The Problem of Legalism

It's a hard road to travel.

I know this well, because I've been made to live according to the many laws of legalism before. And I've watched people strain to carry heavy burdens that they don't realize are unnecessary, and are actually keeping them back from the joy of living in Christ.

I close my eyes this evening and remember. I remember being told things that scared me into submission, made me doubt the goodness and love of God, and caused me to feel hopeless and worthless in the eyes of an angry and vengeful Creator. I was made to believe that God wouldn't love me or bless me if I read another version of the Bible besides the King James, if I went to a movie, if I listened to anything except classical or traditional hymn-type music (which really bothered me as my spirit seemed to respond to something completely different as well,) if I spent time with unbelievers, if I drank even a sip of an alcoholic beverage... the list goes on and on.

Fortunately, to balance the problems with the school I attended, I had teachable, Bible believing parents that were willing to look past the traditions and laws that seemed to be considered on equal footing with Scripture. They didn't take us out of the situation, because there weren't any alternatives, but they did teach us to think biblically, and not accept man-breathed words as God's.

I used to be angry about my educational upbringing. I used to think about the people that had tried to teach me those things and feel that I had been cheated by them. But I'm realizing that they didn't do it out of spite or to ruin my life. They taught it because it was taught to them, and they never thought to think about it biblically, they only lived in fear of the promised consequences. Can I really blame them?

And even more than that, I have seen how God used this for incredible good in my life and the lives of my sisters. It is wonderful and freeing to realize that God is so much more than I was told. That no matter how deeply I question, He has always proved Himself worthy of my absolute worship. And would I have questioned if I had not been subject to legalism? I doubt it.

Now I am left with scars that I have realized have been beneficial. God wants us to use the trials we face to bring comfort to others in the same boat. I look around at some of my fellow sojourners and see their tears, their fatigue in carrying the heavy load of the sad result of "adding to the Gospel." I am compassionate. I am also excited, because I know that they only need challenge their own heart and question their own experiences and knowledge against the Scripture and God will reveal Himself!

Jesus spent a good part of His ministry on this earth calling legalists out. Putting them on the spot. Trying to get them to think deeply about why they believe what they believe. He knows that there is freedom in His love, not restriction. There is joy in living in Him, not fear. And to say that He is unable to read our hearts and must therefore judge us by our actions is severely limiting a limitless God. And it leads to heartache.

Why not call in to question some of those traditions and teachings that you've never received a concise biblical mandate for? What about those laws of your denomination or church that just don't seem to have any basis in reality? What if God thinks it's okay to challenge those in your own heart, and find out if they are really important enough to carry around with you for the rest of your life?

Don't be afraid. I've done it, as have others. We've lived to tell the story, and I've never been happier or more secure in my relationship with my awesome Savior. He grows sweeter each day, as the old song puts so succinctly!

To sum it all up in four words that hang on my kitchen wall: Sin divides; Grace unites.