What Is LEGALISM and Its Four “Limbs”?

Here’s a summary of general legalism and its four “limbs”:

General Legalism refers to legalism in general. It’s an obsession with legalities and could just as well be described as law-ism or rule-ism. It’s the emphasis on the outer at the expense of the inner. As such, outward conformity to the letter of the law is what’s most important to legalists. For instance, as long as you go to multiple church services each week, wear the “right” clothes and say the right things you’re good to go; it doesn’t matter that you’re a practicing liar, gossip, slanderer, abuser, thief, drunkard, druggie or porn addict the rest of the week. Why? Because legalism is a spirit of religious hypocrisy. It’s only concerned with the appearances of godliness, not godliness itself. It’s fake Christianity. For details go here.

Rigid Sectarianism refers to an unhealthy devotion to one’s sect or group. People infected by this strain accept or reject others based on whether or not they’re part of their group and how devoted they are to their sect’s distinctive doctrines and rules. All pseudo-Christian groups are, of course, steeped in this, like the Jehovah’s False Witnesses and Mormons, but Evangelical, Charismatic and Mainline groups can be infected just as easily. Legalism is no respecter of church, ministry or denominational boundaries. It can infect anyone, anywhere, anytime, but only if you’re unaware of it and allow it. For details go here.

The Spirit of Religious Formal Death is a sterile “go through the motions” disposition. The older a sect or person is, the easier it is to fall into this legalistic rut. Groups that veer toward formality and ritualism naturally have a greater tendency of being infected by this strain. Don’t get me wrong here as there’s a time and place for formality and ritual,* but each must be kept in check; they shouldn’t spill over into every area of life. If you’re a spiritual believer and the church services you’re experiencing are dreadfully boring you can be sure the assembly is infected by this strain. For details go here.

* Ritual will take you further than desire because it’s habitual—it’s something you do no matter what because it’s a disciplined activity. Desire, by contrast, is whimsical.

The Spirit of Bondage is a sourpuss spirit that’s obsessed with numerous religious rules. You’ll observe many peculiar rules and sense a suffocating vibe of bondage rather than freedom. Becoming an elder or teacher is more involved than flying to the moon; sometimes merely becoming a member of the congregation. Contrast this to what Paul simply taught in 1 Corinthians 14:26 (and, no, I’m not suggesting that people of very questionable character should be allowed to serve at churches). To leave such groups is tantamount to getting a divorce and disobeying the LORD because these types seek to keep you in bondage to them. They’ll even cite prophesies to wield power and prevent you from leaving. Groups that try to put New Testament believers under the yoke of Old Testament Law are steeped in this form of legalism, like the Hebrew Roots movement. For details go here.

The Spirit of Condemnation and Authoritarianism refers to those who typically tear down believers rather than build them up. Since the Bible clearly teaches that ministers are supposed to build believers up, those who tear them down are actually doing the opposite of their purpose as ministers! The teachings of those infected by this strain aren’t about setting believers free but rather tearing them down. It’s all about power, intimidation, fear and manipulation. These types love to dominate others with a “lord it over” disposition rather than serve or lead by example. As such, they’re not truly ministers because ‘minister’ means “servant.” For details go here.

Here’s an image that might help you visualize all of this (click to enlarge):

A Quintessential Example of Legalism

Now that we have a biblical understanding of legalism and its several manifestations, allow me to share a fascinating brush with legalism I had many years ago.

It was late June, 1993. My aging mother wanted to see Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, so I took her. We went south from Northeast Ohio into the heart of West Virginia where we stopped to eat. We observed a large framed photo on the wall of the restaurant, which we discovered was a picture of the New River Gorge Bridge in South Central WV. The bridge was so spectacular we decided to take the detour to see it.

When we arrived at the bridge the park was full of visitors. I had driven over five hours and it was a real hot one so I immediately took off my muscle shirt. After unleashing some pent-up energy—dashing around and taking pictures—my mother and I climbed down the lengthy wooden stairs that culminated in a scenic overlook. Mom immediately sat down at the overlook while I proceeded to get some shots of the bridge.

