Beware of the Religious Spirit of BONDAGE

The Bible emphatically declares:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

The “yoke of slavery” Paul was referring to is the yoke of religious law. In this particular case, a group of legalistic teachers called the Judaizers infiltrated the Gentile churches of Galatia and taught that the requirements of Jewish religion—the Mosaic Law plus other traditions—were necessary for salvation and spirituality. This included physical circumcision, traditional fasts and observing various holy-days. How do we know? Circumcision was an issue as confirmed by Galatians 2:3 and 5:2-3, while the others are verified in 4:10 where Paul criticizes: “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!” “Days” refers to strict Sabbath-keeping, “months” to the fast initiated by the Jews during their Babylonian captivity, “seasons” to the seven Jewish feasts, and “years” to the seven 7-year periods that culminated in the fiftieth year, the year of Jubilee.

Putting believers under such laws is a “different gospel,” as Paul called it (Galatians 1:6)—a perversion of the true gospel.

The true gospel is that salvation comes simply by God’s graciousness through faith in Christ’s justifying death and resurrection, “not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:9). True faith will produce good works (James 2:14-24) because “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). This occurs naturally as the believer learns to put off the old self—the flesh—and put on the new self—the spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24).

This is why it’s so important for believers to know who they are in Christ. Those who aren’t bearing fruit and doing good works aren’t necessarily counterfeits. More likely they have an identity problem—they simply don’t know who they are (a topic addressed here). Counterfeits can be identified by a consistent unrepentant spirit; in other words, they stubbornly continue to walk in the flesh with no care of repentance, even after being exposed to these powerful life-changing truths (Matthew 7:15-23).

Legalists Want to Put You into Bondage

The Judaizers who infiltrated the Galatian churches were legalists. They had a spirit of bondage that made them obsessed with the yoke of religious law. A “yoke” is a device for joining together a pair of draft animals so they can be worked as a team, typically oxen. The beasts are shackled together for the purpose of work. That’s what the yoke of religious law does to people; it shackles them together to perform religious works. It’s religious bondage, which is the antithesis of the spirit of freedom and, as such, saps joy.

You won’t see a lot of joy in those entrenched in religious bondage. The Judaizers were such people and they started to sap the Galatians’ joy, which is why Paul asked them, “What happened to all your joy?” (Galatians 4:15).

Those who have a spirit of bondage can’t set others free because they themselves don’t have freedom. People can only give what they’ve got. Those who have a spirit of bondage can only give bondage. In fact, it’s their primary objective—to make people slaves to religious rules. It’s their goal. Here’s an example:

…some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment,

Galatians 2:4-5

In this passage Paul is talking about his second trip to Jerusalem where he shared his calling with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. His calling was to minister to the Gentiles. That’s when some dyed-in-the-wool legalists infiltrated Paul’s group to spy on them. We know they were hardcore legalists because Paul describes them as “false brothers.” In other words, these weren’t genuine believers who were stumbling into a system of rules and regulations, like the Galatians, but rather full-tilt legalists similar to the Pharisees who antagonized the Messiah. They weren’t spiritual brothers at all. And notice what their goal was: to make those who were walking in the freedom of Christ slaves. Make no mistake, legalists hate freedom; it goes against everything they are. Legalists are people in bondage to rules, which is why it’s called legal-ism, meaning law-ism or rule-ism.

Paul stresses in verse 5 that he and his team didn’t give in to these legalists for a moment. You can’t parley with people infected by this spiritual disease. If you give ’em an inch they’ll take the proverbial mile. Resist their legalism, pray for them, correct them through the Scriptures, and leave them when you must, as Jesus taught in Matthew 15:14, but never give in to them, not a single inch. The only exception would be if you’re going into their territory to try to minister life to them. Paul expressed it this way: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law… To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-20,22-23).

The legalistic spirit of bondage manifests in many forms. Let’s start with the most obvious…

Bondage to Old Testament Law (Torah)

The Judaizers who infiltrated the Galatian assemblies wanted to put the believers back under the Old Testament Law, along with other religious traditions. A good modern example of this would be the legalists of the Hebrew Roots movement, who have infiltrated many churches and seminaries. Yet notice how clear the New Testament is about believers not being under the Mosaic Law, the Torah:

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:18

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14

…we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Romans 7:6

In the New Testament era we’ve been released from the Law—the Torah—to “serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” We’re “not under Law, but under grace,” meaning we’re under God’s graciousness—favor—through the work of Christ wherein we obtain spiritual regeneration and are reconciled with the LORD & indwelt by the Counselor, the Holy Spirit.

