For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2: 8-9
In the dictionary, legalism is defined as excessive adherence to a law. In terms of theology, it is defined as a dependence on moral law as opposed to a personal faith. I have also heard it defined by a pastor as imposing personal convictions on others.
How many of us are guilty of this? Legalism is not a good thing, but personal convictions in themselves are a very good thing. As we go through life walking close with our Father, many of us will find that the Holy Spirit tells us directly that a certain way we are living is incorrect. After this moment of revelation, we actually feel guilty when we are again involved in that way of living. How great is our God that He can speak through us to accomplish His will? We should have great joy because we have found another way to glorify our Father even if we do not understand fully how we are doing so in His grand plan.
Legalism takes form when our personal convictions cause us to be self-righteous. We begin to think that we are responsible for our good works, which makes us worthy and important. This is pride and it needs to be destroyed because it tears fellowship with the Father. Grace is the only thing that saves us from burning forever in punishment. God did not have to send His Son. We must remember we are nothing without Him. Works do not save us. We are inherently evil and only by God's grace can we even begin being good.In addition, this pride attached to legalism will lead us to believe that our brothers and sisters do not meet the standards we have set. This can cause great dissension within the body of Christ. I have recently realized that most of the time, others are merely convicted in different areas than me. Instead of spending time looking at ways which they didn't meet the standards I have set (and actually judging them for it), I began looking for the ways they have set standards in their lives to please our Father. Not only have I found that this is a great part of learning to love, but it is also very beneficial. I have learned a lot from peoples' convictions that I had never thought about. Over time, I found that standards which I have been convicted of are for personal use. They are between God and I and are not those which I need to impose on others because they simply are not what is important in life. Pure love for Yahweh and a life defined by faith is what truly matters.
I must point out that there is a time and place for setting a brother or sister back on the right track. The Bible actually talks about taking your brother aside to correct him, but I believe this has to do with blatant sin that is tearing up his life and which can be clearly found in Scripture. I would advise great caution and prayer before taking action because when we begin to take it upon ourselves to try to convict others of things which are not actually outlined in Scripture, we are being legalistic. On a different note, we must make it a point to recognize others' personal convictions and respect them. We are called not to make our brother stumble. Why would we try to convince him that his actions, which are in faith, are incorrect or unnecessary when it is bringing him closer to God?
I had an epiphany a couple months ago that I want to share. Legalists overemphasize works. Whether it is a Christian going through a phase of work-based salvation or a religion which actually is work-based, both have selfish motives. Their motives may seem out of love outwardly, but inwardly they are merely trying to cross off a list of rights and wrongs in order to receive salvation. The irony is that since their goals are based on selfishness, everything they do is tainted by sin. Instead of moving towards their goal of righteousness, they actually backtrack each step of the way.
The overall Christian life is simple. We should love God, love others, and live by faith instead of constantly worrying about works. If we live by faith, our motives will cause us to ultimately do the 'right thing' anyway.
