Unmasking Legalism
In a land of many rituals, customs, superstitious beliefs and blind traditional practices, even many believers of the Lord Jesus are strongly influenced by several misguided beliefs and practices that are prevalent in our culture inorder to gain spirituality.
Legalism defined/ explained:
This is a world view that suggests, ‘I must earn God’s acceptance’, God is a hard task master who will take me to task if I fall short’, ‘I am not worthy’, living with doubts and fears about losing salvation, somehow trying hard to find favor with God through performance and good works. One of the biggest struggles we face in our pursuit to true spirituality in Christian life is to constantly overcome false legalistic religiosity.
Paul Travis, co-author with Neil T Anderson defines Christian legalism as “seeking to attain, gain, or maintain acceptance with God, or achieve spiritual growth, through keeping a written or unwritten code or standard of performance”
· It results in a life lived in the energy of the flesh rather than in the power of the Spirit, assuming that the burden of responsibility is primarily on our behavior rather than on God’s enabling and empowering grace.
· It is to say “try harder” than trusting His finished work on the cross.
· Legalism clings to keeping the law at the expense of grace.
· It is an enforcement of man-made list of do’s and don’ts, with an emphasis on external human behavior.
This falsehood of legalism was present even during the time of Christ. We find Jesus constantly challenging the Pharisees and the teachers of the law of their hypocritical legalistic attitude and spirituality, also Apostle Paul takes on that mantle to sharply refute any such thing in the Church.
Galatians 2:4, 5 - This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
1. Earning Salvation:
Judaizers insisted that gentile converts to Christ must also circumcise. They brought confusion in the church at Galatia and Apostle Paul raises strong objections to it and explains to them that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. He exhorted them to stand firm and not to let them be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
For salvation is by grace through faith alone and not by keeping the law also. If you add or insist on anything else to faith on the finished work of Jesus on the cross, it is legalism.
Ephesians 2: 8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are not saved by works, but saved to do good works.
At the same time, it would be dangerous to exclude the law of the Spirit that bears fruit in good works; such a ‘grace’ would result in lawlessness. A believer cannot take the grace of God for granted irresponsibly.
Ex: Woman caught in the act of adultery – John 8 – Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”
Now, in our context…some examples of legalism:
- Jewelry removal - Compulsory removal of jewelry before baptism
- Name change - Forcing new converts to change their name
- Quit family, friends - Compelling people who commit their lives to Christ to renounce their relationship with unsaved family members or even to leave the family (using scriptures like, 1 Cor 6:14 - do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers & 6:17 – come out from them and be separate).
- Pay the price – Any association with unbelievers would be considered as an unclean/unholy alliance. It is a religion of literal hatred of all other peoples for the sake of following Jesus. It is the mis-interpretation of the cost of discipleship that Jesus taught. Jesus never made himself or his followers exclusive, but he associated himself tax collectors and prostitutes. He was called the friend of sinners. (Peter explains his new understanding – extends grace & truth at the house of Cornelius – Acts 10:28).
- Satisfactory change - Baptism is administered only after the candidate to be baptized proves himself to be saved by a visible change of conduct to the satisfaction of the one who is going to baptize, or by enforcing requirements of attending church services regularly for 6 months.
There is nothing that we can ‘do’ to earn our salvation. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. We are made righteous by faith on the redemptive work of Jesus which is complete. It is a free gift from God. It is costly, yet not cheap. We cannot deny the fact that we are redeemed to do good works – live out the righteousness of Christ.
2. Emphasis on the external - human standards
This is a performance based Christianity. The emphasis is much on external holiness that are set by human standards rather than on the basic principles of Christ. Often salvation is appropriated purely by grace through faith but for sanctification and spiritual growth the focus is shifted to a tiresome human self effort that is burdensome.
Galatians 3:3 says, Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Colossians 2:8 -See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Apostle Paul is exhorting the Church at Colosse to live by the basic principles of Christ, the didache, that are the teachings that Jesus taught his disciples. It is summed up in the two greatest commandments, Love God and love one another. But some have added many human standards and have imposed it on the Church. Any good spiritual discipline that is not born out of an intimacy with Christ and a true love relationship with God is legalistic in nature.
Colossians 2:18-23 - Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
In our context…examples of legalism:
· A rule vs. principles – do’s and don’ts – Rigid rules and strict standards of human traditions based on the basic principles of the world is equated to higher standard of holiness or growth in sanctification. Romans 6:22 teaches us that since we have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Ex: Removal of jewelry, wearing white clothing as a mark of holiness, black clothes referred as something demonic, refraining from watching TV etc…
· Glorifying ascetic lifestyle & mystical experiences – Asceticism is a severe self-discipline and avoiding of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons. Ex: Living in spiritual isolation. They say, “we are different, they are different”
Mysticism is the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience. Ex: A person tries to aim for extra biblical insight and revelatory knowledge. The unspiritual mind gets puffed up.