What does being “under the law” mean? It means putting the Law in front of you and trying to force your flesh to comply. This never works. In fact, it will actually increase the sin problem. Why do you think Paul said, “The law was added so that the trespass might increase” (Romans 5:20)? This was the reason the Law was given to humanity—to increase the sin problem and drive us to the Savior in whom we can have spiritual regeneration. The Law “is holy, righteous and good”—no doubt—but God uses it to illustrate humanity’s miserable sinful condition and drive us to Christ (Romans 7:12).

Since believers are justified in God’s sight by faith we are no longer under the supervision of the Law:

So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

Galatians 3:24-25

‘Guardian’ is translated as “tutor” in some translations and as “schoolmaster” in the King James Version. The original Greek word refers to a household servant or slave whose job was to tutor and oversee male children until they came of age whereupon they took on the responsibilities and freedoms of adulthood. Are you getting this? Believers are no longer under the supervision of religious law. Since we are spiritually regenerated and have the Holy Spirit we are liberated to function in the responsibilities and freedoms of spiritual adulthood.

While New Testament believers are not under the Mosaic Law, we are under the law of Christ:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

1 Corinthians 9:19-21

As you can see, the apostle Paul was “under Christ’s law,” not under the Mosaic Law. He only became “like one under the law” on certain occasions in order to “win those under the law,” meaning he did so to win Jews over to the superior New Covenant. We’ll look at what makes the New Covenant ‘superior’ momentarily.

So believers are not under the Old Testament Law, but rather “under Christ’s law.” Here’s another passage that verifies this:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

But what is the law of Christ? Neither of these verses defines it. Yet this isn’t a problem because Scripture interprets Scripture and the rest of the New Testament shows us what the law of Christ is. Notice how Jesus answers an Expert in the Law who sought to test him:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

“The law and the prophets” is a reference to the Old Testament Scriptures; and, specifically, to the moral law since the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were foreshadows of Christ and were fulfilled in Him:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17

The passage is addressing the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament: “what you eat or drink” refers to dietary laws and the others refer to ceremonial laws. We are not to allow legalists to judge us negatively by these things. In fact, all of them—dietary laws, the Jewish festivals, the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath day—were mere shadows of what was to come, meaning Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. “A shadow” means a foreshadow, which is something that testifies to the reality to come. The real thing, however, is not the shadow. “The reality is found in Christ” and if you’re a believer YOU are “in Christ.” Are you following?

Everything in the Law and Prophets from Genesis to Malachi were types and shadows of the true reality, which is Christ and the spiritual rebirth that comes through his seed and the corresponding indwelling/empowerment of the Holy Spirit.* More than 600 laws were given to the Hebrews in the Old Testament and Jesus fulfilled every one of them; he completed or stopped each one of them, including the Sabbath. This is why Scripture blatantly says “Christ is the culmination [end] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 9:4).

* ‘Seed,’ again, is the Greek word for sperm; compare 1 John 3:9 and 1 Peter 1:23.

So the dietary and ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ and thus we are “released from” them (Romans 7:6). Of course, we are released from the moral law as well since the Messiah also fulfilled the moral law. As such, we’re not under the moral law. Now, some dubious believers might think that this gives them a license to sin, but Paul dealt with this same question in the 1^st century and notice his response:

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

Romans 6:15

So, while believers are not under the moral law, we uphold it:

Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Romans 3:31

How exactly do we uphold the moral law; that is, establish it and fulfill it? Observe…

so that the righteous standard of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

Romans 8:4 (BSB)

The “righteous standard of the Law” refers to the moral law, which is fulfilled in believers “who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.” This means learning to live out of your new spiritual nature as led of the Holy Spirit:

So I say, walk by the spirit,* and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

* Since there is no capitalization in the original Greek text, translators have to determine if the word for “spirit,” pneuma, refers to the human spirit (un-capitalized) or the Holy Spirit (capitalized). Either/or works in this case since the believer’s spirit (un-capitalized) is indwelt and led by the Spirit (capitalized).