I only half noticed a well-dressed family on the overlook platform. The family consisted of a young couple and maybe three little kids. They were done sightseeing and started to climb back up. While enjoying the view and snapping pictures, I observed that the husband turned around and came back down the stairs to hand my mother a pamphlet. Curious, I joined them and discovered that it was an evangelistic tract.

A smile beamed on my face as I said to the young man, “Oh, you’re a Christian, so are we!” He looked at me with an utterly dead countenance, turned around and walked back up the stairs, saying nothing. We were dumbfounded by this peculiar reaction but didn’t give it much thought and certainly didn’t let it ruin our visit to the park.

At the time, I belonged to a thriving church that had a spirit of life and grace (my mother too, albeit a different assembly) so this was a relatively new experience for me. In other words, even though I was almost ten years old in the Lord, I wasn’t used to run-ins with sourpuss religionists.

Over the many years since this experience the Lord has repeatedly brought me back to it. It’s sad, but the man was clearly a prisoner of legalism. How so? Think about it, he couldn’t even enjoy an afternoon at the park with his family without feeling compelled to “witness” to two individuals who had no need of his evangelistic efforts. My mother and I were solid churchgoing Christians and I was in the Word and prayer daily, serving the LORD.

Consider his response when I said, “Oh, you’re a Christian, so are we!” He looked at me with a dead visage, turned around, and walked away. This indicates a few obvious things: 1. He had no joy; 2. what he was really saying by this rude response was, “There’s no way on God’s green earth that you’re a Christian”; and 3. he condemned us—or rather me—based on appearances alone. How do I know? Because, unless smiling and being friendly are heinous sins, my mother and I did nothing to suggest that we were lost sinners. This indicates that he judged me by appearances alone. Now, at the time, my hair was sort of long in the back but the rest of it was rather short; my ears weren’t covered and neither was my face. In short, I didn’t look like Charles Manson. It’s true that I had taken my muscle shirt off and all I had on were shorts, socks and tennis shoes, but this was entirely appropriate apparel for a park in the middle of a hot summer day, even more so for vacationers, which many of the people were. For whatever reasons, my appearance and free-spirited manner offended his religious sensibilities and he deemed me a diabolical heathen when nothing could’ve been further from the truth.

Interestingly, the man showed signs of all five of the main strains of legalism as follows:

General Legalism: He clearly focused on the outer at the expense of the inner. I spoke to him with a spirit of joy and kindness and all he could see was that I didn’t have a shirt on and my hair was kind of long in the back (the horror, the horror). Apparently, he felt that true Christians should dress to the nines when they visit a park in the heat of the summer. And, by golly, they’d better have a close-shaven 50’s-styled haircut!

Rigid Sectarianism: Why didn’t this man accept that I was a fellow believer? Likely because I didn’t look like someone from his church. Simply put, I wasn’t one of them, so I must’ve been a desperately lost soul. After all, a truly saved person would look and dress exactly like the people in his congregation. Why sure!

The Spirit of Religious Formal Death: Like I said, he and his family were dressed to the nines without exception—ties, long white dresses and so forth. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this. Some people dress up more than others. I enjoy dressing up when appropriate. Yet it did seem strange that they were so spit and polished for a frolic in the park on a hot summer afternoon. Then again, it might have been a Sunday and they were simply visiting the park after their church service (I can’t remember what day it was). The point is that the man was all tight-wound and formal, way too much for the occasion. Apparently, my utter lack of formality offended him, possibly my spontaneity as well. God forbid that someone should have fun at a park in the heat of a summer day!

The Spirit of Bondage: As noted above, the man couldn’t even enjoy an afternoon at the park with his family without feeling compelled to “boldly minister” to a couple of people who had absolutely no need of his evangelism. One thing’s for sure, he wasn’t led of the Holy Spirit since we were already devout believers. However, even if we weren’t believers, his efforts would have been worthless because he had no joy and was inexplicably rude to boot. Needless to say, no one in their right mind would want to be like him and serve his God! The man was like a lifeless robot merely following his programming. I can just see the pastor of his church ranting during a sermon: “You’re not witnessing enough! You need to go out there and boldly witness! I know you’re not evangelizing because there aren’t any new people here! And you call yourself a Christian?!” This type of shame-based “preaching” may manipulate some to go out and pass out tracts or what have you, but they won’t have any life or joy doing it. They’ll be miserable because they’re stuck in a miserable church that has a spirit of religionist bondage. Bondage always brings misery and this guy was clearly miserable, at least that day at the park he was.

