In Defence of Legalism

It’s a strange title, and a subject I never thought I would return to, especially in a defensive way. I was brought up in a church where there were rules. Not all of them made sense, and at times, well oftentimes, I questioned them. It became the in thing to talk about doing the Christian Life out of love, and not out of a set of rules. The word ‘legalism’ was born, and the result has been a gradual downhill slide of standards.

I think we mistook the difference between rules and legalism, and branded them as equal. The result is a life devoid of structure, balance, purpose and dare I say it... direction. We have now come to the stage of thinking everything we do is ok as long as it is done in the right manner, or spirit (small ‘s’) and in some kind of love. What are the commandments, if not a set of rules? What are Jesus’ commandments (all of them) if not a set of rules? We can’t afford to trash them all as ‘legalism’, can we? Our church, like our society is bound by sets of rules and legislation. Legalism by another term if you like.

What is the fastest growing religion in the world? It is not Christianity, especially in the western cultures. It is Islam. What religion has the greatest number of rules and regulations? Again, Islam. You will find many examples of the ordinary Muslim adhering to a set of rules, from head covering to taking out prayer mats in the middle of a car park to kneel and pray at their set, regulated times. Undeterred by public opinion, and with conviction, they have a structure to their lives, and the religion is growing. If this kind of obedience is followed for a false religion, what does it tell us about ours? I hope your first thought is not, “well we don’t want to be like that do we”? Let’s go back to the start of the piece and ask what we have done to our belief that rules = legalism, and that it is all bad. Is it? Isn’t it time we took another look at the God given rules we have been commanded to follow, and yes then, only then, follow those commands in love? Just asking.