ISSUE #5
The Limits of Legalism
In twenty seven years of ministry in and for the Body of Christ I have run into people limited by legalism at every turn. But what is legalism? We have a tendency to label people and things without considering the accuracy of the label. Am I conservative or liberal? Am I traditional or progressive? Am I a legalist? The labels we use are sometimes more a reflection of who we are rather than whom the person is that is receiving the label that we assign to them.
As an example, are you politically conservative or liberal? As I look at you my perception is that you are conservative if you lean more to the right than I do. You are liberal if you lean more to the left that I do. You see, I’m right in the middle. Are you religiously traditional or progressive? Again, as I look at you my perception is that you are traditional if you lean more to the right than I do. You are progressive if you lean more to the left than I do. I am right in the middle.
So, religiously speaking, or spiritually speaking, are you a legalist limited by legalism? I have never met a person who embraces the label of legalist. It sounds negative. We don’t want to be known for being negative. Yet many people find comfort in legalism because they can go to find the answers they are looking for in a formula or a code. What exactly is legalism?
DEFINITION:
LEGALISM: “Strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code” (merriam-webster.com).
WHAT JESUS SAID:
First, we need to understand that the word “legalism” cannot be found in the Bible. The first known use of the word was in 1928 (Merriam-webster.com). But there certainly was legalism in the first-century and Jesus definitely had some things to say about it.
Jesus opposed legalism because, at its core, legalism is a sin. That’s right. I said it. I used the “S” word. Legalism is sin. Legalism is wrong, not because it is about following the rules, but because it takes the heart out of the equation. It is wrong because it lifts the precepts above the people. It seems that Jesus actually went out of his way to oppose legalism and those who embraced it. At one point in his earthly ministry Jesus was invited to eat with a Pharisee (a member of a separatist sect of the Jewish religion, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology). He could have been “politically correct” and gone out of his way to not offend his host, but he didn’t. The unnamed Pharisee noticed that Jesus didn’t wash before he sat down to eat. “But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal” (Luke 11:38). Jesus’ response was not expected. In that position I might have used an excuse like: “I forgot” or “I was distracted”. Instead, Jesus addresses the problem; the sin. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you’” (Luke 11:39-41).
Jesus did not condemn the Pharisee for washing before the meal. His condemnation was about his attitude. The Pharisee’s sin was greed and wickedness in his heart. His sin was a lack of generosity to the poor.
His behavior is typical of the legalists. Even today, legalists have a tendency to justify themselves by what they do rather than what is in their hearts.
In an article titled, “Why Jesus Hates Legalism”, Steven J. Cole lists six limitations of legalism (Bible.org).
1. Legalism majors on minors and minors on majors.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone” (Luke 11:42).
Notice again that Jesus does not condemn what is done, but what is left undone. Justice and the love of God are neglected. Justice and love are matters of the heart.
2. Legalism focuses on self-glory.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces” (Luke 11:43).
The legalist takes pride in who he is, not who God is. He takes pride in how others see him, not how God sees him.
3. Legalism subtly corrupts others.
“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it” (Luke 11:44).
If a Jew came in contact with a tomb or a dead body he would be ceremonially unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11-22). Jesus compares the legalists with unmarked graves. They create a condition of uncleanness for unsuspecting people because their “laws” and “rules” are unmarked. Their laws are traps. People walk into violating their rules without knowing it because they are human rules, not God’s commands.
4. Legalism burdens people with peripheral commandments.
“And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Luke 11:46).
The Pharisees and lawyers had added many man-made laws to those that they received in Scripture. Then they created loopholes that allowed them to avoid God’s commands. “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:3-6).
5. Legalism dodges the personal application of God’s holiness, but pretends outwardly to honor it.
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all” (Luke 11:47-51).
On the outside, they honored the prophets. But in reality, they did not follow the teachings of the prophets. The prophets’ teachings pointed people toward love, compassion and mercy, yet they showed none of these qualities in their daily lives.