The Spirit of Condemnation: It’s true that the man didn’t speak a word to me, but his expression and actions spoke volumes. Communication is more than verbal. By looking at me with contempt and silently walking away he was most certainly condemning me. He was basically saying, “There’s no way you are a Christian!” Legalism doesn’t extend love and grace because it has neither. Legalism unjustly condemns because that’s its nature: “the letter kills.”

I don’t share this story with carnal anger or hatred toward this man. I didn’t feel hostility toward him then and I don’t now. At the time, I was simply perplexed by his actions, but not any longer. I now understand what went wrong in his spiritual walk. He was infected by legalism. I feel sad for him and people like him. For whatever reasons, they’re stuck in a legalistic rut. They’re prisoners. What’s sadder is that they don’t even know it, which is something we’ll address in the next section—deception. They sincerely think they’re walking according to true Christianity when nothing could be further from the truth.

Although I don’t feel anger or hatred toward this man I DO feel anger and hatred toward legalism itself—righteous anger and righteous hatred. The Bible emphatically declares “To fear the LORD is to hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13) and legalism is thoroughly evil. In a way it’s even more dangerous than conventional fleshly antics like sexual immorality, theft and drunkard-ness because legalism always hides under a mask of religious respectability, like the warden in the popular film The Shawshank Redemption. The Bible also says “The righteous hate what is false” (Proverbs 13:5) and legalism is false to its rotten core. It’s phony Christianity.

The reason I wrote this article is because I loathe legalism in all its ugly forms and I’m righteously angry that so many have been deceived by it; not just those infected by legalism, but all the innocent believers in their midst who have experienced so much legalism that they start to think it’s real Christianity when, in fact, it’s the express opposite.

How to Purge Legalism

How should you and I deal with this spiritual disease if we observe it in ourselves or others? What should we do if we see it taking root in our churches? Here’s a 5-point plan of action:

1. Knowledge Is Power

The book of wisdom says: “A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength” (Proverbs 24:5). If knowledge is power then ignorance is the opposite—weakness and limitation. Jesus said “the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). “Truth” refers to accurate knowledge; and accurate knowledge that’s understood and applied naturally sets free. Freedom is the purpose of this this article—freedom from the yoke of religious bondage. (Freedom from lawlessness, aka hedonism, is just as important, which you can read about here).

So acquiring knowledge is the first step to freedom because people can’t very well walk free of legalism if they don’t even know what it is. Knowledge will empower you. So go over this article & the linking materials and the numerous scriptural passages as necessary until you master the material, particularly the parts that really register. Seek the LORD for understanding and insight, as encouraged in Proverbs 2:1-7.

Remember, knowledge is power whereas ignorance is weakness, limitation and even ruin.

2. Examine Yourself Regularly and Be Honest About It

The Bible instructs us to honestly look within and examine our actions and motives in view of God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth (2 Corinthians 13:5, John 14:26 & 16:13). This should be done regularly. It’s the answer to any flesh problem or legalistic corruption; it’s also the answer to deception, including self-deception.

Think about it: When people are deceived they don’t know they’re deceived. For instance, the Pharisees are the quintessential example of legalism in the Bible. They sincerely believed they were God’s children, but Jesus squarely told them that they were children of the devil (John 8:41,44). Was Jesus being mean? No, he was walking in “tough love” because the first thing deceived people need is the truth since only the truth counteracts lies and sets free. I said that they “sincerely believed” they were God’s children, but sincerity by itself isn’t good if what you sincerely believe is a lie. They may have been sincere in their belief but their belief was sincerely wrong.

Think of all the deceived people who grow up in cultish quasi-Christian groups or false religions. They’ve been indoctrinated to believe that their group is the one true sect or religion, just like the Pharisees. Such people don’t know they’re deceived because that’s the nature of deception.

