The Heresy of Legalism

This doctrine is very dangerous and can be found in more churches than one would expect. It tears asunder the Christian faith and tears churches apart. Jesus said that His Body, The Church, should not be divided, as did the Apostle Paul:

Romans 16:17-18 KJV - "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

1 Corinthians 1:10 KJV - "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Titus 3:9-11 KJV - "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

Luke 11:17 NKJV - 'But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls."

Ephesians 4:2-6 NKJV - "...with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Colossians 3:12-17 NKJV - "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Jesus prayed for us in this way:

John 17:20-23 NKJV - “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

I Corinthians 12:12-13 NKJV - "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit."

Jesus commanded us to love one another. Loving one another is contrary to the doctrine of Legalism. Legalism is judging one another and judging one another is hatred, pure and simple. I have been planning a sermon about judging one another that I plan to put out soon.

John 13:34-35 NKJV - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

There are plenty of Bible verses that I could quote here about divisions and causing divisions among the believers but there are simple too many to put here. The Bible is full of warnings not to do such things! These are not simple statements. They are harsh warnings! I want you to look at this very thoroughly, Church! Look at what judging others actually is! It is pure hatred and self-righteousness against other believers. If you are a believer in Jesus, then you are standing on the same spiritual ground as every other believer in Jesus! No one is better than the other and not one is without sin! The Bible reads:

Romans 3:10 NKJV - "As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;"

John 8:7 NKJV - "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

So, what exactly is this doctrine of Legalism that I keep talking about? The term Legalism is not in the Bible but it is a specific concept of Christians thinking about their salvation and basing their ideas of their spiritual growth on that. I think of it like a merit/demerit system like I went through when I was in my ROTC days. Like, "OH, oh no! You did THAT?! You aren't as 'Christian' as I thought! DEMERIT!" That's the way it plays out in my head.

Gotquestions.org defines legalism as “a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulating the achievement of salvation and spiritual growth.”

Legalists adhere to a strict set of rules and expect others to do so as well and it is a literal adherence to the Law that Jesus already fulfilled. Hey, folks! Jesus paid it ALL, alright?

According to BiblesStudyTools.com there are three types of Legalism.

• Traditions.

• Personal Preferences and Convictions.

• Christians promoting their view on the "gray side of life."

These areas are very sticky. I have a great example out of my own life of legalistic views trying to bully me around still to this day because I am a smoker. While it may not be good for me, there's nothing in the Bible about tobacco at all, and using the verse that my body is a Temple of God is a total stretch and misuse of the verse. Yes, our bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit, of God, but dictating to that extent goes straight into the hands of Legalism. I have heard chatter in churches about other smokers that the congregation didn't like the smell and didn't want to sit near them, and they were actually trying to devise a plan to kick them out of church or else get them to leave quietly simply because of a smell and the legalistic idea against smoking, that it is a sin, which they concocted out of their own heads. Yes the literal words "You are going to hell if you don't put those cigarettes down!" Have been said to me. I, in no way, endorse smoking but I have an addiction. I am not proud of it but it is real. Still, it's not a sin. It is a sin only if there is a preference for it to be a sin, which is where the Legalism comes in.

Luke 11:37-54 NKJV - "And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them." Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him."

Matthew 23:1-36 NKJV - :Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. “ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. ’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it. ’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

Those are strong words from Jesus Himself about the Scribes and Pharisees, most of whom make up the Sanhedrin today, who are 100% teaching a legalistic doctrine. As I said in the beginning of this, this doctrine is extremely dangerous!

The Prophet Isaiah also warns us of this.

Isaiah 29:13-14 NKJV - "Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

It is not the ordinances of men that God looks upon.

I Samuel 16:7 NKJV - "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Don't get me wrong, works for the sake of worshiping Jesus is the right thing to do, again, if it is done in the spirit of worshiping Him. The Bible says:

James 2:17 NKJV - "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

If you love Jesus then your faith and love automatically will show outwardly in the form of works that follow the teachings of Jesus such as helping the poor. Did you know that the Bible mentions helping the poor over 2,000 times! From the Old Testament to the New Testament helping the poor is mentioned, nay, commanded of us as believers! It is an example of the kind of works that James is speaking of and that I am talking about. These are the things that come out of the teachings of Jesus. These are good works. I use this as an example, of course, to hopefully help understand the difference between actual good works done out of worship of Jesus from our hearts and man-made rules that fall into the category of Legalism.

Proverbs 19:17 NKJV - "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord , And He will pay back what he has given."

Proverbs 14:31 NKJV - "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.'

Proverbs 28:27 NKJV - "He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses."

Deuteronomy 15:11 NKJV - "For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’'

 Legalism is not only man-made rules. It can also be Bible verses taken out of context to mean this or that which the writer never intended it to mean. This steps into the realm of theology and it gets kind of sticky. The Holy Spirit will lead you through the stickiness and show you the difference. Only the Holy Spirit can open up Scripture to you and show you the meaning because only He, the person of the Holy Spirit, can dwell inside of you and give life Scripture it because He is the One who Inspired it!

I cannot judge another person. I am commanded not to. Whatever manner in which I judge another person, by that very same thing, the same circumstance, I will be judged by. Believe you me, I have experienced this mightily myself and also witnessed it happen to others - that circumstance that you judged the other person by, although it may not be present in your life at the time that you judged them, it will show up after you pronounced your judgement on them! That's right. You will have it knocking on your door. Does not the Bible teach us that what we sow we also reap? It's true. I've seen it. Church, be careful not to bring a circumstance into your brother or sister's life that may make them stray from Jesus and salvation. I can't stress enough how important that is to be careful of!

