By Jenny Fulton

Legalism. It’s one of the big no-no’s in Christian circles, a word flung around as an insult, often directed towards more conservative churches, sometimes used as synonymous with “traditions” (referring to Catholic and Orthodox churches). “Those churches, those people with their rules and traditions, are like the pharisees,” some pastors and others say. “They are legalistic and their hearts are far from God.”

But having grown up in one of those conservative churches (Dunkard Brethren), then visited and attended a great number of other churches and denominations, I’ve come to understand this idea differently. I’ve learned that legalism isn’t confined to a denomination or tradition. It may not always be found where you think it will and may stealthily rear its head where you least expect it. Because legalism has never been about the rules.

Defining Legalism

The word legalism isn’t found in the Bible, so we can’t base our definition on a study of its Greek or Hebrew origins.

Merriam-Webster defines it as, “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.”

Referring specifically to Christianity, John Piper describes it as, “the conviction that law-keeping is now, after the fall, the ground of our acceptance with God.”

I think there’s more to dive into with these definitions. For example, what do we mean by “law” and “law-keeping?”

Is the law only those rules that have been written or can they also include unwritten, unspoken behavioral expectations?

Can you keep the law without having a legalistic heart and mindset?

Is legalism just about thinking, and hoping, we can be accepted by God if we follow the rules, or is there more to it?

The Beginning of Old Testament Legalism

Although this term isn’t found in the Bible, there are many Biblical examples of those who relied on the rules, the law, to save them, and those who didn’t.

What we think of as the Mosaic Law with its rules and sacrificial system is described in parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But many people don’t realize this system wasn’t God’s preference.

Before God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, God told Moses to instruct the people to prepare to meet with Him, “for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people” (Exodus 19:10-11).

God wanted a person-to-person, face-to-face relationship with His people, one where He could meet and speak directly to them.

The day arrived and all the people of Israel went to the base of Mount Sinai to meet with God. Exodus 19:18-19 describes the way God appeared to them.

“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder” (NASB).

In this context, God gave them the 10 Commandments. That’s all. Just ten rules describing how to relate to Him and each other. No sacrifices, no bloodshed, required.

But the people didn’t want a face-to-face relationship with God.

In Deuteronomy 5:22-31, Moses summarizes what happened next.

“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says; then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it’” (Deuteronomy 22-27, NASB).

The people wanted a legal system to follow rather than a direct relationship with God. They asked Moses to speak to them on God’s behalf, to give them a buffer, a clear-cut system describing what they should and shouldn’t do to follow God. (John Fulton describes this moment and its impact in greater detail in his article, The God Who Didn’t Need to Die but Did Anyway.)

After recounting the Israelites’ response to God, Moses relates God’s answer.

“The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.” But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess’” (Deuteronomy 28-31, NASB).

Here’s one of the most amazing parts of this story. After hearing the Israelites reject a direct relationship with Him, God agreed to their request for a law-based system. I’m struck by the fact that God so deeply wanted a relationship with people that He was willing to meet them where they were and give them a different means by which to know and connect with Him, a tangible system they were more comfortable and familiar with. As John Fulton wrote, “God’s reply is essentially this to their rejection of His offer of relationship: I agree to their terms, for it leaves me a door through which to engage with them and encourage them to the relationship I desire and which is best.”

It was after this moment that God gave them the law described in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. His longing for a personal, face-to-face relationship with His people didn’t change. He knew this sacrificial system was insufficient and temporary but also knew He could work through it to reach them, teach them, and show them His love.

And when the time was right, God sent Jesus to once more give people an opportunity to know Him and enter a close, deeply personal relationship with Him.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:24, NASB).

Legalism in Jesus’ Day

By the time Jesus came, the religious leaders had taken the Mosaic Law and added even more rules to it. There were so many that most Jews couldn’t see who God truly was or connect to Him through the haze.

In Matthew 23:1-36, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for putting people under the Law and not showing them the hope of the kingdom of heaven.

“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger’” (Matthew 23:1-4, NASB).

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13, NASB).

But not all Jews living under the Law were legalistic. There were some who’d learned from the tutor, had seen and connected with God through the lessons embedded in the law.

Luke 1 recounts the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord” (Luke 1:5-6). According to this Scripture, Zacharias was a priest who followed the Law. Throughout this chapter, we see how closely connected he and his wife were to God. Following the Law didn’t make them legalistic and didn’t prevent them from hearing directly from God or responding to Him in a personal way.

Luke 2:25-35 tells us of a man named Simeon, “and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25). When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple soon after he was born, Simeon praised God and blessed the family and prophesied to them. It’s pretty clear that growing up in the midst of the Mosaic Law didn’t prevent Simeon from hearing and responding to God’s Holy Spirit.

