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Obedience and Legalism: What does it mean to be legalistic?
GotQuestions and countless other go-to Christian Q&A websites have plenty to say--but what, from your perspective (informed by the Scriptures), is legalism?
One might be called a legalist for taking an uncompromisingly firm stance on a certain doctrinal or moral issue with which others may disagree based on divergent biblical interpretations, or because of insisting on baptism as necessary for salvation, strict Sabbath observance, tithing, etc. Maybe you've been called a "legalist" before, or you have called someone else a "legalist." Some contend that certain denominations are "legalistic?"
- What is legalism, and what is not legalism?
- Where and how do we draw the line between obedience (a good thing) and legalism (a bad thing)?
- How would I know if I am a legalist? How can I avoid it?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Colby,
My response to your three questions can be viewed in the following:
Legalism works in order to acquire or retain. We are called to obedience that is driven by love. Legalism is motivated by fear at times and other times by the desire to gain or receive something for performance. Obedience seeks to please God and to bring glory to His name. Legalist view acceptance as performance based rather than grace based. We must ask ourselves why we do what we do in light of what I have said above IMO. Our motivation, the driving factor, will reveal if we are a legalist or simply in love with Jesus desiring to please Him.
1Jn 2:3-6 NIV84 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. (4) The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (5) But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: (6) Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Permalink Reply by Colby on
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Thank you for succinctly comparing and contrasting obedience and legalism. The passage you shared from First John links our obedience to God's commandments in our love of God. Others writing on this question follow the same line of thought.
- Blogger Darren Schalk writes: "Laws without love = Legalism. If we ever place laws above love, we become legalistic."
- In a blog titled, "Legalism or Love?," Trillia Newbell writes: "Our salvation isn’t ultimately about us, but about God. God does the work, and he receives the glory. A legalist wants to do the work, earn the favor, and I don’t believe it’s a stretch to say, get the glory."
- "Every tree is known by its fruit (Luke 6:44)," writes Josh Moran, "and in due time legalism will rear its ugly head if we believe our personal holiness is of greater value than the love, grace, mercy and righteousness of Christ."
- "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:2-3, NIV).
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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I have been religious. I was under legalistic teachings and beliefs for many years but thought it was very biblical and what God required.
God has been giving me enlightenment in some areas concerning grace.
1) Legalism is an extreme.
2) License to sin is an extreme.
3) We are freed from sin's mastery but enslaved to God.
4) If we choose the path of disobedience, we abuse God's grace and there are consequences, such as loss of fellowship with God, no blessings, guilty conscience, no spiritual growth, injured testimony
5) Even though I still sin and am unable to completely stop sinning permanently, God says I'm righteous.
6) Healthy spirituality doesn't involve shame.
7) We aren't to flaunt liberty because that might sabotage others and hurt the work of God (Romans 14:20).
The parts I still struggle with is wanting others to let me be me but knowing their acceptance of me is conditional. I've allowed others to violate my conscience. I've looked to others for approval when I should only seek God's favor.
In the book, the Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll, he describes some missionaries who experienced legalism over peanut butter. Have you read it? I've encountered it several times, and one example was simply over my choice to wear a cross necklace to church. After what was said that Sunday (not to me personally but by an elder in front of the whole church during the call to worship) about lack of respect for the cross of Christ and wearing it around the neck, I felt very ashamed, but the one I was wearing was pretty large and very noticeable. Maybe it was too much. I've always liked jewelry.
Legalism can show up in many ways, and one way is when someone's preferences are being forced upon another, such as eating, drinking, music, etc ... We have freedom in Christ but as I said in # 7, we must be careful about flaunting it. At the same time, legalism is bondage.
I am following God's grace down the path of healing and trusting in Him to finish the work and not depending on myself to be good enough. I have learned that the righteousness I have is His righteousness and I'm to walk in it but I have no righteousness of my own, and my heart breaks for all those in legalism every time I am around them. I used to feel condemned by them when I would see a member of my former church at the store or somewhere out, and I would view them as judge over me, because it has mattered so much to me what others think of me, and I still battle that a lot, but then someone told me, "Why does it matter what they think? You ought to rather feel sad for them for they are enslaved by legalism." Then I went from feeling inferior when around them to feeling sorrow for them for they are probably struggling just as much as I have struggled beneath that heavy, heavy burden.
But I will say that what some label as legalism isn't legalism -- wanting to walk in the holiness and righteousness that we have in Christ is not legalism. I always knew I was saved by grace through faith but I thought thereafter that I had to work to stay saved :(
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"Legalism is bondage. ... We have freedom in Christ (but we are not to flaunt it). ... Wanting to walk in the holiness and righteousness that we have in Christ is not legalism." Nicely said. Your insight is particularly illuminating because you have had firsthand experience with a church that embraces legalism. I appreciate your frankness, depth and clarity in addressing the questions posted.
I haven't read "Grace Awakening" by Chuck Swindoll yet, but I've listened to many of his sermons, and your mention of it caused to me search out several reviews. It looks like a good read. A plug says, "'Grace Awakening' calls all Christians to wake up and reject living in such legalistic, performance-oriented bondage."
