I am a former legalist.
I grew up attending about five church services a week, not counting special occasions.
I took communion monthly and sang at least three verses of every hymn—enough to have the words imprinted on my memory for eternity to come.
Every spring during my college years while others went on spring break, I went to twenty-one church services. Yes, twenty-one.
In a moment of rebellion, I once got in the car with a friend who flipped through the radio station and found the Billy Joel song “My Life” and sang it at the top of her lungs. I thought I’d die and go to hell.
I’ve read through the Bible more times than I can count.
I have stacks and stacks of journals.
My skirt was always long enough, my shirt always high enough, my father always proud.
I was a rule keeper on the outside and confused on the inside.
The first time I went to a church service with a drum set on the stage, I worried I’d flunk my exam the next week. I tried to pray harder. I didn’t tell anyone. But I liked it. And I aced my exam.
One day I accidentally skipped my Bible reading time. I didn’t feel like God would hear my prayers until I made up the time and then some.
I worked harder. I tried harder. I failed miserably.
Then one day I came across Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
I remember the moment I read it. I remember what I was wearing and where I was sitting. And I remember thinking—I am in Christ Jesus. Did that mean I was not condemned?
Even when I forgot to read my Bible every day? Even when I failed to pray on my knees in the morning? Even when my journal entries said absolutely nothing? Even when I felt condemned?
In 2 Corinthians 3:6 Paul informs us that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” and in Galatians 5:1 he says, “for freedom Christ has set us free!”
Free! Free to love. Free to serve. Free to sing. Free to move and speak and free to be.
For years I made myself approved unto God by my works, even though I’d accepted Him by faith. And I was miserable because I had missed the freedom of His grace in my futile attempts to impress Him.
The problem with a former legalist is that bad habits die hard. I find myself trying to impress God.
“Look at me God, see what I’ve done! Three blogs and a Bible study, all in a week.”
“Check me out, God, I was nice to that lady. I even smiled when she yelled.”
“Hey, God, have you seen my Bible reading plan? I’m good. Haven’t missed a day this year!”
Old ways have a way of creeping back in.
“I haven’t prayed in a week. He won’t listen if I try now.”
“I just can’t get over that sin. I should have known better. I should have done better. He won’t help me now.”
So I start my time of penance. I think pure thoughts. I even memorize a verse or two, just to be safe. If you’re a former legalist, you know the gig.
Oh, I’m not advocating cheap grace. It’s just that I’ve finally realized I don’t need to impress. He’s already died—for me. He’s already paid the price—for me.
He’s already decided: He loves me. Not because of what I’ve done in the past. Not because of what I’m going to accomplish for Him in the future. Not because of my great potential.
No. He loves me because of who He is. He loves me, and I am not condemned.
I am a former legalist, but I now live by grace. And I’m free.
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on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:52 am
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:55 am
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:01 am
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:21 am
Next time someone advises you to read the Bible, memorize the verses etc Start by asking yourself are you learning what you read? Are you using these verses to make yourself look good and then taking that information to finger point at another Christian or child of God? God loves us all. I will never utter the words that a child of God won't go to Heaven because they're not saved!! Why don't we leave that up to our Lord. In the meantime I'll pray the way my Lord Jesus Christ has taught me to pray We need to start supporting ourselves as 'Christians' and not seperating ourselves from God. JESUS IS IN 'EVERYONE' WE MEET.
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:33 am
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:55 am
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 12:00 pm
may Jesus continue to point us to him. appreciate your thoughts!
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 12:03 pm
"The problem with a former legalist is that bad habits die hard. " Thank you for that! I've been struggling the last couple of days and have been being hard on myself for struggling because I know better now! God has opened my eyes to His grace so I shouldn't fall victim to the lies anymore, right?. While it is true that we don't have to believe the lies anymore, tis also true that old habits die hard, and when we realize that we've taken our eyes of grace, we simply need to turn to the light and put them back on His grace! There is no condemnation for falling down! In fact, Praise God! that he has me on this journey to wholeness and I am quicker to recognize the lies now!
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 3:25 pm
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 4:04 pm
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 4:05 pm
Good one Bonnie is very important reminder.
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 6:06 pm
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 9:15 pm
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:04 pm
Thanks for the reminder!
on Friday, February 22, 2013 at 12:15 pm
As a member of a church that some have termed "legalistic," I have recently been seeing with even more clarity that all I do is to be to God's glory! If that is my perspective, everything in life will make sense. He is all that matters. My opinions do not. If God's Word teaches that I should dress modestly, I can do it for Him, no matter what people around me say. I can serve and worship and do everything I do--with no thought to self but to set His name high.
Biblically, legalism is seeking to do works to be saved. (In Galatians, God calls the works doctrine "another gospel" and in the Gospels, Christ frequently condemns the Pharisees as being inwardly spiritually dead.) As a believer, if I don't read my Bible or pray during a day, what I am really showing is that I am proud and think I can handle life without God. I should feel horrible for my sin of pride (Ps. 51) but not unloved by my gracious and merciful Heavenly Father. (And when I confess and forsake that sin, I am guaranteed mercy and precious cleansing!--Prov. 28:13; I Jn. 1:9).
The praise of men can come in many forms, and it can be a matter of which "men" we are trying to please that determines our behavior, regardless of our tendency with regard to what is often termed "legalism." What we all have to realize is that it is God who matters and His Word is truth. A heart full of Him will want more of Him and His truth, even if that means living in a way that is judged to be legalistic by others.
on Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 7:55 am
Balance is the key to everything. People who had religion shoved down their throats tend to end up this way, thereby calling works legalism. Remember, people who have always hated religion call all of it legalism.
The book of James said faith and works are to be balanced. One without the other is dead, worthless, harmful to many. Works is not always full of Grace, but Grace is always full of works.
If your focus on grace is about what you can do rather than what God can do through you, you have a carnal view of grace.
Everyone has standards! Just because some maybe higher or lower than someone else's, doesn't mean they are a legalist or liberal. It's actually very judgmental and hypocritical to say these people are one or the other.
One interesting thing to me is that when someone with high standards falls into sin, others take it as an opportunity to discredit everything they stood for as if it was all wrong. We must remember, people from all levels of standards walk into sin, not just though with high standards.
Legalism/Hypocrisy isn't having ideals higher than you can live up to or holding up a standard & never falling short of it. Jesus didn’t call people hypocrites because their ideals were too high, but those who pretended to be one thing and are really another. The real problem with Pharisees wasn’t that they had high principles (right or wrong), but pretended to be something they really never were. It was a matter of their heart. This subtle shift in meaning is an attempt to pull down moral ideals that are higher than ourselves to grant the flesh more freedom and abuse the grace of God.
When will a Christian be completely like Christ? In Heaven! Until then, we are all continuously being conformed to His image. In other words, we’re not there yet! When I sin/fall short, that doesn’t make me a hypocrite, it proves I’m human. It doesn’t discount the Scriptural truth/ideal/principle, it shows there is room for all of us to improve. We all should desiring continual Spiritual growth and maturity, which comes by my choosing, not Jesus forcing. Salvation makes me complete in Christ, not perfect in the flesh!
Back to it all, the key is BALANCE... Balance is never easy, sometimes you lean one way, then you lean the other. One must strive to keep it. The individual must be intellectually and Scripturally honest with themselves and to whom they are accountable to keep a Biblical balance in their life!
This will keep your children and mine from calling us legalist one day if they, God forbid, happen to grow up and find themselves with lower standards/ideals/morals than that of their parents.
on Friday, March 1, 2013 at 12:33 am