Legalism Revisited

Recently, I wrote a blog series about my former life as a legalist (Find it here). I don’t normally discuss my days in legalism, but the subject does come up from time to time.  My goal in the series was three-fold. 1. Describe the easy trap of legalism. 2. Describe my life as a legalist. 3. Describe the difficult deliverance from legalism.  The other day I was scrolling through my RSS feeds.  I came to the blog feed of Ed Stetzer (President of Lifeway Research) and my interest was immediately sparked.  The post was entitled “Legalism.”  I payed close attention because Stetzer many times refers to legalism in a humorous way on Twitter.  The post simply pointed to two recent discussions of legalism.  The first was a sermon by Mark Driscoll.  The second was an interview between Chuck Swindoll and Howard Hendricks. Driscoll’s sermon (Jesus the Sabbath Lord) was from his series: Luke’s Gospel-Investigating The Man Who Is God.  In the sermon, he shares the real dangers of legalism.  I especially appreciate the fact that he talked about ‘reverse’ legalism.  The idea that someone can become legalistic about not being a legalist.  He concluded the sermon with a simple list. “How To Become A Legalist.”  With this in mind, I thought I would take a few moments to revisit my days as a legalist.  It is truly amazing to think about how many people live by this list everyday.  I thank God that I don’t have to check off boxes anymore.

 

Confessions of a Former Legalist (Part Three)

Many weeks have passed since I published parts one and two of “Confessions of a Former Legalist.”  Those posts examined definitions of legalism, dangers of legalism, ease of becoming a legalist, and my former life as a legalist.  It has taken several weeks for me to put into words the thoughts I want to share in this new post.  My hope is to discuss my deliverance from legalism and my life now as a former legalist.  Describing my life now will not be a problem.  The difficult part will be trying to reveal the pain I experienced in order to discover I was a legalist and the events that transpired that helped me walk away from legalism.

 

Confessions of a Former Legalist (Part Two)

In part one of “Confessions of a Former Legalist,” I examined some definitions of legalism and several dangers that accompany legalism. In this post, I want to explore how easy it is to become a legalist. Also, I want to paint a picture of life as a legalist. It is a self-portrait that I am glad no longer hangs on the wall of my life. The apostle Paul dealt with the subject of legalism in the book of Galatians. Galatians 1:6 states “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.” He felt the Galatians were in such dangerous territory that he started with this strong rebuke. The fact of the matter is that it is easy for many Christians to ‘turn away’ or slide into legalism. This trip is not planned or desired but can happen over time if the Christian loses tract of where he has come from and what the Lord has done in his stead. Here are a few thoughts (in no particular order) on the ‘slippery slope’ into legalism.

 

Confessions of a Former Legalist (Part One)

In the series intro of “Confessions of a Former Legalist,” I told the story of when I was called a legalist for the first time.  Many years have passed and much change has taken place in my life.  God has transformed my life in many ways.  Someone has said that “knowing is half the battle” and “a person has to admit he has a problem before he can get help.”  When I began to see the cancer of legalism and how it had consumed my life, I began the journey out of the shackles and into the grace of Christ.  I do not want to put any spotlight or importance on myself.  God truly showed me who I was and it was not a pretty sight.  He took everything out of my life that stood between Him and me.  Then, I could see Him for who He really is and myself for who I really was.  Only then could I articulate a definition of legalism and I was the poster-child.  In this installment, I want to examine various definitions of legalism and reveal several dangers that can accompany legalism. 

 

The Beauty of Heaven

This week, I came across an old sermon on the subject of Heaven I had delivered during my days as a pastor.  I am sure I “borrowed” the points and illustrations from some great preachers.  The opening illustration refered to Marco Polo as he neared death.  He was urged by his detractors to recant and to withdraw the stories he had told about China and the lands of the Far East.  But he refused, saying, “I have not told the half of what I saw.”  The Bible proclaims a very similar sentiment concerning heaven.  1 Corinthians 2:9 quotes Isaiah 64:4 saying “But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (NKJV).  This verse reminds us that all the imagery that we can fathom in this life still falls short of all that God is preparing for His children.