Chapter 2
The Legalist
The Legalist believes that Faith in Jesus requires additional “works”, and these works usually involve things that go on within the church building they attend throughout the week. They believe sin can cause a person to “lose their salvation” and go to Hell, so they preach heavily against it.
They believe a Christian must endure to the end in order to make it to Heaven. Some even believe that their works save them. A Legalist once told me, “I show my faith by my works”. This sounds like James of the Bible, but a close examination of their works reveals something else. According to Legalists, here are a few works that label a person “A faithful Christian”:
- Regular church attendance
- Involvement in any activity labeled a ministry & regularly serving in that position
- Attending church appropriately dressed in “church” attire
- Tithing regularly, specifically in increasing amounts
- Public outward shows of “spirituality”: crying, fainting, speaking in tongues
- Abstaining from big sins (I’ll explain shortly)
- Adhering to any other rules created by their religious leaders
To some Legalists, church activity has become a culture in itself. The Legalist is a very busy individual; always keeping-up with their religious duties and daily rituals. They take pride in their work and it gives them a sense of self-worth. Because good works are important and sin is detrimental, these people tend to come off as arrogant; they begin to think that they are better than others based off their works and self-discipline from certain sins.
They can’t help but boast about how awesome a person they are. They resemble the Pharisees of the past. They use ministry titles to elevate themselves like: Apostle, Reverend, Minister, Bishop, etc. They brag about their service to God. When they give, fast, or pray, they sound a trumpet to make sure everyone knows about it. A dress code is standard in most Legalistic Churches, and sometimes, Sunday becomes a fashion show.
The religious leaders preach against, which are considered, big sins like:
- immorality
- homosexuality
- drunkenness
- drug abuse
- stealing
- physical abuse
Yet, they minimize and excuse other sins like:
- spiritual & verbal abuse
- pride & arrogance
- envy & covetousness
- lying
- selfish ambition
- gossip
They also place their personal convictions on others and make them law. Once, a Legalist told me it was a sin to “drink”; but that’s not true. The Bible says: it’s a sin to be a drunkard; but because God told him to stay away from alcoholic beverages, he thinks this applies to everyone. I was also told it was a sin for a man to have long hair or a beard. Legalists have come-up with so many ridiculous rules I won’t even begin to list them.
Legalists make sure to keep their sins well-hidden, for fear of disdain, ridicule and condemnation from others. People “in sin” are looked at as weak, and weakness is despised. If discovered in sin, your brothers and sisters will gossip about you, shun, mock, patronize, and treat you like a sick AIDS patient. The knowledge of other people’s sin makes Legalists feel better about their own concealed sins; and it feeds their self-righteousness. Even if you testify about being free from drug addition, pornography, prostitution or sins they consider “big”, you will likely still be looked upon with disgust or mocked, even though you no longer are that person.
Therefore a Legalist has to be near perfect in the sight of others; without a spot. As they hide behind their facades and scoff at others, they forget the “horrible mess” they used to be (and in some cases still are) as they parade down the aisles in vibrant-colored suits and dresses. They love to talk about the errors in the lifestyles of others while overlooking the issues within their own congregation.
Depression and burnout are common among those who are over-worked by the church or living in sin, but they can’t tell anybody for fear of what people will say; so they suffer in silence and their sins get worse. The arrogant and boastful take satisfaction in their self-discipline over big sins apart from the power of the Holy Spirit; and all the while, they pat themselves on the back and say, “God is pleased with me”.