· Pressure to prove – Legalism portrays God to be a tough task-master, who will call to account for everything said and done. The person lives with the pressure to try hard and prove with a sense of unworthiness and defeat. It is a miserable state of inadequacy and endless attempts to live a holy life. Ex: A believer who struggles in sin, tries hard to be holy, fails mid-week, repents over weekends and repeats the same. He sings the loudest, claps the hardest, prays the longest yet feels defeated.
· Joyless holiness – Restrictions, rules and regulations steal away the joy that comes out of knowing our position in Christ. John 1:12 says, yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Holy living that is based on that relationship will produce joy since there is no pressure to perform. Ex: Exaltation of poverty and frugal living, shouldn’t live life normally like other people.
· Obsession with the trivial – majoring on the minor – Matthew 23: 23, 24 – Jesus talks to the Pharisees about meticulously tithing spices but they have neglected more important matters of the law like justice, mercy and faithfulness. The matters of the heart, intentions, and motives were overlooked. Ex: A sincere believer that does not wear white cannot teach children in Sunday school but a bribe can be given to build the church building with deviation.
· Personal convictions vs. doctrines – Personal experiences and convictions, commitments, vows made to God, different ways God dealt with an individual do not become normative or doctrinal statements for all people. Ex: Refraining from medication and trusting God for healing can be a personal commitment, but when preached for others to follow become legalism.
3. Consequences of legalism:
We cannot connect with God on a level of performance based relationship. External human traditions and standards are unbiblical and it is not the prescribed way for sanctification, yet there is a human responsibility in living out a righteous life through God’s enabling grace. True grace does not imply lawlessness but the law of the Spirit operates in grace, bearing the fruit of good works in the life of a believer. Legalistic Christianity insists on serving and pleasing God out of guilt and obligation rather than from a heart full of joy and gratitude. Legalism is a killer, grace is a healer!
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Legalism defined/ explained:
This is a world view that suggests, ‘I must earn God’s acceptance’, God is a hard task master who will take me to task if I fall short’, ‘I am not worthy’, living with doubts and fears about losing salvation, somehow trying hard to find favor with God through performance and good works. One of the biggest struggles we face in our pursuit to true spirituality in Christian life is to constantly overcome false legalistic religiosity.
Paul Travis, co-author with Neil T Anderson defines Christian legalism as “seeking to attain, gain, or maintain acceptance with God, or achieve spiritual growth, through keeping a written or unwritten code or standard of performance”
· It results in a life lived in the energy of the flesh rather than in the power of the Spirit, assuming that the burden of responsibility is primarily on our behavior rather than on God’s enabling and empowering grace.
· It is to say “try harder” than trusting His finished work on the cross.
· Legalism clings to keeping the law at the expense of grace.
· It is an enforcement of man-made list of do’s and don’ts, with an emphasis on external human behavior.
This falsehood of legalism was present even during the time of Christ. We find Jesus constantly challenging the Pharisees and the teachers of the law of their hypocritical legalistic attitude and spirituality, also Apostle Paul takes on that mantle to sharply refute any such thing in the Church.
Galatians 2:4, 5 - This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
1. Earning Salvation:
Judaizers insisted that gentile converts to Christ must also circumcise. They brought confusion in the church at Galatia and Apostle Paul raises strong objections to it and explains to them that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. He exhorted them to stand firm and not to let them be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
For salvation is by grace through faith alone and not by keeping the law also. If you add or insist on anything else to faith on the finished work of Jesus on the cross, it is legalism.
Ephesians 2: 8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are not saved by works, but saved to do good works.
At the same time, it would be dangerous to exclude the law of the Spirit that bears fruit in good works; such a ‘grace’ would result in lawlessness. A believer cannot take the grace of God for granted irresponsibly.
Ex: Woman caught in the act of adultery – John 8 – Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”
Now, in our context…some examples of legalism:
- Jewelry removal - Compulsory removal of jewelry before baptism
- Name change - Forcing new converts to change their name
- Quit family, friends - Compelling people who commit their lives to Christ to renounce their relationship with unsaved family members or even to leave the family (using scriptures like, 1 Cor 6:14 - do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers & 6:17 – come out from them and be separate).
- Pay the price – Any association with unbelievers would be considered as an unclean/unholy alliance. It is a religion of literal hatred of all other peoples for the sake of following Jesus. It is the mis-interpretation of the cost of discipleship that Jesus taught. Jesus never made himself or his followers exclusive, but he associated himself tax collectors and prostitutes. He was called the friend of sinners. (Peter explains his new understanding – extends grace & truth at the house of Cornelius – Acts 10:28).
