In general terms, most view legalism as obtaining something of value by religiously keeping a set of rules. In relation to the Doctrine of Salvation, the legalist seeks to obtain salvation through a strict adherence to the law, emphasis is placed on the work of keeping rather than the law itself. In short, salvation is obtained by works alone rather than faith alone. We all have experience of this works-based reward system – the child who receives candy but only after they clean their room, the athlete who receives the prize after training for months and winning the race, and the student who rewards themselves with a night off after several days of studying. Subconsciously we have trained ourselves to believe that value is placed upon ourselves, or rewards are given, only after we do something.
Yet we understand legalism to be more than a simple perspective of how salvation is obtained, it also includes our view of God. Sinclair Ferguson, writing in “The Whole Christ” helpfully notes “legalism at root is the manifestation of a restricted heart disposition toward God, viewing him through a lens of negative law that obscures the broader context of the Father’s character of holy love” (pg. 85). The legalist views God through His laws, not through His grace. They see works that need to be completed, rather than works that have already been completed in Christ. To stand before the Creator God, is to stand right before Him by keeping the law, rather than by resting in the finished work of Christ. A distortion has occurred, in how we view God (diminishing the impact of His love), in how we view the law (as negative autocratic restrictions) and in how we view grace (a belief in principle but not in practice).
The root of this distortion, in the words of Ferguson, is “as old as Eden” (pg. 80). Satan convinced Eve to think of God as one who had placed an unfair restriction upon her. The focus on this restriction clouded her thinking, causing her to no longer see the wonderful blessing of the garden, “the sight of the forbidden tree blocking her vision of a garden abounding in trees” (pg. 81). The forbidden tree was no longer a sign of God’s protection, but of His control. In principle Eve believed God as supreme, but in practice she took matters into her own hands. The Fall solidified these attitudes in the hearts of all mankind, to the extent that each daily battles with the tendency to view God and behave toward Him by means of legalism.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF LEGALISM?
If accused of legalism, many Christians would deny its presence in their daily living, in so doing, they misunderstand the subtlety of how legalism can take hold. We must address this subtlety if we are ever to experience the joy inexpressible (1 Peter 1:8).
HOW WE THINK
When my girls go cycling, we have set a rule that they must always wear a helmet. To the girls, it is a nuisance, it messes their hair, the strap hurts under their chin, and ‘we are the only parents’ that enforce such a rule. To my girls, the rule can often feel like us spoiling fun, or being uncool. Yet as parents, the rule of helmet wearing comes from a place of deep love. We know that they will at some point fall off their bike, and we don’t want them to be badly injured. We set the rule to protect them, it is not a sign of restriction but of love!
When we think about God’s law, we can think that it is all about judgement and rules that must be kept. We think law void of love. God is punishing us, by restricting what we can do. The only way to attain His love is to honor the rules (often begrudgingly). When we view law like this, we abstract God’s law from his loving and generous person, hearing law only as negative (pg. 83). In essence, law keeping is what we must do, rather than what we want to do.
Yet God did not set law because he demands of us, nor did He set law because He desires a people begrudgingly serving Him. Instead, God in love showed us how one might live in righteousness. In knowing that we are not capable of living righteous by our own means, God in love sent Jesus to be our perfect law keeping righteousness. Now that we are protected, through faith in Jesus, we get to live in a law-abiding manner knowing it pleases our Lord. It is by grace we are saved, and it is by grace that daily we seek to please our Heavenly Father.
HOW WE FEEL
I remember the embarrassing moment when I, the local pastor, was caught speeding while driving through a neighboring town. Once the bravado had worn off, the immense feeling of shame and unworthiness took over. I never wanted to feel that way again, so I set myself the life challenge of sticking to the speed limit, (this rule keeping lasted only as far as the next time I got caught). Our response to shame, and to unworthiness, is to work harder. We promise Jesus we will be better, that He can be proud of us as we seek to live up to His Holiness – this is legalism!
