11 Oct Definition of Biblical Legalism
What I see as the most tragic consequence of legalism is that churches and individuals do not fulfill God`s purpose. There is an external expression, but no inner change. Our hearts are not turned to God and His will for our lives. Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham, says, “Legalism says that God will love us if we change. The gospel says that God will change us because He loves us. God will change our hearts and those of others. We cannot impose our rules and expect the heart to turn to God. It is important to distinguish this type of legalism from the one mentioned above. Many Christians are quick to add man-made rules to their faith, although far fewer think they must keep them to be saved. This means that a person can reject the legalism of salvation, but can still adhere to the legalism of rules. Paul was also very aware of this form of legalism. In Romans 14, he wanted to make sure that Christians did not judge each other on “contentious issues.” Some Christians ate meat, others did not (verse 2). Some Christians followed some holy days, others did not (verse 5).
Some Christians drank wine, others did not (verse 21). As a Christian, have you ever been accused of legalism? This word is often wrongly conveyed in the Christian subculture. For example, some people might call John a legalist because they consider him narrow-minded. But the term legalism does not refer to narrow-mindedness. In reality, legalism manifests itself in many subtle ways. In Christianity, the term “legalism” refers to (1) the need for works for salvation, which is the opposite of sola fide – faith alone. (2) Emphasize a system of rules and regulations to achieve spiritual growth. This is derived from the legal system of commandments, ordinances, and regulations contained in the Mosaic Law. Their “gospel of legalism” was very popular because human nature loves to achieve religious goals rather than simply trusting Christ and letting the Holy Spirit work. It is much easier to measure “religion” than true justice. –Be encouraged (2nd Corinthians): God can turn your trials into triumphs (Commentary on the BE series) by Warren W.
Wiersbe Well, he got angry because he was not prepared for such an answer. The problem was not the day he (and other Seventh-day Adventists) celebrated the Sabbath, but demanded that it be only Saturday. Unfortunately, the SDAs and others are burdened with this kind of legalism, but for the most part, it is harmless NOT to rely on the practice of good works that deserve its salvation or justification. Mark Ballenger writes, “The way to avoid legalism in Christianity is to have good deeds with good motivations, to obey God`s law out of relational love for Him.” To change the way we think, we need to ask ourselves the tough questions. What are our motivations? What does God say about this? Is this in accordance with God`s law? If we examine our hearts, we will all discover that legalism is our concern. No one is immune. Every day will be an opportunity to repent and turn away from our evil ways and thus shape our personal path of faith. Well, this leads us to a meaning derived, I think, from legalism, which is perhaps even more common: it is the mind and life that flow from a failure to be humiliated, broken, amazed, and satisfied by God`s grace in Christ.
There are all kinds of attitudes, right-wing – pride, demand, lack of mercy, lack of compassion, wickedness, impatience – and these have their roots, right, in a heart that is not stunned by grace, not broken and humiliated by grace, not joyfully filled with grace? This creates a legal spirit. To avoid legalism, there must be a balance. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Do not look at his appearance or stature, for I have rejected him. People do not see what the Lord sees, for people see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart. James 2:18 tells us that faith died without works. Our works must reflect our hearts` desire to worship Christ. Without balance, we can create a vain way of thinking. The term “legalism” generally refers to the concern for form at the expense of substance. Although it is now used metaphorically in all areas of human life, it seems to have had a theological origin in the seventeenth century, when Edward Fisher used it to “designate someone who brings the law in the case of justification” (The Marrow of Modern Divinity, 1645). In biblical languages, there was no corresponding term. However, the idea can be found in both wills.
What Sproul calls “the most common and deadly form of legalism” is when we “add our own rules to God`s law and treat them as divine.” Jesus rebuked the Pharisees at this point, saying, “You teach human traditions as if they were the Word of God. We do not have the right to impose restrictions on people where He has no explicit restriction. So what we want, what I want in my life, is not just to be free from principled legalism — you know, a theological legalism that says you go to heaven, or that you love God, or that you gain His favor by keeping the law. I want to have a gracious mind, a spirit of the gospel, not a legal mind that comes from a failure to be amazed to have been saved by grace. This makes things a little trickier. If the Bible uses a word as love, you can go to a particular text and say, “What does love mean there?” But the Bible has no word for legalism, so we can`t go to a certain place and say, “That`s it.” Legalism is formed “where one treats only the observance of God`s law as an end in itself.” Sproul points out that legalism separates obedience from God`s love and salvation. “The legalist focuses solely on obeying simple rules and destroying the broader context of God`s love and salvation in which He gave His law in the first place.” It is very useful to distinguish three types of legalism. To understand the second type of legalism, we must remember that the New Testament distinguishes between the letter of the law (its external form) and the spirit of the law. The second form of legalism separates the letter of the law from the spirit of the law. He obeys the letter, but hurts the mind.
There is only one subtle difference between this form of legalism and the one mentioned earlier. Many people think that the essence of Christianity is to follow the right rules, even rules that are extrabiblical. For example, the Bible doesn`t say we can`t play cards or have a glass of wine with dinner. We cannot make these questions the external test of authentic Christianity. It would be a mortal violation of the gospel because it would replace the true fruits of the Spirit with human tradition. We are getting dangerously close to blasphemy by distorting Christien in this way. Where God has given freedom, we should never enslave people with man-made rules. We must ensure that we combat this form of legalism. Needless to say, clay legalism is the most difficult type of legalism to identify. Often, those who engage in this kind of legalism defend their services on the grounds that “I am only pointing out the sin of men.” It is a legalism wrapped in Orthodoxy.