6. Legalism misses the true knowledge of God and misleads those who seek to know him.
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering” (Luke 11:52).
Prior to his death, Jesus prayed for his disciples. In that prayer he gives this definition of eternal life: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). If we want to experience eternal life we are going to need to be in a relationship with Jesus. He doesn’t say we need to know about God and about Jesus. He says that we need to know them. There is a huge difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them. Jesus calls us to know him by being in relationship with him. “Legalism is a matter of going through rituals and of keeping rules, but it’s devoid of the personal knowledge of God” (Steven J. Cole, “Why Jesus Hates Legalism”, June 12, 2003, Bible.org).
This conversation between the Pharisee, some lawyers, and Jesus continues as Jesus walks out: “When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say” (Luke 11:53).
Again, their actions are reflected by the legalists today. When they can’t present a reasonable response, they attack the person, rather than the position.
CONCLUSION:
While serving as a youth minister in New Mexico I was told, “You can’t participate in the dedication of the new college auditorium because the Baptist pastor and Catholic Priest are participating. We don’t associate with them.” The man who said this was limited by legalism. He ignored Paul’s words to Timothy when he wrote, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). He also ignored Jesus’ prayer for the unity of all believers (John 17).
Recently, I was in a meeting where I was told, “Right or wrong, that’s the policy”. The person who said this was also limited by legalism. He had allowed himself to become a slave to a policy regardless of how it affected people and regardless of how it measured up to God’s Word.
As we evaluate how we live our lives, let us not allow ourselves to be limited by legalism. Jesus died to free us. As the Freedom Files theme verse reminds us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
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Responses from Readers
From a Reader in Oregon
Don,
I am hoping to be added to your blog's email distribution. I saw Al Maxey's mention of you and just read the links. Thank you for your devotion to Him and your willingness to encourage others in their walks,
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me at [email protected] and I will immediately comply with your request. Previous issues can be read at www.freedomfiles.weebly.com. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.
The Limits of Legalism
In twenty seven years of ministry in and for the Body of Christ I have run into people limited by legalism at every turn. But what is legalism? We have a tendency to label people and things without considering the accuracy of the label. Am I conservative or liberal? Am I traditional or progressive? Am I a legalist? The labels we use are sometimes more a reflection of who we are rather than whom the person is that is receiving the label that we assign to them.
As an example, are you politically conservative or liberal? As I look at you my perception is that you are conservative if you lean more to the right than I do. You are liberal if you lean more to the left that I do. You see, I’m right in the middle. Are you religiously traditional or progressive? Again, as I look at you my perception is that you are traditional if you lean more to the right than I do. You are progressive if you lean more to the left than I do. I am right in the middle.
So, religiously speaking, or spiritually speaking, are you a legalist limited by legalism? I have never met a person who embraces the label of legalist. It sounds negative. We don’t want to be known for being negative. Yet many people find comfort in legalism because they can go to find the answers they are looking for in a formula or a code. What exactly is legalism?
DEFINITION:
LEGALISM: “Strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code” (merriam-webster.com).
WHAT JESUS SAID:
First, we need to understand that the word “legalism” cannot be found in the Bible. The first known use of the word was in 1928 (Merriam-webster.com). But there certainly was legalism in the first-century and Jesus definitely had some things to say about it.
Jesus opposed legalism because, at its core, legalism is a sin. That’s right. I said it. I used the “S” word. Legalism is sin. Legalism is wrong, not because it is about following the rules, but because it takes the heart out of the equation. It is wrong because it lifts the precepts above the people. It seems that Jesus actually went out of his way to oppose legalism and those who embraced it. At one point in his earthly ministry Jesus was invited to eat with a Pharisee (a member of a separatist sect of the Jewish religion, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology). He could have been “politically correct” and gone out of his way to not offend his host, but he didn’t. The unnamed Pharisee noticed that Jesus didn’t wash before he sat down to eat. “But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal” (Luke 11:38). Jesus’ response was not expected. In that position I might have used an excuse like: “I forgot” or “I was distracted”. Instead, Jesus addresses the problem; the sin. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you’” (Luke 11:39-41).