Mainline, Evangelical, Charismatic and other Christian groups are not exempt from such deception. There’s enough false teaching, legalism and lawlessness to go around.

The answer to deception is truth. How do people who are deceived in one or more areas get set free if they don’t realize they’re deceived? Simple: When you regularly examine yourself, be honest about it. Be honest with yourself, be honest with the LORD, and be honest with his Word. Ask something like: “Heavenly Father, if I am deceived in any area; open my eyes to the truth through your Word by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May the truth continually set me free!”

You can be sure that any believer who regularly does this will move steadily forward, becoming more and more spiritually mature, walking in greater and greater insight, truth and freedom (Proverbs 2:1-7).

Consider this passage:

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light.

Psalm 36: 9

God isn’t just the Creator of life; he’s the Fountain of Life! He gushes forth life constantly like a fountain or geyser gushes water. This is why the Bible constantly encourages believers to get close to God and stay close—because there’s LIFE in his presence. This is why David emphasized the incredible JOY in His presence (Psalm 16:11 & 21:6)! There’s no depression or sterility in God’s presence—there’s JOY and LIFE!

The passage states that when we experience the light of God’s presence we’ll naturally “see light.” Spiritual light is the opposite of spiritual darkness and parallels truth, life and freedom. This is the answer to any type of deception—getting close to God and staying close. Religion will always deceive you one way or another but a relationship with the Fountain of Life will enlighten you and set you free. That’s why Christianity is a relationship with God and not just another religion.

3. Repent as Necessary

It’s important to keep in repentance whenever you discern deception or error in yourself or your belief system.

Although ‘repentance’ has a negative connotation in modern times it’s actually a very healthy attitude and practice; it simply means to change your mind—your thinking—for the positive. For instance, if you’re currently believing something that you discover is false or partially false then stop believing the lies and embrace the true belief and mindset (at least as “true” as you presently can fathom it). Thinking is linked to behavior. This is why Paul instructed believers to count themselves as dead to sin but alive on to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11-12). Paul then went on to relay the law of displacement: If your behavior is in error, immediately stop the behavior and start implementing the right action. This is true repentance, not mere words. The law of displacement works in a spiritual sense just as it does in the physical, which is why it’s vital that you replace the false belief with true belief (or, at least, more accurate belief) and the erroneous behavior with righteous behavior.

Continually changing for the positive—repentance—is literally the way to life:

the corrections of discipline

are the way to life

Proverbs 6:23

Reproofs of instruction are the way of life

Proverbs 6:23 (NKJV)

Regularly give yourself a spiritual examination and be honest about it; seek the Fountain of Life through His Word and the help of the Holy Spirit. Keep with repentance, as John the Baptist put it (Matthew 3:8 & Luke 3:8), and the Lord will continually purify you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). This will keep you spiritually healthy and free from the poison of legalism.

4. Examine Believers Near You, Including the Church and Sect to Which You Belong

You should only do this if you’re freed-up of legalism yourself through applying the three previous points, otherwise you’ll be guilty of hypocritical judging, something Jesus squarely condemned in Matthew 7:1-5. “Hypocritical judging” is when a man judges and condemns another person for something he himself is doing. Christ concluded this passage by saying that the believer with a figurative plank in his eye can help the believer with a speck once he removes his plank and can “see clearly.” Only then is he able to help the other with his speck. This is just common sense since we can only give what we have; if you don’t have freedom you can’t give freedom.

It’s important to stress that the Lord meant “Do not judge” only in this hypocritical sense, as there are numerous examples of righteous judging in the New Testament. For example, Christ condemned the legalists for wanting to stone an adulterous woman because they were just as guilty (John 8:1-11). Yeshua rightly condemned their hypocritical judging but proceeded to righteously judge the woman by telling her, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” You see, Jesus made a righteous judgment about her immoral lifestyle and didn’t hesitate to instruct her to repent, i.e. change for the positive.