You see? Walking in the spirit is the key to fulfilling the moral law for the New Testament believer. This is one-in-the-same as “participating in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). It means being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and is the automatic result of loving God, which is the primary part of the law of Christ and includes “coming near to God” (James 4:8). If you are “near to God” that obviously means that you have a close relationship. So relationship with the LORD is key.

Let’s get back to the Messiah’s statement in Matthew 22:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

All the Old Testament moral laws can be condensed into two basic rules with three applications: LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE as you LOVE YOURSELF. When you do this you automatically fulfill all the moral law of the Old Testament, which is verified by several passages:

“In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the prophets.”

Matthew 7:12

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:8-10

The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

The law of Christ or law of love is also referred to as “the royal law” in Scripture:

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

James 2:8

By the way, loving others means walking in tough love when necessary just as much as it means walking in gentle love. There are several clear examples in Scripture of both Jesus and the apostles walking in tough love when appropriate (e.g. Matthew 23:13-35, Mark 11:15-18, Acts 8:17-24 & 13:8-12).

As noted earlier, the New Covenant that believers have with God is superior to the Old Covenant that the Israelites had:

They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises…

¹³By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Hebrews 8:5-6,13

The New Covenant is “superior” because we’ve been released from the Law—the Torah—as shown in Romans 7:6. We serve in the new way of the Spirit wherein we receive spiritual regeneration (Ephesians 4:22-24) and not in the Old Covenant way of the written code, i.e. the Law. This is great because “the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Humble repentance and faith are the conditions for entering into the New Covenant (Acts 20:21 & Hebrews 6:1) and the terms are “faith working through love,” which means faith is activated by love (Galatians 5:6 Amplified). When we walk out of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) we walk out of faith and thus negate it, which isn’t good because faith is the foundation of our covenant. Why is “faith working through love” so important? Because love is the fulfillment of the moral law. It’s the law of Christ, the law of love.

Needless to say, if you come across a church, a group or any Christian in general who advocates putting believers under the Old Testament Law—including observing the Saturday Sabbath—flee for your spiritual welfare. These types adhere to a “different gospel” (Galatians 1:6). Some obvious modern examples include: The Hebrew Roots movement, adherents of Armstrongism (e.g. the United Church of God and the Philadelphia Church of God) and the Seventh-Day Adventists.

For important details on this topic see this article.

Bondage to the Mosaic Law is just one type of this form of legalism. Spiritual bondage can manifest in several different ways. Here’s another example…

A Church With a Spirit of Bondage

Carol and I visited an assembly for a couple of months to consider joining. We went to every service for these two months, two a week, along with a special service at a linking fellowship as well. We walked in love and faithfully supported the church both financially and prayerfully. I had researched the group online and basically agreed with their doctrinal statement and general vision, but just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’s good in reality. I’ve known women, for example, who married men claiming to own companies, yachts, vacation cabins, etc., but it all turned out to be untrue.

The first bad sign was that the pastor was consistently prune-faced and continually looked at us with a suspicious eye. Being prune-faced indicates a lack of joy (and I don’t mean “prune-faced” solely in a physical sense, as there may be legit reasons for this; I’m talking about the sourpuss disposition behind a prune-face). The second bad sign was that the believers had to sign an attendance sheet at the beginning of each service and check whether they were a member or a visitor, which made us feel like we were back in grade school. The third bad sign was the requirement that believers had to have permission from the pastor to pray for other believers during services and, in fact, required authorized necklace tags. The fourth bad sign was that the apostle of the church was ridiculously aloof and unfriendly. The fifth bad sign was that the pastor compared joining the sect to a marriage contract. Carol and I couldn’t help wondering: Did this mean “divorce” from the church was forbidden? Couldn’t believers just leave if they no longer wanted to be a part of the group? Why not? The sixth bad sign was that the pastor described her submission to the apostle of the church in a disturbing manner. In a sermon she explained that she submitted everything in her life to this man, including her marriage. It sounded weird and even creepy. Does the Bible encourage this type of extreme submission between a pastor and an apostle? No, the Scriptures actually instruct us to “submit to one another out of reverence to Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). It’s a mutual thing and healthy for unity in the body. The radical submission the pastor was talking about was the result of the apostle fostering it. She submitted to him in a bad way and, in turn, projected this same unhealthy submission on to her congregants. Bondage begats bondage.

We overlooked all this, however, since the praise & worship was good and some of the other believers were genuinely fruit-bearing, including the assistant pastor—the pastor’s husband—whom we got along with well.

