you, you will never get out till you pay the last halfpenny of your debt. ²⁷ You have heard how it used to be said, Do not commit adultery. ²⁸ But I tell you, any one who even looks with lust at a woman has committed adultery with her already in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye is a hindrance to you, pluck it out and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna. ³⁰ And if your right hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna. ³¹ It used to be said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce-certificate. ³² But I tell you, anyone who divorces his wife for any reason except unchastity makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ³³ Once again, you have heard how the men of old were told, 'You must not forswear yourself but discharge your vows to the Lord'. ³⁴ But I tell you, you must not swear any oath, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵ nor by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; ³⁶ nor shall you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply 'yes' or 'no'; whatever exceeds that springs from evil. ³⁸ You have heard the saying, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ³⁹ But I tell you, you are not to resist an injury: whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well; ⁴⁰ whoever wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well; ⁴¹ whoever forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him; ⁴² give to the man who begs from you, and turn not away from him who wants to borrow. ⁴³ You have heard the saying, 'You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you get for that? do not the very taxgatherers do as much? ⁴⁷ and if you only salute your friends, what is special about that? do not the very pagans do as much? ⁴⁸ You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

⁹ Anyone who is 'advanced' and will not remain by the doctrine of Christ, does not possess God: he who remains by the doctrine of Christ possesses both the Father and the Son.

⁴⁶ Why call me, 'Lord, Lord!' and obey me not?

¹⁵ If you love me you will keep my commands,

¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ² "The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses; ³ so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act. ⁴ They make up heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not stir a finger to remove them.

²³ Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised — without omit ting the former. ²⁴ Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! ²⁵ Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. ²⁷ Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. ²⁸ So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²¹ I do not annul God's grace; but if righteousness comes by way of the Law, then indeed Christ's death was useless.

²⁸ We hold a man is justified by faith apart from deeds of the Law altogether.

¹⁰ Whereas a curse rests on all who rely upon obedience to the Law; for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not hold by all that is written in the book of the law, to perform it. ¹¹ And because no one is justified on the score of the Law before God (plainly, the just shall live by faith, — ¹² and the Law is not based on faith: no, he who performs these things shall live by them), ¹³ Christ ransomed us from the curse of the Law by becoming accursed for us (for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a gibbet), ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might reach the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promised Spirit.

²⁸ Then they asked him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" ²⁹ Jesus replied to them, "This is the work of God, to believe in him whom God has sent."

¹⁶ but since we know a man is justified simply by faith in Jesus Christ and not by doing what the Law commands, we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus so as to get justified by faith in Christ and not by doing what the Law commands — for by doing what the Law commands no person shall be justified.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, as you had faith; it is not your doing but God's gift, ⁹ not the outcome of what you have done — lest anyone should pride himself on that;