Paul did the same thing when he judged an unrepentant fornicator at the Corinth church and encouraged the believers to expel him (1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 9-13). The good news is that the man later repented whereupon Paul readily instructed the believers to welcome him back into their fellowship (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

It’s important to point out from Matthew 7—the very chapter where Jesus said “Do not judge”—that he also instructed believers to judge the fruit of those who propose to speak for God (7:15-23). Christ stressed: “By their fruit you will recognize them,” referring to those who falsely speak for God (verses 16 & 20). Why is this important? Because not everyone’s genuine; there are false prophets all over. A “false prophet” is anyone who falsely speaks for God, usually people in positions of spiritual authority, whether pastor, teacher, elder, prophet or what have you. Christ pointed out that they can be easily recognized by their fruit. Do you see consistent fruit of the spirit in their lives or do you see works of the flesh, as detailed in Galatians 5:19-23? Not that anyone’s perfect and even Christian servant-leaders miss it now and then (1 John 1:8-9), although they should certainly be mature enough that they’re freed-up from major flesh issues (1 Timothy 3:1-6). After all, if someone in a leadership position has major flesh problems that tells you he or she is not a worthy servant-leader.

The difference between genuine believers and counterfeits is that genuine believers have a humble spirit and therefore readily confess and repent when they miss it, while counterfeits are stubborn and proud. The latter refuse to admit their error and turn from it, even when legitimately corrected; in fact, they’ll hate you for correcting them (Proverbs 9:7-9). This is how you discern the genuine from the disingenuous. Do you see an elder or pastor who has an arrogant, stubborn spirit that refuses to repent, even when corrected in love? You can be sure that he or she is false or, at the very least, unworthy of following at the present time. Leave them! They are blind guides; if the blind follow the blind they will both fall into a pit (Matthew 15:13-14).

5. Implement Spiritual Warfare

As a faithful “fruit-watcher,” if you discern legalistic qualities in others, including those in servant-leadership positions, you must implement spiritual warfare ASAP. “Spiritual warfare” means to overcome evil with spiritual activities. Here are some powerful warfare tactics that are 100% scriptural:

Prayer. This is where you’ll always want to start because prayer is the vehicle that literally releases God’s will and his kingdom to reign in people’s lives and situations for which you intercede. If someone somewhere doesn’t pray and “loose” God’s will and kingdom on the scene, his will won’t be done and his kingdom won’t reign in the situation for which you’re praying. Someone might understandably argue: “Well, why doesn’t God just do it? Why does someone have to pray?” Because, although God is sovereign and reigns supreme, the kingdom of darkness has authority on this Earth until the end of this age, which is why this current era is called “the present evil age” in Galatians 1:4. Thankfully, the kingdom of darkness has no authority over members of the Church. ‘Church’ is ekklesia (ee-KLEE-see-ah) in the Greek and means “called-out ones.” Believers are called out of this present darkness and have the authority to bind the kingdom of darkness and loose God’s will and kingdom.*

* For details and scriptural support see the article Spiritual Warfare — The Basics, particularly the section Binding & Loosing through Prayer. Also see the article SPIRITUAL WARFARE — Do You Know What You’re Fighting For?

Again, prayer is the vehicle that releases God’s will and power into people’s lives and situations on Earth. Why do you think Christ said we need to pray for our enemies? Because if someone is attacking you without cause you can be sure that he/she is walking in the flesh and God’s kingdom is not reigning in his/her life. Praying for the individual is the antidote.

If people are walking in overt legalism they may not be a personal enemy, but they are an enemy of the kingdom of God, whether they know it or not, just as the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were enemies of Christ. Pray for them regularly; pray in the spirit, which is the seventh piece of the armor of God, even though it’s not given a figurative description (Ephesians 6:18); I call it the artillery or missiles of praying in the spirit because you can effectively pray for people miles away or on the other side of the planet.

Teaching/Preaching. This doesn’t refer to just sermons but any occasion where you might have the opportunity to give a “word of instruction” (1 Corinthians 14:26), like when you’re out for coffee or emailing. It simply refers to sharing the truths of God’s Word. As such, teaching/preaching isn’t limited to pulpit ministers who hail from respected cemeteries, I mean seminaries. Keep in mind that in the early Church believers normally met in houses where the groups were relatively small and there were no literal pulpits, nor were there any seminaries as we understand them. Ministers were raised up and trained in the assemblies.

