Dangers of Legalism (Legalism) | Legalism and Moralism

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If you would like to learn more about the dangers of moralism and legalism in the Christian life, consider listening to the following sermons by Dr. Richard Caldwell:

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Josh Philpot sits down with Dr. Richard Caldwell to discuss the twin dangers of legalism and moralism. Religious moralism and legalism are similar but differ slightly. Moralism tends to reduce the Bible to a manual for moral behavior focusing on proper external behavior and actions. Legalism tends to emphasize a system of rules and regulations from the Bible. But in practice, moralism will look much like legalism. When Christians forget or don’t properly understand the Gospel and what Christ has done for them, they can fall prey to either or both of these dangerous, anti-faith, and anti-gospel attitudes and behaviors. How can Christians avoid this kind of error in their homes and churches? How can we be people that are not just heavy-handed on our children or even others when it comes to obeying God? How can parents rightly teach their children about God’s character as they also teach His commandments?

Dr. Caldwell says it is important to distinguish legalism from a pattern of obedience. Obedience to God’s Word is not legalism. Legalism can show up in many different ways in the life of a Christian. Formal legalism is where someone is trying to earn their way to heaven by keeping God’s commands. Other forms of legalism show up when people misunderstand their standing before God. They lose sight that it is the love of God that has saved them. Therefore, instead of living their lives out of the truth of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, they think of salvation and sanctification as performance-based.

Dr. Caldwell shares that he has been preaching through the sermon on the mount in Matthew. What comes to his mind are the contrasts that Jesus presents about righteousness in that sermon. Jesus says,"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." He goes on in that sermon to contrast true righteousness with what the religious scribes and Pharisees were teaching and modeling. Dr. Caldwell wants us to look at the kind of righteousness these men exhibited as Jesus encountered it throughout the gospels. He shares with us some characteristics we should take note of.

1. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was characterized by what was external. Righteousness was thought of in terms of behaviors. They appeared clean to the eyes of people, but, inwardly they were full of dead men’s bones, full of spiritual death.

Comments: When it comes to our children, we don’t want to teach them that all that matters is what they do. External behavior modification does not bring change to our hearts. We want to shepherd our children at the heart level. We need to be aware of their heart and ours because what happens in our hearts is important. Then, when a failure occurs, we, as the parents, we can come to our children being gracious and patient teachers with them.

2. Their righteousness was ceremonially in nature. They took all of what goes on in life and reduced it to a set of rules. They reduced and minimized righteousness down to a standard they could keep.

Comments: Legalism in the Christian life does the same thing. Our life gets reduced down to a set of things we do. We religiously fulfill those requirements and avoid the things we should. We then think if we are doing these things, we are doing great. But says Dr. Caldwell, we can’t do this with the Christian life. Our salvation does not come through keeping some external religious activities, nor is it sustained by our fastidious adherence to them. The Word of God addresses the whole of man’s life 24/7, not just bits and pieces here and there.