We realized that we’d likely have to go through some religious hoops to be part of this group even though I already had ministry credentials and a history of proven service, including numerous sermons and a couple self-published books. No problem. The first “hoop” was a series of orientation meetings with the pastor and the assistant pastor, her husband. These meetings included reading material from an introductory booklet and going over questions and answers with the pastors. Since Carol and I were seasoned believers with a long history of service we sort of rolled our eyes at this initiation “hoop,” but we humbled ourselves and were willing to go through such formalities in order to join the group and get things moving.

I should add here that the New Testament certainly provides guidelines for those who want to be servant-leaders in the Church (e.g. 1 Timothy 3). This is simply a matter of wisdom. After all, those who serve in leadership positions should have proven character, humility being especially important in light of Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5. This is vital because Christian leaders have influence and their influence should be positive, not abusive. But wise guidelines for leadership are not what I’m talking about when I say this church had a spirit of bondage. I’m talking about such an obsession with rules that it smacked of bondage. Think about it, believers couldn’t even pray for fellow believers unless they had an authorized neck-tag! And merely joining the church was likened to Marriage! (I’m of course talking about joining their assembly since believers are already a part of the Church). This is the textbook definition of “legal-ism”—obsession with laws to the point that it squeezes out all life and sense of freedom.

Getting back to the story, Carol and I received the booklet and were instructed to go over it before the first meeting; this included answering numerous questions in the booklet. It didn’t take long for us to conclude that we weren’t going to be able to go through with it. The booklet was ridiculous. The questions went on and on and, frankly, many of them were nosy. It was so bad we half-expected to be asked to list every sin we had committed in the last five years and then be told to openly confess them in front of the congregation! (Lol). Quite a few of the questions concerned things that were no one’s business, including the pastors. We’d be willing to answer some or all of them, as long as we were allowed to ask the pastors the same questions. After all, why should we divulge our entire history and private lives to these relative strangers, unless they were willing to do the same? Aren’t leaders in the Church commissioned to be servants—even slaves in a figurative sense—to those they’re called to serve? See Mark 10:42-45. The intimate questions were an obvious attempt to acquire power over any believer who was considering joining their church.

So I called the assistant pastor and said I’d like to talk with him personally, not just about the absurd booklet, but also about the other bad signs we observed. He tried to get me to elaborate on the phone but I insisted that we get together face-to-face since this was serious stuff that should be discussed in person. He said he’d get back to me, but never did. I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to anyway. His wife, the pastor, obviously told him not to meet with me. I’m sure she concluded that I was “of the devil” when, in fact, I simply wanted to share some things from the viewpoint of an outside observer and mature believer, things that would benefit their ministry. It’s called constructive criticism and it’s a biblical principle (Proverbs 27:17).

Needless to say, we had no intention of going back to this particular fellowship.

Unjust Ostracizing

About eight weeks later my wife ran into a couple from that assembly while we were shopping at a department store (Carol & I were separate in the store). We were friends with this couple during our two months at this church. Carol immediately recognized them, gave a cheerful greeting, and asked how they were doing. Incredibly, all she got in return was dead looks and uncomfortable silence—they totally snubbed her! If you know my wife, Carol, you know that she’s the quintessence of sweetness and doesn’t deserve this type of legalistic mistreatment. It pained me when I met up with her shortly later because she was obviously shaken by the encounter and just wanted to leave the store. After we got into the car and drove away she told me what happened and I encouraged her to just laugh it off. You can be sure this couple didn’t treat Carol this way merely because we decided their church wasn’t for us; more likely the pastor slandered us to the congregation. I’m sure she told them we were “of the devil” or something to this effect. How sad. We prayed for the couple and their church, and let it go.

If you’ve experienced this type of unjustified treatment be encouraged because Jesus said you’re blessed when people falsely accuse you and mistreat you (Matthew 5:10-12). Great is your reward in Heaven! This is why I encouraged Carol to laugh it off.

Fifteen months later, we ran into the pastor and her husband at a restaurant, but they refused to acknowledge us even though it was clear they recognized us. This was another overt snubbing.

Now, think about it, what did we do to deserve this type of treatment? We went to their church for two months and attended every service, including the mid-week service and a special one at another assembly. While we were there we walked in love, we prayed for the people regularly, we generously supported the church financially and we didn’t cause trouble in any way. Our last communication with them was when I called the assistant pastor after reading their introductory booklet; all I asked was if we could get together to discuss a few things. That’s it. I never said what it was and never criticized their fellowship. I was going to wait to offer constructive criticism in a loving manner when we sat down together face to face.

