Evangelical Protestants say that keeping the Ten Commandments is wrong

Some people get really animated and upset when I say that Protestants believe it is wrong to keep the Commandments.  But it is true.  Here are some examples.

This is an excerpt from an article, by Matt Slick.  If you haven’t heard of him, he’s a very influential Evangelical Protestant.  

What is legalism?

by Matt Slick

In Christianity, legalism is the excessive and improper use of the law (10 commandments, holiness laws, etc.,). This legalism can take different forms. The first is where a person attempts to keep the Law in order to attain salvation. The second is where a person keeps the law in order to maintain his salvation. The third is when a Christian judges other Christians for not keeping certain codes of conduct that he thinks need to be observed. Let’s examine each one more closely.

The first kind of legalism is where the law of God is kept in order to attain salvation. This is a heresy, a completely false doctrine….

1.  Notice that he equates the Law with the Ten Commandments.

2.  He considers it “excessive and improper” to keep the Commandments to be saved or to stay in a state of grace (i.e. maintain salvation).

3.  He considers it “heresy” to do so.

Ok, that’s Matt Slick.  A lot of people hate him.  Even other Evangelicals.  Let’s try this guy, Steve Reynolds.  I never actually heard of him.  But he writes for a group that’s got a slick webpage at “Christianity Without the Religion/Plain Truth Ministries”.  They even seem to have a radio program.  Here’s an excerpt from his article.

Confessions of a Recovering Legalist

by Steve Reynolds

Legalists often place a high premium on commandment keeping and obedience.1 They are extremely zealous for God’s law. The standard that they bear is the Ten Commandments, and they are diligent to point out every misstep in the lives of people they come in contact with. They can also be very diligent in pointing out their own missteps as well. As a result, they can carry around an extraordinary amount of self-imposed guilt. I know. I am a recovering legalist.

Legalism is a Christian heresy…..

That tracks really closely with Matt Slick’s article.   What do you think?

These are just two Evangelicals.  But they represent the thoughts of a large segment of that group of Protestants.