Growing up in the ever shifting Church of Christ community, I have heard one word thrown around more than any other. You might think that I am going to say something like “instrumental” or perhaps “doctrine”, but you’d be wrong. The word I hear more than most is “legalistic”.
Oooo. Just typing it out made me cringe like chewing on tin foil. Nobody wants to be accused of being legalistic. It is something my generation often accuses the generations before us of and have devoted a good deal of energy to correcting.
Interesting to note, and really the whole reason for this post, is my more recent thought that my generation, and my parents’ generation to a large degree, has instead taken the ugly dark legalism we were presented with and painted it a lighter, more engaging color. It’s still legalism, but because it looks different, we call it “better”.
Old school legalists believe that there is only one way to conduct worship and that style of worship is a salvation issue. New school legalists believe that there are many ways to worship and that crimping someone’s style hinges on salvation issue. Old school legalists would frown strongly on having a church dance team. New school legalists think that a dance team is good if it feels good and even better if it makes the church more appealing to the world (the “lost”). Old school legalists believe that the best way to reach people with the Gospel is to tell them about the five steps to salvation (hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized) . New school legalists believe that we need to make friends with the lost, feed the lost, clothe the lost, walk with the lost, and hope that our love for them translates into their understanding the Gospel.
Both the old school legalist and the new school legalist have the same tragic flaw: both claim interest in saving the lost and both execute their plans with a dogged commitment to socially derived ideology. It would be funny, if it wasn’t so sad. The pure message of Christ and our need for redemption is lost on both sides. We are eaten up with legalism and those who have it the worst are those who scream the loudest about those dadgum legalists.
Legalism is borne of great intentions to follow God’s will for His church and veers too far into the “I’m doing it more right than you are” way of thinking. I don’t care if you think women should wear homemade, ankle length dresses or if you think a bikini car wash for Jesus is scriptural: If you think your way is the better way and you can’t back it up with (the whole of)God’s Word, then you are a legalist.
Stop fighting with people who are pointing fingers at you and take a long look at the finger you are pointing at them. God’s work is life or death in this world and rolling your eyes at legalists is not going to help anyone get the job done.
Preach it, sister.
I think any time we trust in what we “do” to save us, we are bordering on legalism. Our faith needs to be in Christ. As Casting Crowns expressed it in the song, Who am I:
“Not because of who I am,
But because of what you’ve done.
Not because of what I’ve done,
But because of who you are.”
I also believe that is the real message of Matthew 7:22ff, when Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not… and in Your name…’” It is precisely because they trust in their own deeds rather than His grace.
I have been guilty of accusing the generation before me of legalism. I repent. I have been accused of being a legalist. Again, I repent.
I know that most of my anger was not because of me being righteous but it was because these people got in my way of my worship, my program, my talent, my fresh new way of doing. In other words these people were getting in the way of my kingdom building.
May I never forget that it is His name I promote not my congregation or my program or even my loving kindness. May it be for the sake of God’s glory and may His name never be blasphemed because of me!
May I never forget the grandeur of the grace that was shown to me as to never mention the hope I have to the lost and dying. May I never mix up loving the lost with making them feel comfortable at being lost. May I never forget what I hold in my hands….as I participate in a Kingdom that pushes against the gates of hell. May I be a true peacekeeper, by being earnest in sharing the Good News that there can be Peace between God and man! May I never get in the way of or become bigger than God’s message of peace to a world that is at war with Him. May I have pure heart and pure motives that seek only the applause of heaven knowing full well when I become a true peacemakers the world will not applaud my efforts.
I pray for wisdom, discernment, boldness in truth, gentleness in spirit and tenderness in speech and steadfastness in the mission given to us and courage in action as we participate in the expansion of God’s Kingdom
good, very good.