Legalism is not a term often used in churches today, but evidence of it still abounds. For instance, a young girl named Anyango decides to go to church in a pair of jeans with holes at the knees. An older lady at the church sees her, and the first thing she says is that her outfit is inappropriate for a Christian lady. Another example: a church member at Mwangi’s church whispers to another about his Arsenal logo cut on the back of his head, “People who are serious about Jesus do not get such hairstyles!” There are many examples of legalism in our lives. In this blog, we will explore why legalism exists and what makes it attractive.
Before we answer these questions, we need to define legalism. Legalism is human-defined righteousness that prioritizes following a list of rules over the grace of God. Another way to describe it would be “I have personal rules for holiness, and you should follow my rules, otherwise you’re not a serious Christian.” We see instances of legalism among the Pharisees in the New Testament, who created personal rules outside the Bible and demanded that others follow them. For example, they had rules of washing hands, cups, copper vessels, and dining couches (Mark 7:1-5), and could not understand why the disciples did not follow their traditional rules. Also, God’s law required rest from work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11), but the Pharisees added extra rules to define what “work” was. They determined that activities such as healing, carrying a mat, or even picking heads of grain were work (Matthew 12:1-14, Luke 6:1-11, Mark 2:23-3:6). For this reason, the Pharisees were unhappy with Jesus and his disciples for not following their legalistic rules.
Why Do Some People Practice Legalism?
Legalism can be attractive to many people because it gives them a sense of control over their relationship with God. They believe that adhering to a given set of rules makes them pleasing and acceptable to God. Furthermore, communities and even churches that promote legalism celebrate those who adhere to their rules and help maintain comfortable societal norms. They find a sense of belonging and acceptance. Often, communities and churches with strict, hard-to-follow rules feel a sense of accomplishment when their members follow them. The perceived relationship with God, the celebration and comfort of community, and the feelings of accomplishment drive legalists to create rules, even extra rules.
These perceived perks of legalism can be damning, as they can foster a false righteousness apart from God, in other words, self-righteousness. This is precisely what Jesus warned the Pharisees about, even calling them whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27); beautiful on the outside but full of death and decay on the inside. It would also be difficult to convince such individuals that they have done wrong and need to repent or seek forgiveness. Jesus confronts them in Matthew 21:28-32, saying that the tax collectors and prostitutes enter into the kingdom before them because they’re willing to believe in him and repent of their sins. John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers, pushing them to repentance that bears fruit (Matthew 3:7-12). He did this because they were at his baptism of repentance, but only as spectators, not participants. Legalism blinds us from our sins and need for salvation.
Not Always Bad to Have Rules for Living
It’s important to clarify that having rules for living isn’t always a negative thing. For instance, the purpose of the Ten Commandments that God gave (Exodus 20:1-10) to the Israelites was to help us acknowledge our sins and recognize our need for a Savior (Galatians 3:22). They served as a “guardian” (Galatians 3:24) in that they helped restrain and protect us from sin, provide discipline, instill virtue, and shield us from harmful outside influences, much like in parenting. Furthermore, Jesus stated that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He perfectly obeyed the law and, through faith in him, we are justified (Romans 8:3-4, Galatians 3:13). However, legalism leads us to believe that we don’t need Jesus because we can follow the Old Testament Law and other rules by our own strength. It is vital to reject legalism and its demands while clinging to the cross of Christ.
Reject Wrong Desires
We all have the desire to belong. In the same right, we all want to feel welcome within a community of believers and to have assurance that we are genuinely saved. At first glance, legalism does seem to offer a solution to these longings. In reality, however, it is merely a small bandage on a significant wound. Unfortunately, some churches preach legalism as the norm. They forget the truth that it is grace that puts us right with God (Galatians 2:21; Romans 6:14) and that this grace creates a beautiful community, the Church (Ephesians 2:8-9, 13, 19-22). Through the cross, Jesus has liberated us from the burdens of obedience to the law and other non-scriptural regulations (Galatians 5:1). What Christ desires from us is to walk in the Spirit so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh, which lead us to sin (Galatians 5:16-17).
Here’s your takeaway: refrain from adding to the laws of God, and also, avoid churches that do so. The legalist who enforces laws outside of scripture is what the Bible describes as a hypocrite (Matthew 23:13-29), a blind guide (Matthew 23:16-17, 24), or a whitewashed tomb (Matthew 23:27). Other descriptions that the scriptures give to legalists include self-righteous (Luke 18:9), dogs (Philippians 3:2), and foolish (Galatians 3:1). Bottomline, it is crucial to repent of legalism, walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and accept the freedom that the cross of Christ offers us from the yoke of legalism (Galatians 5:1). Are you practicing legalism or teaching it? Repent today and embrace the grace of Jesus Christ!