Bright Wings

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with Ah! Bright Wings.

November 02, 2009

The Great Dangers of Legalism

We defined legalism in two ways as we looked at Jesus’ great lament and rebuke of the Pharisees and Scribes in Luke 11. We do well to define what exactly legalism is because we live in a different sort of culture than the culture Jesus was dealing with during his earthly ministry. Jesus was dealing with a primarily ‘legalistic’ culture while we live in what might be described as a primarily ‘antinomian’ or licentious culture. In an antinomian culture any obedience or any attempt at spiritual discipline might be characterized as legalism. Not so. We are called to holiness as Christians. We are called to obedience. This is not legalism. Christian obedience is the work of the Spirit and by the power of God, exercised in our lives. Christian obedience does not precede grace, it proceeds from it.

Legalism might first be understood as using genuinely biblical standards of conduct to please God or merit salvation. The legalist says that we are pleasing to God by obedience to the Law. Further, the crass legalist says that obedience to the Law merits salvation. The bible says we are pleasing to God by His grace through faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Heb. 11:6) Further, the Apostle Paul says this in response to the idea that his righteousness as a legalistic Pharisee might gain standing with God, “...for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” (Phil. 3:8-9)

Secondly, legalism is establishing rules and regulations, codes of conduct, etc. that go beyond the explicit teaching of Scripture. Often they are used as a means of entrance or rejection from the church or a family of believers. These standards have the appearance of wisdom and practicality yet they are ultimately destructive for a variety of reasons. It is dangerous to go one better than God. What begins as an attempt to honor the righteousness of God quickly becomes an affront to his grace and a tyranny in the lives of others.

I talked about some of the great dangers of legalism as we looked at Luke 11. There are probably a thousand dangers- here I can discuss at least eight of them.

1. Legalism is contrary to the gospel of grace. Paul calls it ‘another gospel’ a false gospel, and so under a curse. “It is by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God, not by works that any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

2. Legalism is a ‘covert’ sprituality - enticing, seeming righteous, holy- yet, it is deadly. Paul says this in his letter to the Colossians, “Why…do you submit to regulations, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch’ according to human precepts and teachings? These indeed have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col. 2:20-23).  Alchoholics, drug dealers, prostitutes, fornicators, are often easy to pick out of a Sunday morning line up. But, the legalist will pass as a first rate worshipper. Yet, he worships at the same altar of every other sinner - the altar of the flesh, sin, and self.

3. Legalism circumvents discernment and biblical wisdom. You don’t have to wrestle with what God has said in His Word, how it should be applied in your context, you simply obey the code of conduct and move on. This looks like righteousness, but it misses the heart work that God wishes to do in the heart of the believer by His Spirit and His Word.

4. Legalism creates a cycle of death - legalism in one generation begets licentiousness in the next, and on and on. The only antidote to this poisonous cycle is grace through faith.

5. Legalism is manward - and so it is arbitrary and tyrranical. If we throw out God’s word as our standard, we are left with our own arbitrary codes and standards. In a community of legalists- it is amazing to see how some standards of righteousness are enforced and others are oddly overlooked.

6. Legalism is at it’s core no different than licentiousness. Both the legalist and libertine suffer under the same idolatrous delusion. They are both religions of self-reliance and self- assurance.

7. Legalism leads to death. Because it is a denial of the gospel- salvation by grace through faith - it is eternally damning. 

What would happen if believers attacked their legalism they way they adore their arbitrary codes of self reliant ‘holiness’? Do we recognize what is at stake with the false gospel and great heresy of legalism? Where does it creep in to your life? Where does it creep in to our community?

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how it is we can fight legalism and it’s attendant curses while pursuing holiness and spiritual disciplines before God.

Tags: Spiritual Disciplines

posted by Erik Braun