Pondering Legalism
The More We See without Hearing, the More Blind We Become
I’ve been pondering the concept of legalism. I think most of us think of legalism as a false doctrine of justification, a way of earning our salvation. But that’s not the kind of legalism that I tend to encounter. In fact, most of the Christian legalists I know are quick to say that they are saved by grace and grace alone. Rather than viewing their salvation as dependent on their own works they understand themselves to be earning God’s favor (rather than salvation) through their own efforts. This view -
“If I’m good, then God will be good to me” is built upon the premise that God is reluctant to offer us grace and must be bribed, buttered up, or even manipulated through our extraordinary acts of obedience.
It’s a gross misunderstanding of God’s love and goodness.
It's the former addict who leaves the substances behind but brings his addictive mindset into his newfound faith. His mindset has long been that if he says or does this or that, he’ll get what he wants. Now, he simply refocuses his manipulative codependency on God rather than family members. Ultimately, he feels in control, without recognizing that he has embraced idolatry of the worst kind, living as though God is subservient to him.
It's the church members, who feeling that some aspect of Scripture has been ignored, decide it’s up to them to increase restrictions on certain behaviors or create certain social consequences for those unwilling to conform. They write more rules while also embracing clear, yet unwritten, expectations that set apart “better Christians.”
It’s the perfectionist, who is so fearful of under-performing or getting it wrong that she can’t find peace until things are just right. Even then she lives in fear that someone will question or criticize something within her purview. Her unspoken, and perhaps unrecognized, understanding of her standing in community and with God are performance-based.
It’s the young people who find that their faith-based behavior gives them a certain image and status that they can quickly adopt and manage. In their efforts to grow, they simply adopt checklists to feel good about themselves and by which to measure themselves against others.
It’s the older believers, having long established or followed established ways of doing ministry, who leave eager newer servant-hearted believers feeling rebuked or unaccepted, by scoffing at new ways of approaching old ministries.
This manner of earning God’s favor through self-effort seems to be what Paul was addressing in the Galatian church –
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Galatians 3:1-5
It seems to me that legalism is often an over reliance on one’s eyes and an under reliance on one’s ears. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When we listen to the Word, we hear the heart of God without the need to see God.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Yet, legalism seems to be based on what we can see, namely human behaviors. Watching human behaviors leads to comparing human behaviors, and comparing human behaviors leads to labeling, categorizing, and valuing or devaluing those behaviors. The irony of faith is that the more we see without hearing, the more blind we become.
The real challenge that I find in legalism is that no matter what image I seek to display to God and/or others, I know who I am. I know my own selfish heart. So, the more credence I put into establishing a faithful persona, the more inauthentic I feel, and the emptier and more unfulfilling my “faith” becomes.