The Myth of Christian Legalism
Legalism. Legalism is a word Christians are prone to use and prone to be afraid of. Some Christian’s tout “I am not a legalist. or "I don't want to be legalistic about that..." I often wonder, what do they mean by "legalistic". If they mean by legalistic is that they don’t put works ahead of the gospel of grace, then good. The true gospel is salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). But if they mean, the gospel is good news for your soul, but indifferent for your life. In other words, as a Christian, obedience is nice, but not a result of salvation. If this is what they mean, they’ve bought into the myth of Christian legalism. Too many Christians believe that the gospel is potent enough to save your soul but impotent to change your life. Your soul will be saved from hell, but your life will look like you belong there. They equate obedience to God as legalism. If you believe this, you have bought into the myth of Christian legalism. If you