Legalism. We cringe at the mention of it, envisioning strict rules and regulations and hidden sins. Webster’s Dictionary describes legalism as “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.” We likely all have seen legalism in action. It can dampen our desire to pursue Christ; many unbelievers even use it as an excuse to not put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that there has been much emphasis on shunning legalism and fleeing from it over the last handful of years.

And perhaps in all of the shunning, we have gone too far in a different direction. Perhaps we have swung too far in trying to avoid legalism that we’ve forsaken actual obedience altogether.

Legalism and obedience are often confused and thought to be the same thing, though they’re very different. We can see legalism with the Pharisees, as they prioritized rules and works over true repentance and desire to serve God. This happens today - maybe we even do this in our own lives. We can go to Bible studies and host people in our homes and tell others what they need to do, all without any personal repentance of sins and humility before God. We can look at people who actually do live legalistically, and think, there is no way I want to be like that! and thus run away from anything that could be taken as legalism.

In contrast to legalism, obedience to God is faithfully doing what the He asks of us even if we don’t fully understand. It comes from a heart desire to follow Him in all aspects of life.

We have run too far in our move away from legalism. An general view of Christian culture today, at least in America, shows that true obedience is frowned upon.

“I just want to be a wife and mom,” says a school-aged girl.

What’s the response? Oh honey, don’t settle for that. You can have a career, too!

The woman who stays home to teach her children and manage her household? Laughed at.

The woman who refuses to gossip? She’s holier-than-thou.

The parents who bring their children to church instead of Sunday soccer games? Scoffed at.

Instead of obeying the Lord, we can cave to pressure and decide that a better use of our time in life is to adopt some of the world’s ways and mock those who take Scripture seriously.

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things — that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
Titus 2:1-5

This is an excerpt of what Scripture says for us as women.

This tells us that an obsession with wine is not obedience to the Lord. Talking down to or about our husbands is not obedience. Complaining about our children, allowing the house to be in constant chaos - this is not obedience.

The other day, my husband and I were talking about zeal and legalism. According to Webster’s, zeal is “eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something: fervor.” One significant difference between zeal and legalism is the fruit that each yields. Zeal comes from a deep desire for obedience, a longing to please our Savior. It yields the fruit that come from the Spirit of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Legalism can produce poster board cutouts of these fruits without having any substance or aroma to them. In reality, they rot and stink.

J.C. Ryle outlines zeal wonderfully:

“Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature - which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted - but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called ‘zealous’ men…. A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed by one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies - whether he has health, or whether he has sickness - whether whether he is rich, or whether he is poor - whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense - whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish - whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise - whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame - for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it - he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray…. If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill (Exodus 17:9-13). If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of ‘zeal’ in religion.”
Practical Religion, 1959 ed., p. 130; Bishop J.C. Ryle

May this be an encouragement to you today. I especially hope this quoted section inspires you to be zealous for the Lord and His will; it certainly stirred me when my husband shared it. May we strive for a life of obedience, it is a joyous way to live!

Soli Deo gloria!
(Glory to God alone!)