What does it mean to be legalistic? (Full Version)

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deliveredarling -> What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 4:45:21 PM)

What do people mean when they say this? What is it exactly?

My understanding is that people use the term legalistic interchangeably with judgment and condemnation. Does one's definition broaden or narrow with one's opinion of the law?



Cloak -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 6:32:41 PM)

It simply means having religion, a set of rules and regulations as opposed to having a personal intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!



1love1God1way -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 6:48:20 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Cloak

It simply means having religion, a set of rules and regulations as opposed to having a personal intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!


Close, but no cigar.

Jesus himself set up certain rules and regulations to follow.

A legalist thinks that by making and using rules and regulations (often things that are not biblically taught, but added into), that they will become more righteous by those means.

Through works, they can become holier.



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 6:56:03 PM)

It seems to me that most often the term is used as derogatory and used especially when a person is confronted with sin or "their" particular sin is being talked about. Almost as if it is a defense mechanism to deflect from the real issue at hand. I have also noticed that people who fling this word around, do so because the misinterpret the scriptures or would rather ignore that part. Is this off base?



SonInMe1 -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 7:14:41 PM)

For liberal christians being legalistic is having any rules.

For conservative christians being legalistic is believing solely in the rules and leaving out God.



john_mark -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 7:48:27 PM)

one of the best definitions i have heard ws give by r.c. sproul jr.

here is his example. lets say you are walking down the road and God tells you that there is a pothole ahead. He then tells you do not to fall into the pothole. being a good christian you go to home depot, buy some fencing material, biuld a fence around the pothole to protect your fellow christians. you then go to your church and tell the congregation that God said dont climb over the fence.

you see what happened, God did not say dont climb over the fence, He said dont fall in the pothole. i as a well meaning christian reintrepeted God's command. let me give an example that is found in the church today. God says dont be a drunk. many reinterpet that command of God and say drinking alcohol is sin.

legalism is when we take God's word and add to it to protect fellow christians. the desire to protect our fellow christians is sincere, but in the process we changed God command.



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 8:15:39 PM)

That was a good example John Mark, thank you.

Son In Me, what are conservative and liberal Christians? Not familiar with these terms. Is there other terms to describe them that I might be familiar with?



CherishedbyGod -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 8:54:29 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

It seems to me that most often the term is used as derogatory and used especially when a person is confronted with sin or "their" particular sin is being talked about. Almost as if it is a defense mechanism to deflect from the real issue at hand. I have also noticed that people who fling this word around, do so because the misinterpret the scriptures or would rather ignore that part. Is this off base?


Yes, I think that is a narrow definition. I came from a very legalistic church.

I personally don't think we are really able to understand legalism until we are delivered from it...



humbleinspirit -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 8:58:35 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: john_mark

one of the best definitions i have heard ws give by r.c. sproul jr.

here is his example. lets say you are walking down the road and God tells you that there is a pothole ahead. He then tells you do not to fall into the pothole. being a good christian you go to home depot, buy some fencing material, biuld a fence around the pothole to protect your fellow christians. you then go to your church and tell the congregation that God said dont climb over the fence.

you see what happened, God did not say dont climb over the fence, He said dont fall in the pothole. i as a well meaning christian reintrepeted God's command. let me give an example that is found in the church today. God says dont be a drunk. many reinterpet that command of God and say drinking alcohol is sin.

legalism is when we take God's word and add to it to protect fellow christians. the desire to protect our fellow christians is sincere, but in the process we changed God command.


Very good John_Mark, that one deserves stars, and I would give them if I could!



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 9:05:52 PM)

quote:



Yes, I think that is a narrow definition. I came from a very legalistic church.

I personally don't think we are really able to understand legalism until we are delivered from it...




What is your definition of legalistic then?



URForgiven -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 9:07:57 PM)

Within the context of Christianty, legalism is self-effort.



humbleinspirit -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 9:10:56 PM)

Legalism for example would be like you cannot watch TV, only listen to Christian Music, do no dancing, etc. Now Jesus did not say that you could not do those things at all, but only to abstain from things that cause you to sin instead.