In Luke 2:36-38, we discover a woman named Anna, a widow and prophetess who “never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers” (vs. 37). After Simeon prophesied to Mary and Joseph, “At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (vs. 38, NASB). Anna lived in the same temple, never left the same temple that Jesus would later enter and drive out those who were buying and selling animals for sacrifices, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den” (Matthew 21:13, NASB; also Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46, and John 2:16). Living in the heart of the Mosaic Law, surrounded by legalistic leaders and others whose hearts were far from God, didn’t keep Anna from knowing, loving, and hearing from God. Neither did it prevent her from sharing about Him with others.

Those examples highlight people who followed the Jewish laws and still connected with God before Jesus was old enough to show and tell people who God was, before He died on the cross and rose again.

Rules and laws don’t make people legalistic. Their hearts do.

Present Day Legalism

As were present in the Old Testament, and as existed in the New Testament, there are still people today who rely on cut-and-dry rules to dictate their dealings with God rather than trust and engage in an intangible, spirit-lead, more challenging to discern, deeply personal relationship with the almighty, good, Creator of the Universe.

You may find these people anywhere, in any denomination. Or maybe they don’t attend church at all.

I grew up in a denomination that has an entire booklet containing rules about such things as how you should dress, what you should and shouldn’t do. Although I did cross paths with a few people who’d make statements to the effect that breaking those rules would send you to hell, I met and fellowshipped with many who had an observable, genuine love for God. You could hear this love in the way they spoke of their relationship with Him. You could see it in the light of their eyes, the countenance of their face, in the kindness they displayed toward others, whether those others, including me, followed every rule at all times or not. The rules didn’t define their relationship with God. Rather, they served as the context in which they lived out their faith. Similarly, I’ve spoken to many Catholic and Orthodox Christians who also demonstrate a deep love for Christ.

As I’ve visited and attended other churches and interacted with Christians around the world, I’ve realized that rules aren’t limited to what’s explicitly stated. We’re very good at creating personal rules for ourselves, then projecting those expectations onto others, condemning people if they don’t adhere to our exact standards.

These personal rules may begin as good, helpful practices that guide us and help us grow in our relationship with God. But if we forget the relational purpose of the activity, then good practices can become legalistic.

For example, someone tells us we should have a quiet time of prayer and Bible reading first thing when we wake up in the morning. We decide to do this, and for a while, it’s good. We connect more closely to God and feel more energized for the day. But then something prevents us from observing this practice. We get sick and don’t get out of bed all day. A child wakes up early and their immediate needs and demands prevent us from engaging in our usual quiet time. Maybe we oversleep and have to rush around so we won’t be late for work.

And then the shame and guilt creep in. How can we have a relationship with God if we’re not spending that time in the morning with Him? What if He’s angry with us because we didn’t get up and pray and read like we said we’d do and like so many people told us we should? What if everything bad that happens that day is because we didn’t get up earlier and have that quiet time? What if this means we’re falling away from Him? Can we still consider ourselves Christians if we’re not completing this most essential task?

Can you see the progression? The activity began as one way to connect to God. But over time, it became the basis of our relationship, the defining factor. The law that dictated what we must do to be right with Him. Without realizing it, we put more faith in the action than the Person. We judged ourselves by our self-imposed law. This can become the case with any good, spiritual discipline.

At times, we may apply our unacknowledged legalism outward.

• That person doesn’t pray before meals, so they obviously aren’t a very good Christian.
• That person doesn’t tithe to the church, which obviously means they’re greedy, not following God, and not trusting Him with their finances.
• That person doesn’t fast, so they’re obviously not as deeply spiritual or disciplined as I.
• That person stopped attending our Wednesday night Bible Study, so they’re obviously backsliding in their faith.
• That person doesn’t go to church, so they’re obviously in rebellion against God.  

Just as in the New Testament, churches and denominations with more rules and/or traditional, highly structured, liturgical services don’t make people legalistic.

Just because there are rules, it doesn’t mean those rules aren’t based on a desire to serve and follow God. Neither does it mean the rules can’t point people to God. Similarly, liturgy incorporates an abundance of symbolism that contain truths about God and are meant to direct people to Him.

Just because someone follows the rules, it doesn’t mean they’re trusting the rules to make them right with God. Just because someone participates in a traditional service doesn’t mean their spirit isn’t connecting to God and hearing from Him through the liturgy.

The Heart of Legalism

At its core, the heart of legalism says, “I’d rather adhere to a set of rules than engage in a direct relationship with God.”

But why? What is motivating that desire? That mentality?

I don’t believe there’s a simple answer to this. I also believe it’s impossible for us to know the inner workings of everyone’s hearts. So, I’m going to lay out a few possible feelings that may drive some individuals to embrace a legalistic approach to God.

