He continues: “Therefore, we must try to live our lives according to these commandments. Such behavior is not legalism. Legalism is a slavish observance of the law in the belief that it deserves merit. This legalism was accompanied by a spirit of intense exclusivity and narrow ecclesiasticalness. In law, using legalism as a guiding principle means reviewing the decisions of established courts and laws of Congress, and then deciding cases based on those decisions alone. If a starving person steals food, legality would require a judge to find them guilty of theft based on applicable law, regardless of their specific circumstances. Legalism is derived from the Latin lex, “rule”. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article on legalism Many of us have encountered this kind of misguided Christianity. Otherwise, we have probably met someone who has experienced legalism or who practices legalism in their own practices. Even Jesus met people who practiced this in His day, known as Pharisees. In this article, we will explore the definition of legalism, examples in the Bible, and what this dangerous way of thinking looks like in the modern context.

(a self-righteous legalism arises) Page 140: The subconscious has become the subconscious. Like the term Trinity, the word legalism is not used in the Bible, but describes principles that are clearly stated in the Bible. At the heart of the debate about legalism versus grace is the understanding of how we are saved and how we can be certain of our heavenly hope. 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 very moment, saying, “You teach human traditions as if they were the Word of God.” We have no right to overwhelm people with limitations where He has no explicit restrictions. Two great intellectual currents came together in the last century to bring America into this state of hyper-legalism. Closely related to the former, Sproul says that legalism “obeys outward appearances, while the heart is far from any desire to honor God, the intention of His law, or His Christ.” Legalism separates obedience from our relationship with God. “Legalism exists when people try to obtain justice in God`s eyes through good works. Legalists believe that they deserve or can earn God`s approval by following the requirements of the law,” said Thomas R.

Schreiner. A legalist believes that their good works and obedience to God affect their salvation. Legalism focuses more on God`s laws than on the relationship with God. He keeps the outer laws without a truly subjugated heart. And legalism adds human rules to divine laws and treats them as divine. Legalism is formed “where it is only a matter of keeping 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 obedience to bare rules and destroying the larger context of God`s love and salvation in which He gave His law in the first place. Is it a disinterested and impartial justice, the high legalism of the Golden Rule, that would be the way of the humanist? To further illustrate what legalism can look like, R.C. Sproul describes three forms of legalism. So we have the introduction of legalism into the occasional affairs of the tropics and the disappearance of primitive license. The author is ill-equipped to assess the special value of Roman legalism to humanity. As Luther explains in Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional, “We recognize that we must also teach good works and love.

But we only teach them at the right time and in the right place – when it comes to how we should live, not how we are justified. “Legalism exists when people try to obtain justice in God`s eyes through good works. Legalists believe that they deserve or can earn God`s approval by following the requirements of the law,” said Thomas R. Schreiner. The Ephesians, immediately after saying that we are saved, “not by works, that no one may boast,” further remind us, “We are the work of God, created in Christ Jesus to do the good works which God has prepared for us in advance” (Ephesians 2:10). Our good works will never save us, but the scriptures tell us that God has prepared good works for His people. The Pharisee boldly thanked God for “not being like others—thieves, evildoers, adulterers—or even like that tax collector,” and drew attention to his fasting and tithing. In stark contrast, the tax collector stands at a distance, not even being able to raise his head to heaven, fights his chest and prays, “God, have mercy on me, sinner.” Jesus would now give the same warning to Christians and remind us that salvation is not found in our actions, good deeds, and works, but in God`s forgiveness and grace. Romans 3:23-25 tells us that although “all have sinned and failed in the glory of God,” “all are freely justified by His grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus.” A legalist believes that their good works and obedience to God affect their salvation. Martin Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he argued that Christians are saved by faith and faith alone.

This contradicted the Roman Catholic understanding of salvation, which claims that salvation comes both by faith and by our obedience (or good works). 2. Obey external laws without having a truly subjugated heart. Millard J. Erickson goes so far as to say in Christian theology that disobeying God`s revealed commandments in the name of the non-legalist is “an abuse of Christian freedom.” He reminds us of John 14:15, where Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” and John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” The Full Armor of GodThe Meaning of “Selah”What is a “concubine”? Christian Meaning of Humility Our salvation begins and ends with faith in the Atonement Christ made for us on the cross. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved, by faith – and it is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, that no one may boast.” Sometimes the term “legalistic” is applied to Christians who honestly try to obey God`s commandments. Does grace mean we shouldn`t care about our actions? In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the story of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in a temple, illustrating both the errors of a legalist and the correct attitude of faith. Who are the pagans? What is fornication? The difference between grace and mercy Legalism is a strict and literal interpretation of the law, regardless of specific circumstances. Kimi Harris is a mother, pastor`s wife and writer.

She and her husband serve in the Midwest. Learn more about his writings at KimiHarris.com. You can also find them on Instagram and Twitter. 3. Add human rules to God`s laws and treat them as divine. But against a legalistic view of salvation, Luther argued: “The question here is: How are we justified and do we receive eternal life? We answer with Paul that we are declared righteous by faith in Christ alone, not by our own efforts. Grace is freely given to us when we believe in Christ`s redemptive sacrifice for us, and when we grow in our love for Christ, we obey Him. We obey God not to merit our salvation, but because of our relational faith in Christ and our love for Him. 1. Focus more on God`s laws than on the relationship with God. “It is faith, without good works and before good works, that leads us to heaven. We come to God by faith alone,” Martin Luther in Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional.

Jesus told the crowd that the tax collector—who begged mercy for his sins, not the Pharisee who was proud of his spiritual achievements—was the one who “went home justified before God.” Jesus told this story to those who were “convinced of their own righteousness and despised all others.” This article is part of our catalog of Christian terms, which examines the words and phrases of Christian theology and history.