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 9:14:26 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: URForgiven

Within the context of Christianty, legalism is self-effort.

quote:

Within the context of Christianty, legalism is self-effort.





A little more explanation please. What kind of self effort?



URForgiven -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 9:19:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

quote:

ORIGINAL: URForgiven

Within the context of Christianty, legalism is self-effort.

quote:

Within the context of Christianty, legalism is self-effort.





A little more explanation please. What kind of self effort?


The kind that comes from self.



tombombadil -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/2/2008 10:56:42 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: john_mark

one of the best definitions i have heard ws give by r.c. sproul jr.

here is his example. lets say you are walking down the road and God tells you that there is a pothole ahead. He then tells you do not to fall into the pothole. being a good christian you go to home depot, buy some fencing material, biuld a fence around the pothole to protect your fellow christians. you then go to your church and tell the congregation that God said dont climb over the fence.

you see what happened, God did not say dont climb over the fence, He said dont fall in the pothole. i as a well meaning christian reintrepeted God's command. let me give an example that is found in the church today. God says dont be a drunk. many reinterpet that command of God and say drinking alcohol is sin.

legalism is when we take God's word and add to it to protect fellow christians. the desire to protect our fellow christians is sincere, but in the process we changed God command.

Great definition



merelynapping -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 12:00:54 AM)

I have two definitions for legalism.

1. Trying to earn salvation by good works.

2. Adding unecessary restrictions to the law.

admittedly, both could probably be elaborated upon.



Ezra -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 12:37:38 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deliveredarling
What do people mean when they say this?


What people mean is not necessarily what the Word reveals.

quote:

What is it exactly?


Legalism, according to Scripture, is the attempt on the part of sinners to establish their own righteousness by "the works of the Law", rather than by believing that we cannot be righteous before God by this means (Rom. 9:31,32).

The Law was given in order to declare all men guilty before God (Gal. 3:19). Therefore, justification can only be by God's grace through faith in Christ and what He has accomplished on our behalf (Gal. 2:16).

It is only then that righteousness is imputed to the one who believes, and the Holy Spirit is given as a gift. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do what is pleasing to God, and express God's love to Himself and to others (Gal. 3:1-5). The legalist does not understand this.

"Legalism" has been misapplied to those who believe that Christians need to abide by a code of conduct which is becoming to Christians. Since the New Testament sets a code of conduct for Christians (e.g. 1 Thess. 5:1-28), we are not to be intimitated by the misapplication of "legalism".



Ignited-Faith -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 12:38:23 AM)

You may get different definitions of what it means to be Legalistic, depending on who you ask.
Ask my Husband, he will tell you the dictionary definition has his wifes (my) picture next to it! (Holier than thou.)
Ask me and I say I do or don't do certain things because I want all that I do to glorify the Lord!

"All things are lawful , but not all things are profitable . All things are lawful , but not all things edify."
1 Corinthians 10:23



Annie64 -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 1:46:31 AM)

As a recovering legalist, I know when I am slipping back into it when I blur the line in my mind between a personal conviction and an absolute, and when I start thinking that other people are supposed to have the same understanding of things as I do. I became a legalist as a child, growing up in a pastor's family, out of a desire to be "safe." I wasn't trying to be unloving (though that was where it ended up)--I was trying to be sure Iwas all right with God. It was as though the possibility of sin in my life was like a huge cliff on either side of the "straight and narrow" which was so narrow as to be a tightrope. Rules that would look totally rediculous to other people made perfect sense to me, and I thought they should make sense to them, too. I am so thankful for deliverance from fear (legalism is really a very fearful way to live!), and for the promise "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."



SinnerSaved -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 3:41:18 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

What do people mean when they say this? What is it exactly?

My understanding is that people use the term legalistic interchangeably with judgment and condemnation. Does one's definition broaden or narrow with one's opinion of the law?