My point is that Carol & I did nothing to deserve being ostracized by the pastors and their congregation members. Unless, of course, it’s a sin to attend every service for two months, walk in love, regularly intercede, financially support and not cause trouble! Think about how absurd this is. Something is direly wrong with a church when believers are mistreated like this. It’s Christianity gone wrong!

Also consider this: The pastors’ decision to denounce us to their congregants and to ostracize us when meeting in public actually proved that our decision to not plant ourselves in their church was the right one. Thankfully, the Lord moved us to leave after discerning the red flags. This prevented us from getting entangled and wasting our time and support. This is important because the more you get entangled in a group like this one the harder it is to get out.

Again, this ministry may have looked fine on paper but, in practice, they had a serious spirit of bondage, at least this particular assembly did. And a spirit of bondage screams legalism. It’s the antithesis of the spirit of Christ, which is a spirit of freedom.

Unfortunately, unjust ostracizing like this happens way too often in the Church. I listened to an audio sermon yesterday and the minister was teaching on what to do when people decide to leave a church. He shared how he and his family went to a large fellowship in the Midwest, USA, where he was an associate pastor. The company he worked for offered a better position in another city and, after seeking the Lord, he took it; but this meant his family would have to leave the assembly. The church leaders laid hands on them and prayed during a brief ceremony, but he discerned that their hearts really weren’t in it. The reason the ceremony was so cold and mechanical was the church’s undercurrent mentality on occupational transfers: It was wrong to take a job offer that would take you and your family away from their church. This was all verified in the ensuing months as all relations with the members of their former fellowship ceased. It hurt because these people were spiritual family and close friends for many years. They grieved for a period, but the Lord healed their hearts and blessed them with close relationships in their new location. It wasn’t until five years later that a brother from their former assembly contacted them and sought fellowship—five years.

Another minister shared in a sermon how, years prior, he informed the senior pastor of his church that he had decided to leave and pursue other ministerial endeavors. He had been serving as an associate at this fellowship. The pastor sternly told him that it wasn’t God’s will for him to go and, if he did, he’d “come back crawling on his hands and knees!” Can you believe it? Understandably, he decided right then and there that—even if he were reduced to crawling on his hands and knees—he certainly wasn’t going back to that church!

Yesterday I read an email from a brother who shared his testimony. He grew up in a sect steeped with tradition. When he was in the Navy in his late teens some Evangelical believers would invite him to revivals or church services, but he couldn’t go because his denomination viewed any such activity as a mortal sin worthy of condemnation to hell!

Bondage to a Church or Freedom in Christ?

The problem with this type of mentality is that it’s religious bondage. The threats come in different forms, which may be subtle or pronounced, but the objective is the same: To keep believers shackled to the assembly or sect in question. In some churches prophecies are given stating that the individual has to stay at the fellowship. The reason legalistic leaders resort to these kinds of tactics is to prevent “their sheep” from leaving, but congregants aren’t really their sheep, they’re God’s sheep. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and pastoral leaders are actually under-shepherds. Notice what the Bible says in this regard:

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds [pastors] of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4

Pastors who fall into legalism mistakenly think that the believers at their church are their flock when, in reality, they’re “God’s flock” who are merely entrusted to the pastor’s care for a season. When ministers fall into this mentality, they naturally start “lording it over” the congregants. They’ll use threats to prevent individuals from leaving and they’ll ostracize those who do. Again, the threats come in different forms and may be subtle or overt.

But why do they ostracize those who leave? One reason is immaturity and insecurity. When believers leave, these types of pastors feel rejected and their ego is hurt, so they lash out through ostracizing. This includes denouncing them to their remaining congregants and snubbing them if they meet in public. I wouldn’t believe this type of thing happens if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but it does.

The problem with this mentality—other than the fact that it’s fleshly and abusive—is that it starts to create a closed community. Churches that cop it become like gated communities where people aren’t free to come and go as they choose. As such, the very thing the legalistic leaders fear starts to come to pass and the congregation becomes spiritually inbred because there’s little flow of new blood, if any.

