Overcoming- Legalism
Today we will talk about overcoming legalism, not by our own power but through abiding.
Where does it come from and why is so common in church? It comes from the same place that
we have been talking about with everything else, it fills a hole within us.
What is legalism? It is overriding need or desire that people do things the way you want them.
Someone would say absolute passivism is the only way, no matter what the circumstance, even
self-defense. That is a legalistic viewpoint.
Wayne Grudem writes a book called The Introduction Biblical Doctrine, Systematic Theology.
He talks about people bringing up laws that are outside of what God put and place an undue
burden. It’s true, as we see this in the Bible as the Pharisees were accused of doing this. They
would put these laws that weren’t possible to keep.
When a believer can’t keep all of these rules that God did not put into design, they feel shame.
We see this in the body, but in all humanity as well. In the past the legalistic tendencies camped
in our dress code, which English speaking Bible should a church use…what kind of music does
the church listen to….we can’t have chairs in a church only pews. It is a deep seeded problem
that we see even before Jesus came. On the seventh day you shall rest, well the church leaders
made sure you rested by placing rules such as limiting the distance you could travel on the
sabbath. Jesus says abide in me, abide in my Love… abide in my Word, abide my work as I abide
in my Father and His love, His Word, His Work. When we fulfill our desires outside of God, we
get legalism.
Romans 3 speaks to this idea of faith through works, of legalism. You can’t even be holy by
what God says, and now we are going to add a million other little rules we need to meet as
well? Romans 3:10-11 No one is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for
God. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus. Salvation had nothing to do with
anything other than believing in Jesus. With legalism it is like we are trying to
Redo the tower of Babble through our works. Romans 3:22, the emphasis is this verse twice,
faith and believe. To have faith in the Savior, to believe in the Savior is the only path to
righteousness. To depend on God is the only way. Legalism is only a substitute, and that lingers
even after people by faith come to know God. The only way to overcome this is through
abiding. The Same faith that saves us, is the same that transforms us.
How does it affect us?
Mindset?
If I choose this group of rules, this legalistic mindset. Why do I continue to fail? It is obvious
because that is nature of mankind apart of God. We can only be healthier and healthier with by
God in the lead. By letting go of these rules and stepping into abiding with Him, we can be
transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). We can only be transformed by
walking in an abiding relationship with God.
Belief in self?
It is one of the biggest roadblocks in their faith in Jesus. They feel a sense of self-deprecation,
shame, and failure by not fulfilling all these additional mandates. They miss what it means to be
in a truly abiding and loving relationship with our wonderful God.
Belief or treatment of others (Judgement)
We can see this in the Biblical examples of the pharisees, as they held others in contempt when
they did not follow all the rules.
Relationship with God
“Never good enough”, works based theology defines their very core. Works based theology, is “I
always having to do stuff to either earn my righteousness or prove that what God did provide
was valid.” They often feel “I’m so unworthy and filled with shame that I better earn some
goodness and grace.”
What are the destructive ends to this thought process in our lives?
All of them are huge, because of the nature of legalism. If we don’t turn from legalism, it’s
destructive in that it keeps us from receiving the wonder and beauty of God. We don’t hear the
voice of God, we don’t know the presence of God, and we don’t see Him at work in our lives
because we have put our hope and faith in legalism. So the most important is the relationship
with God, as the rest are impacted by our relationship with God. It prevents John 15:11 “These
things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” from
occurring. It blocks this, and it effects everything else.
How do we walk through abiding and breakthrough this spiritual disease? (John 14:12,
John 1:12, John 14).
From Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology - We should consider nothing to be required of us
that is not commanded in scripture, whether explicitly or by implication. The discovery of this
great truth could bring tremendous joy and peace to the lives of thousands of Christians, who,
spending countless hours seeking God’s will outside of scripture, are often uncertain about
whether they have found it. In fact, many Christians today have very little confidence in their
ability to discover God’s will with any degree of certainty. Thus, there is little striving to do
God’s will (for who can know it?) and little growth in Holiness before God.
The opposite ought to be true. Christians that are convinced of the sufficiency of scripture
should begin eagerly to seek and find God’s will in scripture. They should eagerly and regularly
growing in obedience to God, knowing great freedom and peace in the Christian life. Then they
would be able to say, with the psalmist,
“I will keep your law continually,
For ever and ever,
And I shall walk in a wide place,
For I have sought your precepts…
Great peace have those who love your law;
Nothing can make them stumble. “Ps. 119: 44,45,165
Realize that God’s Word is enough.
