Keeping of the Law and Legalism

Is keeping the Law legalism? Many theologians use the letter to the Galatians to reinforce their interpretation about the abolition of the Law. They say that to keep the Law (or Moses’ law) is legalism even if they are just referring to the moral commands. We should ask ourselves if legalism is when a person is justified by faith and then starts to keep the Law, whether ceremonial or moral?1 Isn’t that what Paul is fighting against in Galatians? Contrary to many opinions, I must say that this is not legalism. Paul is not writing against that. If that is legalism, then the Lord has established it, because He has commanded Israel to receive salvation by faith and He gave them the Law to observe. (see Ps 119:4) The heresy in Galatia was not heresy because the false teacher had taught the believers to keep the Law, but because they taught that justification comes by the Law and not by faith.2 We must understand that the problem is not in the keeping of the Law. The fundamental problem in the Bible is breaking the Law, not keeping it. The major problem also lies in the wrong use of the Law and that is legalism. (From Law and Grace: Antinomianism Refuted - Case Closed)