Pride/Stubbornness/Hard-heartedness. This is the legalistic motivation I’ve heard described most often from pastors, and while I think this could certainly be the case for some, I don’t think it applies to everyone. Like the Pharisees in Matthew 23, these people want tangible, easily seen evidence of their righteousness that will earn them prestige and accolades from others. Perhaps they’re also driven by a desire to be in control of their eternal destiny, to be able to claim they earned their spot in Heaven. Legalism give them the opportunity to say, “Look at how good I am. I do all these good things and follow all these good rules. This proves I’m holy and righteous and am guaranteed entrance to Heaven.”

Fear/Insecurity. Maybe, rather than pride, people are persuaded by fear and insecurity to adopt a legalistic mindset. They may think, “God is so powerful, holy, and righteous, can I really approach Him and be in His presence? Why would this kind of God want to be in a relationship with me? I can’t physically see or hear Him, so how do I know if I’m in? If He truly accepts me? If I’m doing enough? What if I’m not doing everything I need to do to be accepted by Him?” Legalism offers a false sense of security that if they complete A, B, C… then they’re guaranteed to receive Z.

Uncertainty. Maybe someone really wants to be in a relationship with God but doesn’t know how. A set of rules and “good practices” gives this person something tangible to understand, to be trained in. It’s much more straightforward to study and abide by a set of clear-cut expectations than to figure out how to navigate the nebulous waters of a relationship with an unseen God.

A Heart for Relationship

So, what does it look like to have a direct relationship with God? To some extent, we can look at human relationships to gain an initial understanding of our divine relationship.

A relationship with God is like:

• A child who loves their parents with a whole-hearted, innocent love and knows their parents love them, too.
• A great friendship where you’re not friends because of what you can do for each other, but because you like each other for who you are.
• A dating relationship where you feel an exciting, deep connection to the other person and want to spend more time getting to know them.
• A marriage where you experience joy every time you’re in the presence of your spouse. They’re your favorite person. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, you just enjoy being with them and look forward to every moment you get to spend together.
• A life-long married couple who have been together for decades. They know life can be hard, but they’ve weathered those trials together, secure in the knowledge they’ve never been alone.

A relationship with God begins first and foremost with a desire to have a relationship with Him. We might not be ready or know how to engage in a deep, full-time connection with Him, and that’s okay. Just as He did in the Old Testament, just as He did in the New Testament and on into today, God is willing to meet us where we are. What that means and looks like for each person is different. This relationship may begin small, just a quick prayer here and there. Maybe a memorized prayer. A quick read of a few Bible verses. Praise and worship on Sunday. Hopefully the bond with God will grow and you’ll experience and crave the incomparable, indescribable joy that comes from being in His presence, through good times and bad.

The Bible tells us time and again that God wants a deep, personal connection with us. He enjoys us, treasures us, longs for us to enjoy simply being in His presence. The question is, do we want that as well? If so, God will help us. Since the beginning of time, He has reached out to help people connect to Him.

Hebrews 1:1-3 describes how God spoke first through the Old Testament prophets, then through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (NASB).

Ephesians tells us that God has provided for our spiritual needs and given us the Holy Spirit.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:3, 13-14, NASB).

John 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 tell us more about the workings of the Spirit of God.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, NASB).  

“’Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-12, NASB).

Summary

The Christian faith isn’t about obtaining a Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card. It’s about a loving God who wants a personal relationship with us. Legalism rejects that offer in favor of in impersonal list of do/don’t requirements. It would rather perform than love and connect. The list itself isn’t the problem. Rules and traditions do not equate to legalism. The issue is the desire of the legalistic heart to remain apart from God while still demanding and expecting to receive all the benefits of being close to Him.

Legalism can be found anywhere, in any church. It isn’t restrained to the ultra-conservative or liturgical ones.

Likewise, a heart for relationship with God can be found anywhere. It isn’t restricted to which church someone attends, or if they attend at all.

God earnestly longs for a relationship with us now, not just when we die and go to Heaven. He wants to shower us with His peace and love, to walk with us through the day-to-day joys and trials of life. And He has done everything necessary to make this personal connection possible, including sending His Son, Jesus Christ, and filling us with the Holy Spirit.

May our hearts seek Him.  

“The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves” (Romans 14:22, NASB).

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NASB).

Other Articles about Connecting with God

• What Does it Mean to Connect with God?
• Connecting with God When You’re Angry
• Connecting with God Through Nature
• Connecting with God in Our Imperfections
• Connecting with God Through Housework
• Connecting with God Through the Arts
• Connecting with God Through Relationships

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*Cover Image by succo from Pixabay