God has blessed humankind with the power of volition and respects our decisions. The LORD provided the Israelites with two options—life or death. He encouraged them to choose life and warned them of the consequences of choosing death, but he didn’t force them to make the right decision. He does the same thing with all humanity in the New Testament (Deuteronomy 30:19 & Romans 6:23). Just as God respects our power of decision so we must extend this freedom to our fellow believers. If we think they’re making a mistake we can tell them so and explain why. We can even issue a warning in love if we feel compelled by the Spirit. But we have to ultimately give people the freedom to decide for themselves.

A popular pastor said he refuses to make people feel like they’re in bondage to his fellowship. He gives people the freedom to leave and the freedom to come back, if they choose.* This is precisely what Jesus did with his disciples. After giving a hard teaching many of his disciples decided to stop following him and he refused to say anything to pressure them to stay. He simply turned to his remaining disciples and asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:60-67). That’s it. Jesus refused to “lord it over” people. He gave them the freedom to choose—to follow him or leave.

* I’m obviously not talking about cases where believers are excommunicated due to unrepentant sin a la Matthew 18:15-17. Yet, even in those circumstances the individual should be warmly welcomed back into the church if he/she decides to repent, as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11.

The aforementioned pastor said the most he’d do in cases where he felt believers were making a mistake was to tell them so and leave it at that. Furthermore, when some of them eventually decided to come back he refused to arrogantly say, “I told you so.” Amen.

How Do the Leaders of Your Assembly Talk About Previous Members?

This is a good question to ask: How do the ministers and elders of your fellowship speak of past members? I’m not talking about people who were dismissed due to an unwillingness to repent of a certain sin—although they shouldn’t talk about that either—I’m talking about brothers and sisters who simply decided to leave for one reason or another. The reason is irrelevant. How do the leaders of your fellowship talk about these people? Do they badmouth them? Do they put a negative spin on everything about them? Do they say things like they were “of the devil” or imply that they were walking in secret sins? If so, it’s not good. It bespeaks of 1. spiritual immaturity, 2. fleshliness, since malice, gossip and slander are serious sins, and 3. a rigidly sectarian mentality that automatically discredits or denounces others who are not part of their group. All three of these reasons are somewhat interconnected and they all convey the spirit of bondage: People are in bondage to the church or ministry in question and anyone who chooses to leave must be punished. Thus the leaders justify maligning them.

This is very legalistic behavior. Luke 7:33-34 shows that the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law automatically tried to discredit and denounce Jesus and John the Baptist because they both operated outside of their circles and the legalistic mindset thereof. Consequently, they slandered Christ as a glutton, drunkard and friend of “sinners” while they maligned John as demon-possessed! This is spiritual tunnel-vision. It’s pathetic really.

The way spiritual leaders talk about genuine ministers and believers who function outside of their accepted circles speaks volumes. Take heed.

Bondage to the Pastor’s Limited Understanding of Scripture

I went to a charismatic “mega-church” for a decade, which involved most of my 20s. The pastor and much of his staff hailed from a Bible college of a well-known charismatic minister who has since passed on. The church was exemplary on almost every level—the teaching of the Word, the praise & worship, God’s presence, and the flow of gifts of the Spirit. It was an outstanding church. Since the pastor was hooked-up with this ministry he naturally adhered to their doctrinal mindset. This is the way it is at most churches. Even so, it didn’t smother the spirit of freedom. Yes, there were doctrinal parameters set and the congregants weren’t advised to go beyond them but, at the same time, there was a sense of freedom and believers were very much encouraged to explore the Bible and its many topics. We were encouraged to be thorough, balanced and honest in our studies. We were also free to leave the fellowship if we wanted, without any threat of ostracizing.

Needless to say, this was a healthy assembly and well worthy of investing one’s time, even if you didn’t happen to agree with every jot and tittle. (Who agrees with anyone about everything anyway? Is that even healthy?).

Another church my wife and I went to for seven years had even more of a spirit of freedom. The pastor was one of those scatterbrained preachers who wasn’t really able to teach, but he allowed qualifying individuals the opportunity to teach, as long as they could support what they taught by the Scriptures. I taught there often, typically every other week. There were two or three praise & worship leaders and it was very lively. Although I disagreed with the pastor in some areas—usually because he hadn’t studied the particular topics in detail like I had—it didn’t matter. The saying “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity” was our unofficial creed and practice. There was such a spirit of freedom and Carol & I literally loved going to the gatherings.

