One thing that can stop us experiencing freedom, healing and transformation as disciples of Jesus is legalism.
Take the case of the rich young ruler. “Teacher, I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young” he said to Jesus (and Jesus didn’t contradict him), but he found himself unable to follow Jesus. (Mark 10:17-27).
Legalism is the enemy of a Gospel, “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” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Legalism says God will love us if we change, but the Gospel says we will change because of his love. How do you know if legalism is getting in the way of your growth and freedom in Christ?
Here are some things to watch out for.
Performing: to be accepted by God and others. If I believe I am loved for what I do, rather than believing God loves me unconditionally, I’ll be very vulnerable to doing things (performing) in order to please God and others and become trapped by rule keeping.
Perfectionism: Religious perfectionism is the constant anxiety that I am not doing enough, achieving enough or breaking through enough to please myself or God. If nothing you do is ever good enough, you’ll never be able to stop or rest, because you can never meet the perfection standard.
Self-condemnation: Legalism makes you harder on yourself than other people are and it will make you struggle to love and accept yourself (Matt 22:39) the way that God does. If you can’t offer yourself grace, you’ll struggle to accept it from God.
Obsessive thinking: Do you ruminate or become obsessed about your standing before God, or your struggles with sin? It’s one thing to be concerned about sin, it’s another to be tortured by it.
Guilt: Legalism can create a relationship built on guilt, and any relationship based on guilt is not a healthy one. If we only relate to God out of a sense of guilt, we’ll have a hard time relating honestly to God and others. It will inhibit intimacy with God the ability to rest in what God has done for us in Christ.
Fear of God: Legalism can make us afraid of God, and fear makes us avoid people. Fear will drive you away from God, not towards him (2 Tim 1:7). We’ll avoid being honest with God out of a concern over what he will think or do.
Condemning of others: If your first response to sin in others is critical and judgemental, rather than compassionate and gracious (Luke 18:9-14). When we become more comfortable with rules than relationships it’s evidence that legalism is leaking into our lives.
– Phil.