Teaching or sharing biblical insights is important because it provides the opportunity to sow God’s Word into others’ lives. If someone is infected by legalism, the Word of God is the antidote because it is the truth and has the power to set free (John 8:31-32 & 17:17), assuming of course it’s “rightly divided,” i.e. properly interpreted.

Setting a Godly Example. Some may scoff at this one because it’s so simple, but it’s a powerful principle nevertheless. Why else do you think Peter included it in his list of the four main duties of pastors, along with feeding the Word, overseeing and serving? See 1 Peter 5:1-3.

Consider these examples:

If you observe an authoritarian spirit, counteract it by setting an example of humble service.
If you see some believers getting overly technical with religious rules, set an example of the spirit of the law in question, as well as the spirit of grace.
If you see condemnation, set an example of building others up.
If you see greed, set an example of cheerful generosity.
If you see an unbalanced emphasis on appearances, set an example of inward godliness.
If you see an attitude of rigid sectarianism, set an example of openness to believers outside your group.
If you see a sourpuss spirit, set an example of joy.
If you witness stifling bondage, illustrate true freedom in everything you do.
If you witness dreadfully boring formality, set an example of spontaneity and passion. Etcetera.

Setting an example is often more effective than verbal confrontation because actions speak louder than words.

Confront as Led of the Holy Spirit, Gently or Sternly. If prayer, teaching, and setting a godly example fail to produce positive results you may have to confront and offer correction. The Holy Spirit may even lead you to do this immediately when encountering legalism in one form or another, as was the case with Paul’s open rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2:11-14. Provoked by the Spirit, Paul sought to nip Peter’s blatant display of legalism in the bud because so much was at stake at that critical juncture in history. Paul loved the Lord and people too much to allow the gospel of grace to be poisoned by legalism. Had he not acted decisively at that moment the positive worldwide impact of Christianity would have suffered.

Open correction is necessary in such cases. Paul was walking according to biblical wisdom:

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Proverbs 27:5

This kind of correction need not be unnecessarily stern since “a gentle tongue can break a bone” (Proverbs 25:15), but sometimes you’ll have to take a stricter approach. Paul was stern with Peter in the above confrontation but he certainly wasn’t radically stern. I encourage you to be as gentle as possible with confrontations since gentleness “turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1); only take a severer approach when mandatory, as led of the Spirit, whether mild sternness or heavy sternness. Jesus took the mildly strict approach when he called Peter “Satan” in Matthew 16:23 and he obviously took the radically stern route when he openly called the legalists “hypocrites,” “blind fools,” “snakes,” “brood of vipers” “full of wickedness” in Matthew 23.

The only type of people I know who seem to enjoy such confrontations are those with strong Type A personalities. These are people who typically throw their weight around, so to speak. No one else enjoys confrontation, but sometimes it has to be done, as Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-17 and Luke 17:3-4.

Although I don’t mind confrontation and correction when it comes to mild things, I hate it when it concerns serious issues. I’ll only do it when there’s no other recourse or if I’m seriously provoked by the Holy Spirit. Here’s one occasion:

Years ago, about 15-20 believers were hanging out in the opening room of the church facility that Carol and I were attending. One group consisted of the pastor, two associates and a couple others. I was about 10 feet away talking with other believers but I couldn’t help overhear some of the conversation of the other group because it was so loud and biting. Headed by the pastor and assistant, they were slamming a ministry couple from a different church who organized and implemented special concerts at our assembly once a month. I tried to ignore their conversation and concentrate on the people I was with, but their gossip went on and on. Not only were they overtly gossiping, they were fault-finding. What a great example to set for others, huh?

After about twelve minutes I just couldn’t take any more and so turned to them and said loudly, “Will you chill out; they’re not that bad!” This is not my typical manner but I couldn’t stand idly by another second while church leaders behaved in such an ignoble fashion. The associate pastor turned to me with anger and corrected me for having the audacity to confront elders. He was much older than me and I respected him in many ways, so I kept my mouth shut. This is what the Spirit led me to do. I even said I was sorry, but I didn’t apologize for what I said—since what I said was right and I was provoked of the Spirit—I simply apologized for having to say it.