These two churches comprised 17 years of my Christian walk. I mention them to point out that you can be hooked-up with a church where there are general doctrinal parameters and you don’t necessarily agree with every jot and tittle, but there’s still an air of liberty in Christ, which is the way it should be.

Unfortunately, some assemblies aren’t like this. In many fellowships the congregants are pretty much in bondage to the pastor’s understanding of the Scriptures. Questioning what the pastor teaches from the pulpit or the doctrinal parameters of the sect is strongly discouraged. This rule may be unofficial and unwritten, but it’s still there. It pervades the atmosphere. Those who merely question the pastor’s belief system are marked and not allowed into the inner circle of the governing structure. Such people eventually leave and understandably so.

What’s so bad about this type of environment? It’s bad because it tends to produce robotic “yes men,” but it fails to produce believers who are free to know the Lord and grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom through their own pursuit of God and truth.

Unless you want to become a mindless automaton, beware of this type of bondage.

The Bondage of Pastoral Dependency

Some pastors encourage a spirit of dependency in their congregants, which simply isn’t healthy. For instance, I’ve been in some churches where the believers are never taught how to pray effectively. Instead, they’re encouraged to have the pastor or other speaker pray for them at the end of the service. The Bible encourages this to some degree (James 5:14-15), but it shouldn’t become a lifestyle of dependency where the same people come up for the same things on a regular basis. Why is this wrong? Because it discourages believers from developing their own prayer life and utilizing their own faith to receive answers, healings and miracles. It fosters an unhealthy dependency on the pastor and pastoral staff. In short, it encourages spiritual immaturity.

Why would pastors want to cultivate such a spirit in the believers entrusted to their care? Likely because they enjoy feeling needed and it feeds their ego to have people dependent on them. It’s also a security issue. If believers are dependent on the pastor they’re less likely to leave. Thus, to all intents and purposes the people become in bondage to the pastor.

What kind of minister would cultivate such an unhealthy dependency? Those who fall into legalism. This doesn’t mean they’re wholly infected, of course, but any amount of legalism is too much.

Wise and godly ministers, by contrast, would never cultivate such an environment in their churches. Notice what the Bible says about ministers and their purpose in the body of Christ:

It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13

These five positions or callings comprise the “fivefold ministry”—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. All five are important and have their specific place and function in the body of Christ. Yet notice that they all have the same general fourfold purpose: 1. To prepare God’s people for works of service, that is, works of ministry; 2. to build up God’s people and not tear them down; 3. to feed a balanced diet of God’s Word in a way that cultivates unity in faith and knowledge; and 4. to help bring the believer into maturity.

All four are important, but I want to stress the fourth function. One of the main purposes of fivefold ministers is to facilitate maturity in the believer, not foster a spirit of dependency!

All believers are dependent to varying degrees on their pastors while growing up spiritually, but it’s unnatural for them to stay dependent. In a sense, fivefold ministers are spiritual parents, which is why Paul referred to himself as the father of the believers at Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15).* He started the church and pastored it for a couple years, feeding them God’s Word, so he was in essence their spiritual parent. Don’t physical children eventually leave home to go to college, work, get married and start families? Wouldn’t it be absurd for a child to grow into full adulthood and still be in a crib with a pacifier, completely dependent upon his or her parents? Of course it would. Yet this happens too often in the Church in a spiritual sense. It shouldn’t. Believers need to move on to maturity, not be locked-up in the spiritual nursery all their lives!

* This doesn’t mean that “father” should become a title, as in “Father Thomas.” Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthian church but the believers didn’t call him Father Paul. Jesus denounced this type of practice in Matthew 23:7-11.

In healthy churches the congregants are encouraged to grow to spiritual adulthood and bear forth fruit; they’re not hampered by dependency to fivefold ministers. One minister put it to me like this: “My job is to become unnecessary in the life of the believer.” He wasn’t saying that believers no longer need to go to church gatherings once they reach spiritual maturity, but rather that they should come to the point where they’re no longer dependent on pastors for every little thing. Say if a neighbor or someone at work needs prayer, the believer should handle it instead of calling the pastor. If a family member is in the hospital, the believer should go and visit instead of asking the pastor. If the believer feels led to do something important, like take a new job or move to another location, the believer should pray about it and get a confirmation from the Holy Spirit rather than requiring the pastor to instruct him/her. Etcetera.

This is the way it should be when believers grow properly.

