Legalism, Obedience, and Belief Windows (p4)

Commands, Principles, Applications

Despite my very limited experience and study on the subject, I would still be willing to bet a year's pay that the reason the majority of Christians do not really know why they believe what they do is because they have no idea how to (or maybe desire to) study God's word. If you really want to know if your beliefs stem from God's word or man's legalistic dogmas, then you've got to figure out how to study the source of our faith in God.

A method of Bible study I use to dig into the word is outlined in the following chart:

Of course, this method works best when approached inductively, that is starting with the command, then moving to the principle, and ending with application; however, in what I like to call "reverse Bible study," a Christian could easily examine what they do (application) by tracing their actions through their beliefs to the commands-the verses-that support their behavior. The question isn't really can Christians study to show themselves approved, but will they?

Reverse Bible Study

Think about all the things we Christians believe with limited Scriptural backing to support our faith. Things like: go to church on Sunday, Christians are saved if they believe, don't wear white after labor day, pastors are our shepherds, tithing is a requirement for church membership, faith demands no evidence, or church is a building. Jesus said that the Pharisees "nullify the Word of God by [the] traditions that [they] handed down. And you do many things like that" (Mk7.13). So how can I be sure that my practices are grounded in God's word and not simply traditions that nullify it? I must study.

Here's a method I use for something called "reverse Bible study." Take what you practice and then find verses that you think support your beliefs. Then using an inductive Bible study system, examine the Scriptures to see if they support what you call "truth." Here's a model:

 

If a person sat down and studied, they would see that "church" isn't a building, a gathering, a "service," or a day of the week where a person more righteous than them tells them what God wants. Church is far more personal, more important, and more individual than that. But why won't we examine the Scriptures to see if what we believe is really true? It's far easier to obey the traditions of man than the commands of God.

 

 

LEGALISM, OBEDIENCE, AND BELIEF WINDOWS (p 3)

An Example: The Umbrella Church

Once upon a time there was a church that resided in an area drenched with continuous rain. The parishioners would complain to their pastor that all the water dripping off the recently used umbrellas flooded the foyer of the church, which invariably resulted in wet carpet and damp pews. The pastor took several offerings and built dozens of umbrella holders in the foyer to contain the drenched umbrellas.

Weeks passed and a season of drought overtook the land which caused the agrarian parishioners to lose much of their livelihood. They complained that the church wasted money by building useless items like the umbrella holders and that God was unwilling to lift a finger to end their suffering. Afraid of losing members, the pastor offered a miracle: carry an umbrella next week with faith that God will bring rain. His prayer paid off and the Lord saturated the church with rain. The pastor then encouraged, "Always carry your umbrellas in remembrance of God raining His blessings upon us."

Years later, a visitor happened upon the church and queried the reason for the umbrella tradition. An elderly gentleman, whose years had turned his hair to wisps, boldly stated: "So that God might rain down His blessings." The visitor stated, "That's silly, Sir. An umbrella is not required in order to receive blessings from God!" The old man's umbrella extended in the face of the visitor as he said, "Well, son, maybe you ought to read your Bible."

Is this narrative really the proper application of Hebrews 6.7: "The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God"? And yet how many Christians will answer the question "Why do you believe [insert tradition here]" with an acquiescent nod to ignorance: "We just believe it" or "We've always done it that way." Will that answer suffice when the same question is asked us by our Lord?

Friends, do you know why you believe what you do or are you just carrying your umbrella because that's they way it has always been done?

LEGALISM, OBEDIENCE, AND BELIEF WINDOWS (p 2)

Belief Windows

Christians' needs are revealed to us through Jesus' example found in Luke 2.52: "Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man." In other words, our needs are categorically physical, mental, social, and spiritual-with the last being the central need of all who claim God as their Father. Like Smith's "Reality Model" explains, many of us form beliefs about what meets our needs as we make rules and establish behaviors that we hope will result in our satisfaction, be it religious or not. But should our faith (our belief windows) "come from" these needs or God's word?

"Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Rom 10.17). Think about a belief that most Christians share: believers go to church. From where does this tradition originate and why do many of us strictly adhere to it? Put another way, do we go to church in order to meet a need or because God commanded it in His word?

Of course, many of us believe it comes from Scriptures such as Hebrews 10.25 (don't forsake meeting together), Mt 18.20 (where two or three gather), or Acts 2.46 (attending the temple together), but do any of those verses portray what we would call "church" today? Has our practice of churchgoing adulterated our interpreation of God's word? The real issue is whether we are willing to examine ourselves to see where our faith resides: in our traditions (legalism) or in obedience to God's word. If so, how do we do study to show ourselves approved?

 

LEGALISM, OBEDIENCE, AND BELIEF WINDOWS (part 1)

It's a Matter of Perspective

A good definition of legalism is "strict and excessive adherence to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law." The definition of obedience? "Adhering to rules, the law, or authorities." Some might say the difference is moderation: just don't obey "excessively." Others might say it's relevance: it doesn't mean the same today as it did when Jesus said it. But most just think the difference resides in whether they want to obey or not.

So where do our perspectives on obedience come from? Hyrum Smith, CEO of Legacy Quest and a motivational speaker, explains that people's perceptions of reality and their adherence to principles they hold to be true find their grounding in "belief windows." People seek ways to meet their needs (to live, to love and be loved, to feel important) through rules they establish for their lives that result in behaviors and actions, which all stem from foundational principles they call "truth." These principles are what he calls a "belief window."

For instance, if Christians need to have fellowship to be loved then they make a rule that all Christians should assemble publicly on Sundays. They behave more kindly and perform different actions on Sundays than other days because their belief windows tell them that doing so will meet their spiritual needs. But we should ask: as Christians, should our beliefs derive from our needs or God's perception of our needs as revealed in His word?

 

LEGALISM

One perturbing drawback about being an English instructor is that people expect my grammar to be perfect. It’s like expecting pastors to be sinless because we believe they who teach what every Christian ought to know ought to be better than those they teach. We always look for authority figures to slip in their words-to provide a justification for our disobedience-which then frees us from perfection.

That’s legalism in a nutshell. The word simply means “adherence to the letter of the law”—the sign says “Do not swim,” so you shouldn’t have saved that drowning friend. It’s believing that the words of the law solely convey the intent of the law. But what makes people become legalists?

Jesus told the Pharisees, “Woe… because you give God a tenth… but you neglect justice and the love of God.” The experts of the law foolishly responded: “When you say these things, you insult us also.” So Jesus told them, “Woe to you… because you have taken away the key to knowledge.” These legalists then began “to besiege Him with questions, waiting to catch him in something He might say” (Luk 11.42-54). They finally “caught” Jesus in His words because they were looking for a way to justify themselves before God and man. I know I’m being a legalist whenever I try to justify my actions to man. Jesus alone justifies sins: we should let Him do what we cannot.

So what's the difference between legalism and obedience? It's really a matter of perspective....