The Troubled Church Excerpt Two

As you read through the Bible, some sections make you uncomfortable—this is just such a section; Paul’s warning remains as relevant today as 2,000 years ago when he penned it. If it applies, heed it. If not, learn from it and keep it as a warning; sooner or later you’ll need it.

Paul spoke of divisions in chapter one, the superiority of God’s wisdom over man’s philosophy in chapter two; chapter three continues on divisions, but from a different angle, the carnal Christian. A carnal Christian doesn’t walk by the spirit, but by the flesh, frequently being ruled by legalism instead of grace, causing divisions and strife in the body of Christ in the process. But remember Paul speaks to Christians, not the unsaved; the uncomfortable part of Paul’s warning arises from its application to all Christians, in all churches.

Legalistic Christians live by regulations, expecting everyone else to follow the same rules—a modern day Pharisee. The Pharisees believed spirituality came by following a set of rules (having scorn for anyone not following it), and even today it’s a common mistake to believe following a list of rules demonstrates spirituality; Paul actually makes the opposite point in Romans (the weaker brother follows legalism, which Paul tackles in chapter eight).

Legalists follow certain leaders (and philosophies) teaching what they want to hear, forming groups around them and arguing with anyone who doesn’t believe in “their” way (as it’s the only spiritual way, nevermind the Bible doesn’t contain the list of rules they attempt to force on everyone else). Perhaps you’ve been beat down by a legalistic Christian—maybe last week or last year, it doesn’t matter—unfortunately it’s quite common as modern Pharisees heap contempt on anyone not following their made-up rules.

Legalism—you’ve run into those saying the church can only sing songs on some mystical “approved” list, you have to act a certain way (a method they only possess), and so on. Many people believe the Pharisees act spiritually, after all, they follow all these rules nobody else pays any attention to. Yet what does Paul say in Romans?

I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean … And he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Romans 14:14, 14:23–5:1)

Who is the weak one? It’s not the one you think—it’s the person with legalistic rules. For Christians in Paul’s day, everyone wanted to know if a Christian could eat ham (follow the law or not). Paul understood you have freedom from the law, so yes, it’s acceptable to have a ham sandwich. Others never ate ham. The weak Christian follows rules; Paul points out those knowing legalistic rules are invalid should bear with those weaker following legalism instead of grace—perhaps as they grow they will move beyond legalism. You see, the person having rules can’t walk by grace, requiring a list of rules telling him what to do and not do, while the person walking by grace has no need.

Why does legalism creep in? People find more comfort in legalism than in grace. It’s that simple. If you have a list of do’s and don’ts, it becomes easy to check the list and see how you’re doing—read 5 chapters in the Bible. Check. Helped 3 little old ladies across the street. Check. Volunteered in Sunday school. Check. Only allowed “approved” songs to be sung. Check. And so on.

Someone (we don’t remember who) spoke of the simplicity of grace—love God with all your heart and do whatever you want; God gives the desires of your heart. God giving you the desires of your heart does not mean God performs like a genie granting wishes (I want a pony! And ice cream too!), rather it means God gives you the motivation to do certain things (as long as you’re sensitive to the spirit and walking by grace). If you love God, you’ll naturally do certain things, and avoid others. No legalism needed.

Perhaps you recall an old episode of MASH (the old TV show, yes we’re old-timers), with BJ and Hawkeye talking about having an affair while stationed in Korea. Hawkeye (as you’ll recall) was the skirt-chaser, while BJ remained faithful to his wife, even in a time of war in a country far away. Naturally Hawkeye didn’t understand how (or why) he could do that. BJ responded it wasn’t because he believed God would strike him down, or even that cheating on his wife was wrong, he simply didn’t want to.

It’s all grace. If you truly love God, you simply won’t do certain things—not because a rule exists, but because you simply don’t want to. Yet legalistic attitudes remain throughout the church frequently causing divisions and strife; learning how to handle legalistic Christians becomes vital.

If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If neither is on your side, pound on the table.

If someone approaches you with legalism or something you know is wrong, just say I don’t agree, and move on. If the person becomes hostile and angry while continuing to argue, it could be because they have neither the law nor the facts on their side. The most heated arguments occur as the legalist knows the truth and facts aren’t on their side, but they simply can’t stand anyone not following their rules—a modern Pharisee.

Don’t misunderstand, we must agree on the foundations of Christianity or you’re not a Christian, no matter what you claim, but the the rest is fluff. Legalism about which songs to sing, what instruments to use, which bible translation, baptism forward or backward, sprinkle or dunk, wine or grape juice for communion and on and on and on—the carnal Christian divides over such things, attempting to argue everyone around them to their position.

Those walking by the spirit know such rules don’t apply as the Bible contains God’s complete message—there’s nothing missing we need, and nothing in it we don’t need. So if God didn’t see fit to give an “approved” song list in his instruction manual, why should fights occur over it? Why do divisions come over baptism? Yes, you should be baptized, but nothing in the Bible states exactly how that should occur. Sprinkle, dunk, or something else? Yet music and baptism continue to split churches—this should not be.

Get your copy of The Troubled Church for $12.95 from Amazon.com or other bookstores. (ISBN 9781452823980)