Take an honest look at your church assembly. Does it cultivate a spirit of dependency in the congregants? If so, it’s not good. Do your part to help set it free from this infection of legalism. If they’re stubborn and refuse to change you may have to leave. Be led of the Lord.

Beware of the Spirit of Bondage

Needless to say, if the group you’re involved with, or thinking about getting involved with, seems obsessed with rules to the point that being a member feels more like bondage than freedom it’s a huge red flag. Are the leaders prune-faces? Are they more interested in lording it over you than serving? Do they require you to answer a bunch of nosey questions but show offense if you desire to ask them the same? Is being part of their group likened to a marriage contract and you can’t just leave if you want? Do they unjustly denounce and shun believers who simply decided to leave the fellowship? Do you feel like you’re boxed-in or trapped by the pastor’s limited understanding of the Bible? Do you feel pressured to believe everything that’s taught from the pulpit without question? Is questioning discouraged? Is seeking truth discouraged? Is everything figured out to a ‘T’ with no room for mystery or variation? Do you feel like you can’t legitimately disagree without being shut out in some manner? Does the assembly encourage unhealthy dependency to the pastor and associates rather than fostering spiritual maturity? Beware!

Remember, Christ came to set people free from the yoke of religious bondage. Groups that develop an environment of bondage are the antithesis of the true Christian spirit.

Stand Firm in Your Freedom!

Take another look at this important verse:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

As pointed out at the beginning of this article, Paul was talking about freedom from the bondage of religious law, the system of rules and regulations that can only give an appearance of spirituality by imposing restraints, but has no real power to set people free and change them. God wants believers to be totally free, not just from the works of the flesh—which Paul also addresses in Galatians 5—but from the bondage of religious law.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Let that soak in—freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom. Make it a soothing meditation throughout the day—freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom. Shout it from the rooftops—“freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom!”

If you think I’m getting carried away, you’re wrong. The message of freedom is something every believer needs to understand. It’s foundational to walking in the abundant life that Jesus Christ offers.

Notice in the above passage that there’s something we need to do in order to walk in freedom—we have to “stand firm.” We have to be careful not to allow legalists to bog us down with their religious burdens. ‘Stand firm’ is translated as “stand fast” in other versions. It’s a military expression meaning to hold one’s ground.

Our freedom in Christ was bought at a great price—the humbling, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sent by the Father to reconcile the world to himself and grant us everlasting life. Freedom didn’t come easy and we won’t keep it without effort; we must continually be on our guard.

Political freedom comes at a great price and citizens have to be vigilant to guard it. Citizens of the kingdom of God must be every bit as vigilant to preserve and protect our spiritual freedom. There are enemies to both political and spiritual freedom who would want nothing more than to enslave us, but they can only do it if we allow it. We must be on our guard, constantly.

Don’t think the threat of legalism can only come from some peculiar group outside your normal Christian circles. As previously stressed, legalism can infect anyone, anywhere, anytime, regardless of sectarian tag or belief system. It could infect a respected colleague like it did Peter in Antioch when Paul had to openly correct him for giving in to the legalists (Galatians 2:11-14). In fact, legalism can infect you or me, which is why we must regularly examine ourselves and purge as necessary (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Expect Persecution

Lastly, any believer who’s walking in the true freedom and abundant life of Christ should expect some of the mistreatments described in this article, like slander and shunning by people of former churches. Why expect it? Because the Bible promises that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). ‘Persecuted’ means mistreated or abused.

Speaking of mistreatment by those from former assemblies, don’t expect all your persecution to come from those in the world. After all, Jesus’ main enemies were religious leaders who knew the Scriptures like the backs of their hands! A lot of the unjust persecutions you will face will be from people who say they’re believers and are even leaders in churches. Why? Because religionists will not stand idly by while you live free in the Lord and strive to set others free. As soon as they see the light of liberty in your eyes and your actions they’ll rise up and try to snuff you out with great sourpuss zeal.

You can bank on these types of experiences now and then because we’re in the midst of a spiritual war. When legalists brush shoulders with liberated believers it’s like death clashing with life. It may take some time for their true colors to show but they will always eventually gnash their teeth in unreasoning religious hostility. It’s like mixing oil with water; they don’t gel. Not that there’s no hope for them; there’s hope for everybody. Continue to intercede for them in the hope that the truth may set them free. Amen.

This article was edited from Chapter 6 of…