Matthew 7:1-5 NKJV - "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Romans 14:7-13 NKJV - "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “ As I live, says the Lord , Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way."

I think I went down a rabbit hole into another subject but I really didn't digress from the issue. Taking the Bible out of context or to the extreme and using that to judge others is exactly what Legalism is about. We are no longer under or bound by the Law, but under Grace.

Galatians 2:16,21 NKJV - "....knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Again, I would like to add another little personal tidbit here. I had this printed out and plastered on my office wall in my home. I rejoiced when I found this verse and actually studied it. I was doing a very hard thing. I was newly married, preparing for seminary (PCUSA), and I was carrying a guilt complex from the Legalism I had endured from other churches. My family was no help to my peace about what I was going through. They did not want me in college much less going to go to a seminary that was from a church that they considered heretical in the first place (👀). They wanted me at home. I knew my calling was from God and, well, this was hard. But this time I was working out my guilt complex that had to do with being newly married. Yeah. That's a lot to chew on at one time! Luckily I found Galatians 2:16,21 and I read it before I sat down at my desk everyday trying to jam it into my head that no matter what my brain was telling me was right or wrong, that I was in a new situation that changed everything. I just had to get my feelings to follow suit and drop the guilt complex that I know that a lot of newly married (or even older married) couples experience. If not for these verses and others like it I might have just went ahead and condemned myself to hell. Yeah, that's a joke? Sort of.

Here is a nice little tidbit from ligonier.org.

"I had a professor in graduate school who said, 'The essence of Christian theology is grace, and the essence of Christian ethics is gratitude.' The legalist isolates the law from the God who gave the law. He is not so much seeking to obey God or honor Christ as he is to obey rules that are devoid of any personal relationship."

People that dabble in Legalism have, in their hearts, a desire to feel holy. Church, if you are washed in the Blood of The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, The Anointed One, then you are holy. You are washed clean and in heaven there is a sea of forgetfulness where God throws away your sins that you heartfully confess and repent of and remembers them no more! Poof! Gone! There is no reason at all that you should need to judge or rebuke your brother or sister unnecessarily or bully them spiritually (hopefully not physically, that's another issue!). If you are clean, then you are clean and your sins are forgotten because Jesus died for your sins - yes, all of them - on the cross at a place called Golgotha. It's a rock, unforgiving as the Roman soldiers that flogged Him and crucified Him. He loves you that much. You are clean, holy, once you repent from your heart and bring Him into yourself! You will know His presence, the presence of the Holy Spirit because you can feel him inside of you. How can you not feel holy with the presence of the Living God inside of you? Focus your perspective there. Yeah, it's a new POV I suggest to you.

I'm not saying that if your brother or sister sins that you cannot call them out on it. I'm saying that you can't judge them for it like, oh you're going to hell for that or you're not a good Christian or a Christian at all if you do that. Gently tell them that it's a sin and that you love them being the reason that you point it out. You care about their soul. Remember that we are to love one another. We are to encourage each other in our relationships with our Heavenly Father. There is a difference between Godly admonishment and judging others in a legalistic way. As a matter of fact the Bible points out how we are to handle such situations, but to it with love!

Matthew 22:37,39-40 NKJV - "Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

And

Hosea 6:6 NKJV - "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

The absolute best advice that I can give you to avoid Legalism, since it can happen easily in any church, or in any Christian's life, anywhere at anytime is in everything you do, do with the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide you and remember that the greatest commandment is love. Walk in love, talk in love, think in love, act in love. Ask yourself if this is really in the Bible or did it come from your own preference? Is this a loving thing to do or say to another person? That sounds easier than it is, I know. I've been there trying to figure it out myself.

Then there is the Golden Rule, of course:

Luke 6:31 NKJV - "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."

I John 4:19 - "We love Him because He first loved us."

And please let us always remember.....

I John 4:7-9,19 - "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. We love Him because He first loved us."

I am always,

Yours in Christ,

Lady Angelia

---

I have a store that points to this ministry, that's why I named it as I did. I made products that fulfill the spirit of the Great Commission. All of the artwork you see in the store is my own. This is my personal work, not the ministry's. The store points to this ministry, not the other way around! Here are some ideas to place in your environment to remind yourself or a loved one that GOD IS LOVE:

Or in blue for a boy:

Here's a "For God is Love "Postcard set:

"For God is Love" Bookmark:

"For God is Love" Playing Cards:

"For God is Love" Toddler Blanket:

"For God is Love" Baby Beanie:

"For God is Love" 1014 Piece Puzzle. Great for framing for your nursery or toddler's room! Mommy and Daddy can have "together" time putting up this beautiful puzzle for their incoming bundle of joy!

"For God is Love" Wall Tapestry: Christian Day Cares will love this on their wall!

Want something practical for your little one? "For God is Love" wall clock will work nicely!

"For God is Love" Silk Poster. Just another choice to decorate that child's room, nursery, or day care.

Something always needs to be written down, so I made you a "For God is Love" Hardcover Journal to keep track of the importants!

"For God is Love" Garden Banner:

"For God is Love" Ceramic Coaster:

This is one of my favorites! "For God is Love" Tote Bag:

"For God is Love" Kids Tee:

"For God is Love" Adult's Tee:

"For God is Love" Candle:

I have a few other products in the "For God is Love" design such as a PU Leather Mouse Pad, a Sticker, Phone cases in many sizes in both red and blue, Tank tops, an air freshener, T-shirts for both kids and adults in many colors. Come on over to my store to see what great stuff I have personally created for you to help put God back into your environment with reminders of Him in daily life.

In The Pines Ministries Christian Merch Store