Legalism

                

               Legalism is a major joy defeater in life. We typically think of legalists as people who are sticklers for the rules and believe that they are holier than the rest of us because of it. Legalists include these people, but the problem of legalism is broader and usually more subtle.

              

               We might also think of a legalist as someone who loves rules and laws. Actually, when it comes to God’s laws, just the opposite is true. Psalm 1 tells us that a blessed person is one “whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Ps. 1:2 NIV). The Bible encourages delight in law. Legalism is not an over exuberance in law. Legalism is actually a failure to delight in God’s law.

              

               Legalism begins with a distorted understanding of the love and graciousness of God. Legalists cannot grasp how loving God truly is. As a consequence, legalists view God’s law with suspicion. They do not trust that God’s law is a good gift from a loving creator.[i] The law is a burden imposed on us, or a test given to us so that we might prove we are worthy. Finally, the legalist accepts the challenge, “enduring” the law for the sake of some benefit. The legalist thinks, “I will follow all these burdensome laws so that I can be a good person who will go to heaven one day.” The legalist may also think that keeping laws will help them earn earthly rewards. "Certainly," legalists assume, "If we labor to keep all these difficult laws God will protect us from hardships."

              

               Inevitably, legalists begin to view law-keeping as a competition, and they naturally turn to see how everyone else around them is doing. They look for confirmation that they are good law keepers by identifying evidence that they are doing better than the people around them. They often will let you know that they are doing better than you. They may focus on seemingly unimportant rules that they follow well in order to gain an advantage over others in their own minds. This final stage of legalism is the most visible form, and that is why we associate the “holier than thou” attitude with legalism. But looking down on others is actually just one common effect of legalism. Legalism itself goes much deeper.

              

               Legalism kills joy. Legalism puts up with God’s law to get a future reward. Just like a youthful employee may be willing to clean toilets or do other menial tasks for the boss in the hopes of one day getting promoted to the “dream” job, so the legalists toils away under the law so that something better may come from God in the future. If something better does come, the legalist believes he earned it. There is no joy in thinking the good things you get are only what are owed to you anyway.

              

               Contrast this with the person “whose delight is in the law of the LORD” (Ps 1:2 NIV). Such a person rejoices that God has given the law. God’s commands are an unearned gift. The one who delights in the law does not see the law as something to endure in order to earn something else. Rather, the law itself is something to delight in, for it guides us in pursuing God. It tells us how to love like God and live the way he designed us to live.

              

               The blessed person of Psalm 1 receives the law gladly and with a grateful heart. Such a response to the law has no motive to evaluate everyone else’s law-keeping. They aren’t trying to “win” a competition with others, but are simply pursuing God. The best way to overcome legalism is to keep looking to the cross and remember how loving the God who gave us the commandments truly is, and how undeserving we are. As our confidence in God's love grows, our legalistic view of God's law will fade.

               In reality, there is something God offers that is better than earthly rewards - God himself! The Psalmist declares, "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4 NIV). When you make God the goal of your life, he will not disappoint. Don't pursue God's law to get a better life or protection from hardship. Instead, pursue God's law because God's law is good. Consider who gave it to us! The Psalmist also wrote, "With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches" (Ps. 119:13-14 NIV).

 [i]Sinclair B Ferguson, The Whole Christ, (Crossway, 2016), 88-95. 


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