Bible verses about "legalism" | Riverside

²⁰ For I say to you that, unless your righteousness far exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²¹ "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'Thou shalt not commit murder. Whoever commits murder shall answer for it to the court.' ²² But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall answer for it to the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raca' [empty-head], shall answer for it to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool' shall answer for it in the Gehenna of fire. ²³ So then if you are bringing your gift to lay on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Get on good terms with your adversary quickly while you are on the road with him, for fear that he may deliver you to the judge and the judge may deliver you to the officer and you may be cast into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you you will not come out until you pay the last penny." ²⁷ "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' ²⁸ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman with lustful thoughts has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye is a snare to you, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members should be lost and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna. ³⁰ And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you that one of your members should be lost and not your whole body go into Gehenna. ³¹ "It was said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' ³² But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, unless for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ³³ "Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'Thou shalt not swear falsely, but shalt perform to the Lord thine oaths.' ³⁴ But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is God's throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, because it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King; ³⁶ nor must you swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your yes be yes and your no be no. Whatever is more than these is from evil. ³⁸ "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹ But I tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him also the other; ⁴⁰ and if any one is determined to sue you for your tunic, let him have your cloak too; ⁴¹ and if any one commandeers you for a mile, go with him two. ⁴² To him who begs, give; from him who wishes to borrow of you, do not turn away. ⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise upon the bad and the good, and sends rain upon the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not also the tax collectors do the same thing? ⁴⁷ And if you salute your brothers only, what superiority have you? Do not the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

⁹ Every one who goes forward and does not remain in the teaching of Christ is without God. He who remains in the teaching, he has the Father and the Son.

⁴⁶ "Why do you call me: 'Master, Master,' and yet not do what I say?

¹⁵ "If you love me, you will keep my commands,

¹ THEN Jesus addressed the crowd and his disciples. ² He said, "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves on Moses' seat. ³ So whatever they tell you, do and observe, but do not do as they do. For they say and do not. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

²³ "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithes of mint, dill, and carraway and have disregarded the weightier matters of the law — justice and kindness and good faith. These you should have practiced, without neglecting those other things. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and drink down a camel! ²⁵ Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full through greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisees, cleanse first the inside of your cup so that the outside of it may become clean also. ²⁷ Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs which outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of uncleanness. ²⁸ So you, too, outwardly appear to men to be righteous, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²¹ I do not make nothing of the grace of God, for if righteousness is through law, then Christ died for nothing.

²⁸ For we reason that a man is pronounced righteous by faith aside from works of law.

¹⁰ For all who are of the works of law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is every one who does not abide by all the precepts of the book of the Law and do them." ¹¹ But that by law no one is declared righteous before God is plain, because, "He who is righteous by faith shall live." ¹² But the Law is not of faith, but "He who does these things shall live by them." ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for our sake, for it is written, "Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree," ¹⁴ in order that the blessing of Abraham might in Jesus Christ come on the Gentiles, that they might receive through faith the promise of the Spirit.

²⁸ They said to him, "What are we to do to work the works of God?" ²⁹ Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, to believe in him whom he has sent."

¹⁶ knowing that a man is not declared righteous because of works of law, but through faith in Christ Jesus, we also have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be declared righteous because of faith in Christ, and not because of works of law, for because of works of law no human being will be declared righteous.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, that no one may boast.