Thanks again for weighing in on this topic."The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand" (Romans 14:3-4, NIV).
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Eyes Wide Open - Genesis 3
This message is a little long, but I think it speaks to this topic, at least in part.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6, NIV).
Lengthy yes, but on point and loaded with scriptural references!
In Genesis 3, do we see the beginnings of legalism? Did Eve add to God's words in Gen 3:2-3? Do you agree with this statement by Sammy Rhodes?
- "Satan is a legalist. If you read Genesis 3 carefully you’ll see what I mean. Do you remember how the conversation went in the garden? Let’s boil it down like this: if you obey God you will miss out. The logic is basically that God’s commandments are arbitrary and life killing. This is a lie you and I still wrestle with believing. If we obey God we will miss out. Conversely this means I obey God to get stuff. It’s like my children who will immediately obey me at the promise of a dum dum pop. It’s not me they love; it’s the dum dum pops. This is what C.S .Lewis meant when he said our desires are not too strong but too weak because we settle for so much less than what God made us for: himself. Satan makes me think one of two things: if I obey God I will miss out or I obey God to get stuff. The gospel cures me of both. " (Click here to read more)
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Colby,
After reading this a couple of times I would say that I get what the message is and for the most part agree, but think it is mislabeled. It appears to be more in line with liberal thinking that allows the alteration of Scripture so that one can get and or do what they want by removing the constraints. Satan, as we understand, wanted to be (like) God. He could never obtain a position of deity by legalistically following God and His Word. Thus, there would have to be an alteration of Scripture and redefining of certain things to make an attempt plausible, at least in one's own mind.
From the audio message I think that we get into trouble by following the process of "Challenge - Rationalize - Adjust - Act." Some times the process is slow and at other times quite accelerated.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Thank you, LT. You have helped clarify in my mind what this writer was saying or intending to be understood to say and whether or not it lines up with Scripture. In particular, I was trying to wrap my head around his opening comment that "Satan is a legalist."
Feel free to elaborate (if time permits) on the process of "Challenge - Rationalize - Adjust - Act."
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Colby,
The basics would be:
Challenge: I don't like what the Word says.
Rationalize: Explain why what I believe is acceptable and right and thus the Word must either be in error or misunderstood.
Adjust: Tweak the Word just enough by adjusting the meaning or using some various verses out of context to attempt to proof text one's position.
Act: Act upon your altered view as if it were God's view all along.
Example:
Challenge: God would not ever send anyone to hell.
Rationalize: God is a God of love. Sending someone to hell does not appear to be loving and since God is a God of love He must not send people to hell.
Adjust: God is a loving God and wants everyone to be saved and thus because He is loving all will be saved, or lost only because they reject Him.
Act: People only go to hell because it is their fault for not accepting Jesus, because a loving God wouldn't do that.
Picking this strawman I built apart :-)
Challenge: God does send people to hell. Matthew 7 is one example. When Jesus says depart from me you evil doers He is not telling them to go and play in the park. The Bible teaches that the unsaved are judged under the law and we know that there is the white throne judgment looming.
Rationalize: The Bible does not say that God is simply a God of love, but that He is love. The Bible also says He is holy, just and righteous. God showed how much He hates sin by sending His Son to die on the cross to bear our burden (Rom. 5:8). What loving father would send his son to be executed if love was the only driving factor .... justice had to be satisfied, love alone would not do it.
Adjust: People assume that people are only lost because they reject Jesus. This is absolutely backwards thinking and does not align with God's Word. We are born with sinful natures and a default position before God ... lost and destined to hell. The only way to change the default position is to be born again and thus become a child of God. The Hymn Amazing Grace states it nicely ... I once was lost, but now I am found. Was blind, but now I see.
Act: They (some) teach that people only go to hell because they reject Jesus, not because God judged sin and sinful man stands condemned by God facing eternity separated from Him with only one hope.
Subtle change, but a change none-the-less IMO.
Lord Bless,
LT
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LT,
Thanks for your explanation of this flawed logic or thought process: Challenge, Rationalize, Adjust, Act.
Now that you've described it and used it in an example, it's familiar to me and I'm sure to most people reading your response. We've seen it used countless times by persons to explain away or contradict clear biblical teachings and admonitions with which they disagree and can't accept.
It's a form of biblical interpretation known as isegesis. Reading the Bible but imposing our personal values, prejudices, and presuppositions on the text rather than seeking to be informed by what the Bible says (exegesis) and adjusting our thinking and behavior accordingly. A kind of interpretive gymnastics where we end up twisting verses we don't like and can't ignore into pretzels. Some call it "cafeteria" Christianity where people are free to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they choose to believe and which of God's commandments they choose to follow.Thanks again for taking the time to share this with us!
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Colvy,
The term “legalistic” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Current English as “adhering excessively to a law or formula. Legalism tends to involve dependance upon a practice to acquire or retain salvation when only Grace can do that.
It is important to realize that in today's church culture the word is often misapplied to those who have a passion for biblical purity.
An example of legalism:
Luke 18:9-14 “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'”
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