Most people would understand legalism to be a derogatory term. It is applied it to someone who follows a set of rules (or doctrine) rigidly, almost to the point of expecting it to earn them salvation. A legalist will fall out with others who do not rigidly follow the same rules or doctine.

Legalism is directly opposed to Grace. By Grace are we saved, not works.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Cloak

It simply means having religion, a set of rules and regulations as opposed to having a personal intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!


Legalsim is not good, but we must be careful of levelling a charge of legalism at anyone. To my utter surprise, I was accused by a brother of being a legalist yesterday, purely because I do not always subscribe to the 'Happy Clappy' liberal type of Christianity, where the Holy Spirit supposedly 'leads' someone to say or do things. Instead, I always refer to God's Word for my answers. If this makes me a legalist, then so be it.

This does not mean that I do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, but when I seek an answer, He gives it to me through reading His word.



Annie64 -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 4:21:14 AM)

Yes, the term legalist gets used nowadays to mean something other than it actually means. It actually means someone who makes an idol of rules. But nowadays, it means "anyone who thinks something I want to do is sinful," whether or not that thing actually is sinful. If I want to rob a bank, but you think that's sinful, I guess that means you're a legalist.



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 7:07:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ezra


"Legalism" has been misapplied to those who believe that Christians need to abide by a code of conduct which is becoming to Christians. Since the New Testament sets a code of conduct for Christians (e.g. 1 Thess. 5:1-28), we are not to be intimitated by the misapplication of "legalism".

I do believe you just put the defining scripture to my worldly words, thank you.
This is my point to the question. We misuse this term when we don't like something in another or another's actions/responses irk us. Jesus causes the transformation, old things passing away. We continue to shed these things because He is filling us up with more of His ways. No legalism, just growth and more understanding od who He wants us to be in and through Him



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 7:11:49 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ignited-Faith

You may get different definitions of what it means to be Legalistic, depending on who you ask.
Ask my Husband, he will tell you the dictionary definition has his wifes (my) picture next to it! (Holier than thou.)
Ask me and I say I do or don't do certain things because I want all that I do to glorify the Lord!

"All things are lawful , but not all things are profitable . All things are lawful , but not all things edify."
1 Corinthians 10:23

quote:

You may get different definitions of what it means to be Legalistic, depending on who you ask.
Ask my Husband, he will tell you the dictionary definition has his wifes (my) picture next to it! (Holier than thou.)
Ask me and I say I do or don't do certain things because I want all that I do to glorify the Lord!

"All things are lawful , but not all things are profitable . All things are lawful , but not all things edify."
1 Corinthians 10:23


I can so relate[&:]



deliveredarling -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 7:21:06 AM)

quote:

Instead, I always refer to God's Word for my answers. If this makes me a legalist, then so be it


I ascribe to the same thought process. A friend of mine accused me of being leagalistic because I use God's Word to guide my actions. This really doesn't make sense to me, is that not what we are supposed to do? We have no excuse for not knowing how God sees things. We certainly have no excuse for ignoring His Word either. We are responsible for living out and applying His Word to our lives. If that makes me a legalist, I accept the title. And I said as much to her[;)]



kingdust -> RE: What does it mean to be legalistic? (5/3/2008 12:13:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

quote:

Instead, I always refer to God's Word for my answers. If this makes me a legalist, then so be it


We are responsible for living out and applying His Word to our lives. If that makes me a legalist, I accept the title. And I said as much to her[;)]


I think the subtle difference between legalist and 'gospelist' is the same difference between my spirit and His Spirit or my good old self and the new self.

Like Urforgiven said, whatever comes from old self in regard to the law of God, OT or NT, can be no less than legalistic because me and the law have only one common denominator- legal, requirement and obligation.

Like, NT says, 'love your enemy', and we are to obey- that is legalistic view to me, because we can't love our enemy by our own effort.
If we can say, I can't do without Jesus, His mercy and grace, we can become gospelist, I believe.

So, when I talk to someone about God, without leading of or leaning on the Spirit of God, I can only be a legalist, not a gospelist, IMO.

I wish I could say better than that but that is all I got.



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