When you think upon Jesus, how do you feel? Do you feel shame for the sin you have committed? Do you feel embarrassed by your thoughts? Do you feel unworthy of His love? Do you feel overwhelmed by sadness? How you feel will often drive your response, specifically negative feelings will drive a “bettering oneself” attitude to obtain Christ’s love. Let us return to Eden, where Adam and Eve, having now sinned, feel embarrassment and shame over their nakedness. To better the situation, they clothe themselves, not only before one another, but before God. They lose their freedom, trading it for a guarded protection.
The subtlety of how we feel can lead us to stand guarded before Jesus, embarrassed and ashamed by what He might find – again this is legalism! God’s love for us is not dependent on what we have done, what we will do, or even how we feel. It was when we stood ashamed as wretched sinners that God showed His love for us in sending Jesus (Romans 5:8). God’s love overflowed in our worst moment, we need not feel shame or embarrassment, for God sees not a failure, but a lost sheep He is determined to save or as Ferguson quoting Boston says, “This gospel offer of Jesus Christ himself is for you, whoever and whatever you are” (pg.65). Ray Ortlund reminds us in The Gospel that we “didn’t ruin God’s plan; we are his plan, his eternal plan to love the undeserving, for the display of his glory alone.”
HOW WE RESPOND
We preach, expectant of a response, yet how we expect people to respond is of utmost importance in understanding the nature of legalism. Calling the unbeliever to repent, then to place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, hints to legalism. It is subtle yet devastating. Take the order in reverse, to place faith in Jesus you must repent, meaning faith in Christ is dependent on repentance. In other words, to be saved, you must do something, you must rid yourself of sin. Notice, YOU must do something. Not only does this put the cart before the horse (sanctification before Justification), but it suggests that salvation comes through the work of repentance rather than faith in Christ’s work on the cross.
In practice, this attitude is often seen when an unbeliever, searching for answers, begins attending a church. Overtime, the congregation begins to comment on how this unbeliever is living – they shouldn’t use bad language, its respectable to dress more formally when coming to church, they should think about the people they spend time with and their negative influence on them. We are subtly telling this unbeliever that they must change to find answers in Jesus. We declare the need for repentance before saving faith. Sadly, two outcomes are likely, either the unbeliever walks away having never found Jesus, or they stay, becoming pharisaical in response to the Gospel.
In Conversion, by Michael Lawrence, the emphasis is not placed on changing one’s life, but on a reorientation of how we worship. Coming to Christ brings a heart change, through the Spirit, to worship Christ. In our worship of Him, we seek to live a life marked by obedience. In other words, our worship of Jesus leads to repentance and lifelong obedience to His holy calling. We do not worship out of guilt, but out of loving devotion for the one who saved us unconditionally. A life change should not be expected without someone first finding Jesus!
THE CURE FOR LEGALISM
How might we avoid the trap of subtle legalism? By placing our gaze not on the laws set, but on the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. If we look upon the necessity of works for salvation, we will forever feel the inability to live up to the perfect standard of God. Yet if we gaze upon Jesus, we become consumed by His love for us. It is in response to this love, to this overwhelming reality of a life given for us, that we will seek to live in obedience. Faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone will kill our legalistic tendency.
When we preach dos and don’ts, and when we preach motivational advice, we bring the congregation back under the law. We condemn their inability to match up to the perfection of God and we give them little hope to climb out of the pit of sin, for the law cannot change your heart. When we preach, we must keep pointing back to Jesus. For it is Jesus who transforms and changes our hearts. Therefore, we should preach – look to Jesus, see Jesus, see His promises, experience His mercy, and know His love. As the Scottish forefathers placed on each pulpit – “Sir, we would see Jesus” (pg.229).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Ferguson, Sinclair B. The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, & Gospel Assurance – Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters. Illinois: Crossway, 2016.
- Lawrence, Michael. Conversion: How God Creates a People. Illinois: Crossway, 2017.
- Ortlund, Ray. The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ. Illinois: Crossway, 2014.