Legalism [lee-guh-liz-uh m] – noun: strict adherence, or the
principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter
rather than the spirit, the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise
laws.
I came across the below video today from Jefferson Bethke (good stuff by the way - check it out) and it got me thinking
about my personal journey with God and how it has evolved from what I was told
as a child. I grew up as a child where
the generations of the past said that you weren't supposed to do something just because and then generally couldn't back
it with any sound Biblical reasoning. You were just told not to do that because
they said so. For instance, you couldn't go to a movie theater, or if you tell a lie that the devil would come get you in your sleep, you can't have tattoos, women weren't supposed to wear pants to church, and a deck of playing cards was
considered to be evil. Some of these “don’ts” did have some loose
scriptural backing to it but some were just man-made ideas that in the end turn
people away from God. I really believe that these strange illogical rules were
a strong contributing factor that led me to walk away from God for most of my
late teens to my mid-twenties.
Now don’t construe what I am saying, this wasn't the ONLY
reason. I did choose to walk away and chase after things that intrigued
me aka women, sex, drugs, some rock and roll, but having a list of things I couldn't do and with no specific reason why just really left a bad taste in my
mouth. It wasn't until my late twenties that I decided to find out for myself what
the Bible said specifically and in context about many of the beliefs that were
passed down to me. As I began to look for myself many of the rules that
were attempted to be ingrained upon me were just man-made ideas that had no
real foundation.
I can remember challenging and old school preacher one time,
“Show me in the Bible where it says what your saying is true.” The response I
got was just pure silence. It was as if in that moment he asked himself
the very same question that I had been asking myself, “Why do I have to believe
what everyone else says I am supposed
to believe?” I had vowed from that day forward to whole-heartily rededicate my life to God. I also had to re-evaluate every single belief I had and if I wasn't able to concretely find it in God’s word, in context, then it had no place as
being a part of me. I vowed to live my life, to the best of my ability, to what
the Bible said was true and NOT what others said.
Now there are basic fundamental aspects of calling yourself
a Christian that are a must, but when you break it down its pretty simple. The
Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans (Rom 10:9) that if you confess with your mouth
the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. It doesn't say that “If you don’t go to a theater or get any
tattoos, then you will be saved,” right there that portion of scripture is the
foundation to build upon. Ask yourself and be brutally honest, can you say
within yourself that you truly and honestly believe that without any doubts.
As Christians, I agree that we are to strive to glorify God and we do
need to be aware of our actions and behaviors. But I believe that God will deal with us internally on the specific areas of our life through the natural process of spending time in Prayer with Him and studying the Bible. Many times legalistic Christians will say that we need to do certain things or not do certain things because for fear that we could become a stumbling point
for others according to 1 Corinthians 8:9. However, in this portion of scripture and within the context it was written Paul was giving the people of Corinth instructions on the consumption
of foods that was being sacrificed to pagan idols, not going to the movies.
So again I believe it all boils down to our personal and intimate relationship
with Jesus and the Bible. What is God trying to tell us personally through the
Bible? The only way to know is to pick it up and read it for ourselves and ask Him to speak
to us through it. How about we just stop telling everyone what they can and can’t
do and just love them for them. Love them because they too are created in God’s
image, love them because at one point we ourselves did the very same thing that we are now judge them for. How about if we just love because He first loved us? What
would that do to the world if Christians were truly and honestly Christ-like? Think about it...
Take Care & God Bless,
-E
