Legalism

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Disciplined By Grace

The title [of this post] may seem to some people like an oxymoron.  Discipline, to them, suggests restraint and legalism, rules and regulations, and a God who frowns on any one who has fun.  Grace on the other hand, seems to mean freedom from any rules, spontaneous and unstructured living, and most of all, a God who loves us unconditionally regardless of our sinful behavior.

– Bridges, Jerry; The Disciplined of Grace:God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness; NavPress; Colorado Springs; copyright 1994; p. 77

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It’s Just Legalism Lite

No longer threatened with hell of comforted with heaven, the new legalism is the upbeat and cheerful hum playing in the background.  It’s still a form of works-righteousness, with its carrot and sticks.  Follow my advice and you’ll really connect with God’s best for your life.  If you are not happy, perhpas you have fallen out of God’s favor and blessing.  Only those who are “completely surrendered.  Now here are the steps to living the victorious Christian life.  Are you following the steps?  Do you have enough faith?  Are you praying enough, reading the Bible enough, witnessing enough, serving in the church, loving enough?  This diet of imperatives becomes just as burdensome and human-centered as the older legalism; it’s just Legalism Lite.  And when we burn out on one program, there is always another best-seller, movement, or plan around the corner.

– Horton, Michael; Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church; Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI; copyright 2008; p. 123

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The Great Enemies of the Truth

A reading of the letters that address the conflicts that arose over various issues in the days of the New Testament reveals that legalism (adding rules and doctrine to the Bible) and libertinism (removing moral limits from the Bible) are usually the great enemies of the truth of Jesus Christ that the church needs to defend against.

– Driscoll, Mark and Gary Breshears, Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 2008, p. 137

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The Great Mark of the Church is its Message

If Christian orthodoxy turns the joy of the gospel into sour legalism, then it is not really orthodox, nor is it the apostolic proclamation.  The great mark of the church is in the message it proclaims: the gospel of salvation from sin and eternal death through the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

– Edmund Clowney, The Church: Contours in Christian Theology, copyright 1988, page 103