Do that and you’re grounded.” Parents “lay down the law” for various infractions so they can protect their children from danger and train them to do what is right. These rules, along with parents’ reaction to behavior, form the foundation and guideposts for people’s adult lives.

Do that and you’re grounded.” Parents “lay down the law” for various infractions so they can protect their children from danger and train them to do what is right. These rules, along with parents’ reaction to behavior, form the foundation and guideposts for people’s adult lives. For the Israelites, the law revealed on Mount Sinai formed the foundation for their community. The purpose of this law was to show the Israelites how to be holy, just as God is holy (Lev. 11:45).

God Alone Saves

As effective as God’s law is in pointing out right and wrong, problems occur when we focus on the law alone. This leaves us frustrated and dismayed because the law cannot make us holy (Gal. 2:16; 3:10; Heb. 10:1).

The Bible is clear: Salvation is from God through faith in Christ (Rom. 5:6–8; Eph. 2:8). We cannot save ourselves by obeying the law (Gal. 3:11). Yet, for the Christian, the law continues to have some value. Our works don’t save us—but they are a natural outgrowth of our relationship with God.

The Temptation Of Legalism

Some Christians are tempted toward legalism—focusing on the law. They stress conformity to rules, believing that obedience to rules is integral to salvation. Many times, the rules on which legalists focus aren’t even in the Bible, but they are set up as salvation indicators. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, legalists set up a fence of human-made laws to keep themselves from sinning. Jesus clearly censured the Pharisees for legalism (Matt. 23:2–4). To those who believed that they would be saved by their own works, the apostle Paul wrote that their focus on the law canceled out Christ’s work on their behalf (Gal. 5:1, 2).

The opposite tendency is just as dangerous, however. Some Christians claim that their behavior has nothing to do with their Christianity. Theologians call these people “antinomians” (against law). Paul admonished such people to stop sinning and to “glorify God” with their behavior ?(1 Cor. 6:20).

Maintaining The Balance

The Bible encourages believers to balance the two extremes—the impulse to reject the law entirely, and the inclination to concentrate on works. John Calvin and Martin Luther thought much about the proper role of the law in a Christian’s life. They identified three roles for the law:

First, the law gives everyone—both believer and unbeliever—guidelines on how to order society. It shows everyone what is right and wrong.

Second, the law drives people to Christ, by showing how evil they are—how short they have fallen of God’s standard.

Third, the law gives believers principles for living.

Freedom For Legalists

Discussing the Rules

The first step to freedom from legalism is to discuss the rules—both the rules enforced by others and the rules of one’s own conscience. There is nothing wrong with having personal convictions and abstaining from certain activities. In fact, Christians should be self-controlled (2 Pet. 1:6) and should avoid tempting situations (Prov. 4:14, 15). Moreover, Paul encourages Christians to tolerate each other’s personal convictions, so that no one may be tempted to do something against their conscience (1 Cor. 8:1–13). But we run into problems when these rules become criteria by which a group determines whether someone is saved.

Although legalism can occur in various ways, there are a number of telltale signs. Often, legalism overemphasizes appearances—like hair length, clothing, or music. Typically, every rule has a well-thought-out rationale. Usually, the rule is designed to protect people from temptation; for example, “Card-playing may tempt someone to gamble, so don’t do it.” Often there is an authority figure providing interpretation and enforcement. Also, legalism cannot tolerate ambiguity, so nearly every facet of life has a rule. Taken to the extreme, legalism gets to be a test of salvation.

Legalism creates many victims. Sometimes a child affected by legalism grows up to be a rebel, refusing to accept rules in life. Legalism can also create a guilt-ridden person who constantly evaluates their life by certain strict standards. This type of person often has trouble accepting God’s forgiveness.

The lives of legalists are defined by rules. They need to talk about the subtle effects of rules on them. Do the rules produce guilt? Does the law spark anger and rebellion? Discussing the rules will help legalists to identify the attitudes that are imprisoning them.

Focusing on God

Because legalism focuses on appearances, the antidote to legalism is focusing on God and His love. Our Lord unconditionally loves us. In fact, Christ loved us so much, He died for us when we were still His enemies (Rom. 5:6–8). Just as the prodigal son came back to his father with nothing, so we come to God with nothing—no good works, no trophies, no awards. We come to God to accept what only He can give us—salvation through His Son. Our works amount to nothing. God’s grace is everything. Reminding ourselves of God’s amazing gift of salvation is the best way to fight legalism.

Living as God’s Child

The Holy Spirit is in our hearts as evidence of our relationship to God (Gal. 4:5–7). The Spirit frees us from the law’s condemnation and gives us the power to do what is right (Rom. 8:1–5). We are no longer slaves to the law; we are God’s children (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 3:26–29). We are to live in the freedom God gives. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Further Meditation

Other passages to study about the issue of legalism include:

   – 1 Corinthians 10:23—11:1
   – Galatians 2:11—4:7
   – Ephesians 2:8, 9
   – Philippians 3:1—4:1
   – Colossians 2:11–23
   – Titus 2:11–14
   – James 2:14–26

To Learn More: Turn to the key passage note on legalism at Romans 7:6–14 on page 1473.

To learn more see: The Soul Care Bible: Experiencing and Sharing Hope God’s Way

This article is Copyright © 2001 by the American Association of Christian Counselors