- Satisfactory change - Baptism is administered only after the candidate to be baptized proves himself to be saved by a visible change of conduct to the satisfaction of the one who is going to baptize, or by enforcing requirements of attending church services regularly for 6 months.
There is nothing that we can ‘do’ to earn our salvation. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. We are made righteous by faith on the redemptive work of Jesus which is complete. It is a free gift from God. It is costly, yet not cheap. We cannot deny the fact that we are redeemed to do good works – live out the righteousness of Christ.
2. Emphasis on the external - human standards
This is a performance based Christianity. The emphasis is much on external holiness that are set by human standards rather than on the basic principles of Christ. Often salvation is appropriated purely by grace through faith but for sanctification and spiritual growth the focus is shifted to a tiresome human self effort that is burdensome.
Galatians 3:3 says, Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Colossians 2:8 -See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Apostle Paul is exhorting the Church at Colosse to live by the basic principles of Christ, the didache, that are the teachings that Jesus taught his disciples. It is summed up in the two greatest commandments, Love God and love one another. But some have added many human standards and have imposed it on the Church. Any good spiritual discipline that is not born out of an intimacy with Christ and a true love relationship with God is legalistic in nature.
Colossians 2:18-23 - Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
In our context…examples of legalism:
· A rule vs. principles – do’s and don’ts – Rigid rules and strict standards of human traditions based on the basic principles of the world is equated to higher standard of holiness or growth in sanctification. Romans 6:22 teaches us that since we have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Ex: Removal of jewelry, wearing white clothing as a mark of holiness, black clothes referred as something demonic, refraining from watching TV etc…
· Glorifying ascetic lifestyle & mystical experiences – Asceticism is a severe self-discipline and avoiding of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons. Ex: Living in spiritual isolation. They say, “we are different, they are different”
Mysticism is the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience. Ex: A person tries to aim for extra biblical insight and revelatory knowledge. The unspiritual mind gets puffed up.
· Pressure to prove – Legalism portrays God to be a tough task-master, who will call to account for everything said and done. The person lives with the pressure to try hard and prove with a sense of unworthiness and defeat. It is a miserable state of inadequacy and endless attempts to live a holy life. Ex: A believer who struggles in sin, tries hard to be holy, fails mid-week, repents over weekends and repeats the same. He sings the loudest, claps the hardest, prays the longest yet feels defeated.
· Joyless holiness – Restrictions, rules and regulations steal away the joy that comes out of knowing our position in Christ. John 1:12 says, yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Holy living that is based on that relationship will produce joy since there is no pressure to perform. Ex: Exaltation of poverty and frugal living, shouldn’t live life normally like other people.
· Obsession with the trivial – majoring on the minor – Matthew 23: 23, 24 – Jesus talks to the Pharisees about meticulously tithing spices but they have neglected more important matters of the law like justice, mercy and faithfulness. The matters of the heart, intentions, and motives were overlooked. Ex: A sincere believer that does not wear white cannot teach children in Sunday school but a bribe can be given to build the church building with deviation.
· Personal convictions vs. doctrines – Personal experiences and convictions, commitments, vows made to God, different ways God dealt with an individual do not become normative or doctrinal statements for all people. Ex: Refraining from medication and trusting God for healing can be a personal commitment, but when preached for others to follow become legalism.
3. Consequences of legalism:
- It has made many have bitter experiences of God and church
- It has separated the true loving relationship that God intended to have with them
- It has led many to rebellion and presumptuous sin because of their inability to either perform or pretend
- It leaves people in guilt and shame, sometimes a permanent irreversible damage
- it turns down new believers and hinders the unsaved from entering the kingdom of God.
We cannot connect with God on a level of performance based relationship. External human traditions and standards are unbiblical and it is not the prescribed way for sanctification, yet there is a human responsibility in living out a righteous life through God’s enabling grace. True grace does not imply lawlessness but the law of the Spirit operates in grace, bearing the fruit of good works in the life of a believer. Legalistic Christianity insists on serving and pleasing God out of guilt and obligation rather than from a heart full of joy and gratitude. Legalism is a killer, grace is a healer!
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| Pastor Rajiv Hubert, House of David ACA, Chennai |
Thanks Pastor Rajiv for the timely reminder. Particularly as we are looking at false teachings. Grace and law need need to be held together. Pastor John R A Simeon
ReplyDeleteLegalism very well explained..excellent article..at the end of the article, i was shocked and surprised to see that its an ACA church pastor..recently met a passionate church member of ACA chennai purasaivakkam, who couldnt accept that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ alone..he was very religious and believes in prayer(for blessings), but no true relationship with Jesus..he got angry when i told him that a christian is someone who accepts the gospel as it is...
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