The other day, I picked up C.J. Mahaney’s excellent little book Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. I came across his excellent description of legalism once again and thought I’d share it here for my readers.
When I first read through an earlier version of this book, back in 2005, His thoughts helped me realize the legalistic tendencies I had in my own life. Legalism properly refers to earning God’s grace for justification, but the term can also be used for earning God’s favor in sanctification. And for many in conservative or fundamentalist circles, legalism is a danger to watch out for.
In the book, Mahaney uses an illustration which captures the essence of a performance-based ethic which amounts to Christian legalism. To set the stage for the quote, Mahaney describes a variety show that used to be popular where a man would set various plates spinning on a series of long flexible rods. He’d keep each plate spinning as it would slow down until there were 8 or 10 spinning plates spread precariously all over the stage. Here is the quote now from Mahaney about legalism:
That’s a helpful picture of how legalism can hijack a Christian. The life of a legalist can become just as frenetic as the plate spinner’s performance.
The plates we spin are various spiritual activities–such as bible reading, prayer, or sharing the gospel–that are good and vital in themselves when pursued for the right reasons.
But often without realizing it, we allow a dangerous shift to take place in our mind and heart. We change what God intends as a means of experiencing grace into a means of earning grace. Instead of being a further expression of our confidence in God’s saving work in our life, these spiritual activities become simply more spinning plates to maintain.
When Sunday morning comes, we’ll sing and praise god in church with evident sincerity and zeal when we’ve had a really good week–with not a single plate wobbling.
But on another Sunday, following a week in which several plates crashed, we’re hesitant to approach God and find it difficult to worship freely. We can’t escape the feeling that God disapproves of us. Our confidence is no longer in the gospel; it’s based instead on our own performance, and when that performance slides, so does our peace and joy.
Do you see such signs of legalism in your own life? Do you often find that you’re more aware of your sin than of what Jesus accomplished at the cross? Do you think of God as disappointed with you rather than delighting over you?Do you lack holy joy? Do you look to your spinning plates for the confidence–indeed, even the right–to approach God?
If you answer yes to any of those questions, you’ve probably begun to live under the tyranny of legalism.
But don’t let this discourage you. God wants to rescue you from the joyless futility of plate spinning through a right understanding of the gospel. (pg. 115-116, bolded emphasis added)
This performance-based, do-it-yourself-Christianity is deadly. It stifles joy, promotes pride, and can cripple spiritually sensitive believers. Be on guard for legalism in your life and in your church.
I know I experienced this (and still tend toward this “practical legalism” even today). What’s your story? Do you think Mahaney says it right here? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
That’s a helpful reminder. Thank you for pointing me to the gospel today.
Thanks bro.
Mahaney could describe the problem more thoroughly, though I can relate to the plates .I still often feel as if I’m coming out of the grips of legalism. Not for salvation, not even particularly for Gods favor in sanctification, though perhaps that describes it better, but just to be the best Christian I could be. I’d like to blame the church, or specifically, some of its people, but I think also that my personality was such that being legalistic came easy. The church/people showed me the rules and I was good at following them and so legalistic I became. The first sign of my legalism came when I questioned the clothes at church – men in suits, women in dresses; another with working on Sunday – Shuuee, thankfully I was in that profession that working on Sunday was acceptable; being in church everytime the doors were open, the best Christians were, ya know;
quiet time every morning – do it or fall away; divorced? remarriage? Whoa! that brought out just a few condemning pieces of advice (not from the pastor, mind you, he gave me the best advice which should have silenced a few nay sayers); MY legalistic light really started to show to me when I moved to the UK. This church here was doing an outreach singing caroles at the pub and a few of the church people were drinking alcoholic beverages. When I amusingly remarked, “wait till my church friends back in America hear that it was the church that got me into my first pub”, one lady asked “why”? and I said “you wouldn’t see them doing this”. She replied back, “Ohh,tell them to get a life, we are free in Christ!” Real wine at home group communions, and dinners! Pastors in flip flops! lifting of hands in praise! Tongues!!! drums and guitars! Clapping!! Me and another gal changed after service one day into jogging clothes and the pastor asked “why didn’t you feel you could wear that during the service”? Forget that fact that it was ugly, I got the point.I now wear jeans to church, skip quiet times, occasionally have a wine, and still have a hard time not looking down on other christians for doing these things. Was this the fault of legalism? my own sin nature? am I on a slippery slope down? I feel I’m coming off of one, the slippery slope into pride of being the best Christian.
Rosemary,
I do think people tend toward legalism and certain introspective or perfectionistic personalities more so than others. It takes time to retrain your conscience too.
If you have thought through your liberties and have studied what Scripture says about alcohol and drunkenness, if you are making these changes from a right motive, I’d say you’re okay. Some people react too far and cast off any restraints in response to what are very real problems with some legalistic churches.
I think having a spirit of love covering all you do is important. And then even those we view as legalistic, we should love them not think the worst of them. We once thought like they did, and God graciously brought us out of that.
I’m not sure this is making much sense or answering your questions. Please let me know if I can do anything else to help you. You can email me too through the contact form just click Contact up near the top of my page.
In Christ,
Bob Hayton
I have just discovered your blog and have enjoyed it. I am 77, have four sons who are all active in the ministry. Here is the way I explain legalism vs.liscense. Jesus taught the strait and narrow way. On either side of the road is a ditch. on the right is legalism, on the left is liscense, in the middle is the strait and narrow of Liberty.I Cor is an example of liscense, and Gal. is example of Legalism. I don’t drink, swear,go to the movies,dance,and a lot of other worldly things because I don’t WANT to. I have visited some of these modern churches and it reminds me of a rock concert with a little religious talk at the end. Not enough gospel to get anyone saved , certainly no expository preaching. Stay out of the ditch!!! only on the strait and narrow is true liberty.
Thanks Norman for your thoughts, glad my blog is a blessing to you.
Yes I have spun my share of plates too, but by God’s grace I hope I’ve spun my last one. This is an insidious thing though that one must be constantly on guard for.
My last pastor (IFB/kjv) was a pretty good guy but anything legalistic that walked by he just seem to gravitate to it. I guess pride comes into play regarding legalism, you see if we feel we are doing things “right” we begin to feel that we’re just alittle bit better than the others, and that God is so pleased with us.
The main thing I see is that we are human, fallible creatures made from the dust. We have nothing to boast about except our Saviour. We think we are something when we are nothing. I just think of our precious Saviour washing the diciples feet, humbling himself to go to the cross and then the resurrected Saviour cooking breakfast for the diciples. What love, what humility. If we could just get our eyes off of ourselves and emulate the precious Saviour!
Amen, Greg. You’re right about pride. Deep down it really is pride. Those other Christians must just not really care as much as we do about holiness or loving God (because if they did, they’d have the same standards we do).
[…] sanctification is a particular form of legalism. I have quoted C.J. Mahaney on this topic before, but perhaps the following excerpt from blogger Terry Rayburn will best convey what I mean […]