What is legalism?
There are so many official definitions. And as I struggle with what legalism is, how it shows itself in today's Christianity, and what the exact problem is with it, I know that one common thread ties all occurrences. "Laws above laws." That's really what we're talking about here.
"Laws above laws" says that, even though Christ calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to share the Gospel with all who seek Him, we may find it appropriate to point out that a girl's shorts are too short to attend a church function and she is turned away as a result. A missed opportunity to know Christ occurred because, well, her legs were showing, and the Bible speaks of "modesty." A "modesty" law was placed above one of Jesus' main commandments to love. And it was put above the commandment to share the Gospel. And it was put above the calling to love God with all your mind, heart, and soul. But at least no men were tempted (by that particular woman, at least.)
"Laws above laws" says that the New Testament prohibits a divorced person from serving in the church in a full capacity. Depending on what church, this could mean that they can't teach Sunday School or be a deacon. They can likely serve the potato salad at the ladies luncheon, however. In any case, their past sin has disqualified them teaching, leading, or inspiring others to a relationship with Jesus. The law (that in my opinion is understood incorrectly), is used to push otherwise qualified saints from fulfilling the Kingdom of God on Earth. But they are still welcome to bring their potato salad.
Why the need to practice legalism?
Why are we picking laws to live by that, while important in context and spirit of the intended situation, are becoming the only laws to live by? Why are we choosing to speak over and over the mantra of women to "live fruitful and multiply" or "learn in quietness and full submission" rather than the commandment to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you"?
I think I know the answer, and it is -- quite simply -- that legalism requires so much less of us.
In order to obey the true commandment of Christ, the ones that shape a purposeful Christian life, in communion with him and other humans, God requires discernment. Something so big and bold and scary as "go therefore and make disciples of all nations" is quite the mission statement. Just unpacking that huge law takes a lifetime, and even then, we aren't going to be completely certain we fulfilled all that we could until we stand in front of Christ Jesus himself someday.
But the commandment to not get drunk? That's easy. I can spend a literal 3 seconds at the next social event deciding how I want that one to play out. I can check it off my "good Christian list" and be done. It's uncomplicated, and I feel good. Any consequence that comes after I've done my part really isn't anything I have to concern myself with. I can defend my performance with no sketchy feelings. There is nothing to interpret. Right? And I can even go further by banning all alcohol or any events, friends, or social situations where it would ever be served.
And so it goes with so many laws that govern today's legalist church. But what are we really protecting ourselves from when we live this way? Discernment.
What Does Discernment Have to Do with It?
Discernment, simply put, is the wisdom we seek from GOD to help us truth and error, right and wrong. It doesn't come from us, a gut feeling, or advice from a friend. Jesus left the physical earth and dropped off the ultimate tool for us to keep and hold close and utilize: Holy Spirit. We have no excuse to remove discernment from the day-to-day actions of the Believing Christian. In fact, to skip discernment out of fear or laziness and replace it with legalism is just sinful.
We already have a problem with legalism trying to brand thinking and freedom as sinful. By giving members rules and checklists to follow, instead of encouraging a living relationship with a living God, it makes it simple for today's Christian to abdicate personal responsibility to grow as a child of God into a wise leader with the potential to disciple.
Think about it: Is it easier to give a child a set of rules, that they use in every instance, without question, or take time to teach them to think through situations for the best behavior in all instances. The Bible never lies, but our interpretation of select passages of Scripture is important to do correctly.
Here's an example of legalism in secular society: A car is going 75 miles per hour in a 55 zone. They are speeding, breaking the law, and should be pulled over,ticketed, and possibly even jailed. Right? In every single instance this is a violation of law. We would never need to think about the circumstances surrounding this violation. Or should we?
What if the driver of that car had had a heart attack and had the foot stuck on the gas pedal. What if the driver was speeding to the hospital with a wife in labor. What if the speed was needed to warn a driver ahead that a road has washed out. Breaking the law is never ideal, but a wise and discerning police officer could look at the circumstances and offer appropriate grace where needed and possibly even understand that not speeding could have been the worse choice.
Jesus spent a good portion of the New Testament dealing with legalists. His conversations with the Pharisees were probably not as exasperating to read as they were to experience in real life. And yet, Jesus took the time to teach these stubborn, self-righteous scholars of the law how they were wrong with their interpretation and implementation of the law. Their heart wasn't right. They were not good in God's sight.
Jesus could have done off of this legalism battle on his own, and we might have never known. But the Word of God dedicates a huge chunk of text after text to the exact conversations he had. It was important to those inspired by God to write the Bible to include it. It was important that we learn from the interactions to have insight into what Jesus himself thought was important to take from the laws of the Written Word.
Despite this obvious fact, legalism tends to rule in many situations. Jesus himself was killed because of the distrust of His Divinity and mankind's failure to understand His treatment of law. I'm certain we would have done the same thing today, even after having 2,000 years of Divine Inspiration and Holy Spirit helping us along.
When you see legalism in the Church today, try to reserve your anger for righteous actions. I'm doubtful that we can change much of what goes on inside legalistic churches. Your arguments are likely to fall on deaf ears. After all, if Jesus himself couldn't convince legalists of their errors, are we to expect a better outcome?
Instead, use your power and authority in Christ Jesus to embrace those hurting. Extend the grace of Jesus in a real way, without strings or conditions to those rejected by a legalistic church. Let them see the real light of Christ in our fallen world.
When I first read the scripture about salt and light as a new believer, I was certain it was addressing how Believers would stand out in a world riddled with sin and godlessness. I'm more convinced than ever that we can -- and should -- also be salt and light to those sitting in church pews, distorting the law to be a tool for man. By insisting on the treatment of fellow man that Jesus required, we can stand out as true Champions for Christ in every place we walk (whether in secular or religious situations.) Using our discernment to show grace and mercy and love is a much more demanding way to live, but I believe it is what God really requires of us.