Jesus did not condemn the Pharisee for washing before the meal. His condemnation was about his attitude. The Pharisee’s sin was greed and wickedness in his heart. His sin was a lack of generosity to the poor.
His behavior is typical of the legalists. Even today, legalists have a tendency to justify themselves by what they do rather than what is in their hearts.
In an article titled, “Why Jesus Hates Legalism”, Steven J. Cole lists six limitations of legalism (Bible.org).
1. Legalism majors on minors and minors on majors.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone” (Luke 11:42).
Notice again that Jesus does not condemn what is done, but what is left undone. Justice and the love of God are neglected. Justice and love are matters of the heart.
2. Legalism focuses on self-glory.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces” (Luke 11:43).
The legalist takes pride in who he is, not who God is. He takes pride in how others see him, not how God sees him.
3. Legalism subtly corrupts others.
“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it” (Luke 11:44).
If a Jew came in contact with a tomb or a dead body he would be ceremonially unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11-22). Jesus compares the legalists with unmarked graves. They create a condition of uncleanness for unsuspecting people because their “laws” and “rules” are unmarked. Their laws are traps. People walk into violating their rules without knowing it because they are human rules, not God’s commands.
4. Legalism burdens people with peripheral commandments.
“And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Luke 11:46).
The Pharisees and lawyers had added many man-made laws to those that they received in Scripture. Then they created loopholes that allowed them to avoid God’s commands. “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:3-6).
5. Legalism dodges the personal application of God’s holiness, but pretends outwardly to honor it.
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all” (Luke 11:47-51).
On the outside, they honored the prophets. But in reality, they did not follow the teachings of the prophets. The prophets’ teachings pointed people toward love, compassion and mercy, yet they showed none of these qualities in their daily lives.
6. Legalism misses the true knowledge of God and misleads those who seek to know him.
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering” (Luke 11:52).
Prior to his death, Jesus prayed for his disciples. In that prayer he gives this definition of eternal life: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). If we want to experience eternal life we are going to need to be in a relationship with Jesus. He doesn’t say we need to know about God and about Jesus. He says that we need to know them. There is a huge difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them. Jesus calls us to know him by being in relationship with him. “Legalism is a matter of going through rituals and of keeping rules, but it’s devoid of the personal knowledge of God” (Steven J. Cole, “Why Jesus Hates Legalism”, June 12, 2003, Bible.org).
This conversation between the Pharisee, some lawyers, and Jesus continues as Jesus walks out: “When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say” (Luke 11:53).
Again, their actions are reflected by the legalists today. When they can’t present a reasonable response, they attack the person, rather than the position.
CONCLUSION:
While serving as a youth minister in New Mexico I was told, “You can’t participate in the dedication of the new college auditorium because the Baptist pastor and Catholic Priest are participating. We don’t associate with them.” The man who said this was limited by legalism. He ignored Paul’s words to Timothy when he wrote, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). He also ignored Jesus’ prayer for the unity of all believers (John 17).
Recently, I was in a meeting where I was told, “Right or wrong, that’s the policy”. The person who said this was also limited by legalism. He had allowed himself to become a slave to a policy regardless of how it affected people and regardless of how it measured up to God’s Word.
As we evaluate how we live our lives, let us not allow ourselves to be limited by legalism. Jesus died to free us. As the Freedom Files theme verse reminds us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Responses from Readers
From a Reader in Oregon
Don,
I am hoping to be added to your blog's email distribution. I saw Al Maxey's mention of you and just read the links. Thank you for your devotion to Him and your willingness to encourage others in their walks,
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me at [email protected] and I will immediately comply with your request. Previous issues can be read at www.freedomfiles.weebly.com. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.