So, by keeping mum and apologizing I ate humble pie, but I didn’t mind because the confrontation and correction immediately stopped the juvenile backbiting. In other words, it accomplished its purpose. Except for the brief knee-jerk response of the associate, they were all stunned to silence and clearly ashamed. The gossip stopped and no one ever discussed the occasion again; that is, not in the open community.

The moral of the story is that sometimes the Spirit will compel you to open rebuke even if it’s not your forte. It’s a powerful principle that brings positive results, as long as the people receiving the correction are godly (Proverbs 9:7-9). But please don’t misuse this principle by using it to dominate others, which is arrogance. Always strive for humility and a servant’s heart; humility attracts God’s grace whereas arrogance repels Him (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5 and Proverbs 3:34).

Victory over Legalism

To recap, these five factors are essential to purging legalism in yourself and others:

Acquire knowledge about legalism.
Examine yourself according to that knowledge and be honest.
Repent as necessary and keep in penitence.
Examine the fruit of others near you, particularly spiritual leaders; but also relatives, friends, people at work, government bureaucrats, etc.
Implement spiritual warfare whenever you observe legalism—pray, share the truth, set a godly example and confront when necessary.

If you keep a tight relationship with the LORD and implement these warfare tactics you’ll surely incur the wrath of legalists, but don’t be concerned. All they can do is reject you, slander you, and prevent you from ministering in their circles. Jesus said to rejoice when people persecute you in this way (Matthew 5:11-12). As was the case with Christ, these persecutors will often be “God’s people.” In other words, those attacking you will put on the appearances of being godly and devout when nothing could be further from the truth. They’re legalists and therefore fake. Again, don’t be concerned. They can’t stop someone who’s anointed of God. They can’t win.

The legalists of 1^st century Israel tried to find a way to murder the Messiah “yet they could not find any way to do it” (Luke 19:47-48). Many times they tried to apprehend him and kill him, but they couldn’t achieve it.* The only time they were able to apprehend him was when they captured him in order to crucify him. Of course, this was according to God’s will so he could die for our sins, which opened the door to eternal salvation for humanity.

* Examples include: Luke 4:28-30 where the offended people of Nazareth attempted to throw Christ off a cliff but he escaped by mysteriously walking “right through the crowd”; John 7:30,44 where those who wanted to seize the Messiah couldn’t lay a hand on him “because his time had not yet come”; John 8:59 where the offended religionists picked up stones to slay Yeshua but he miraculously hid himself and slipped by them; and John 10:31,39 where a group tried to murder him in Solomon’s Colonnade and he “escaped their wrath.”

To Cut Ties or Not to Cut Ties?

What do you do when hardcore legalists refuse to repent even after implementing the above strategies with much patience? The Lord advised departing from so-called spiritual leaders who are dyed-in-the-wool legalists (Matthew 15:14). This would include pastors and the assemblies they shepherd. In such cases, simply seek the Lord about finding a new fellowship, obviously one that’s spiritually healthy. But, if it comes down to having to do this, keep your former assembly in prayer. Who knows? Yahweh is a miraculous God who changes people’s hearts—if they’re willing—and the door may open one day to go back to a former fellowship or, at least, restore relations with people there. Whatever you do, don’t allow bitterness and hatred to take root in your heart. Never let the darkness in others take away your light!

What if the legalist in question is a family member, relative, friend or someone at the work place? How do you “leave” such people when you’re bound to run into them now and then? You can “leave” them in the sense of not being close to them. Don’t buddy around with them. If possible, don’t eat with them (1 Corinthians 5:11). Of course, continue to walk in love toward them when you inevitably brush shoulders, including walking in tough love when appropriate. But don’t hate them or become bitter; and please don’t gossip about them. Keep ’em in prayer. One day the LORD may break them, so to speak. If so, the door will be open for you to cultivate a closer relationship. Amen.

This article was edited from chapters 8–9 of…