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Legalism (theology)
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Legalism, in Christian theology, is a pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigor, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit. Legalism is alleged against any view that obedience to law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Its opposite error is antinomianism, which is alleged against a view that moral laws are not binding.
e is no Greek equivalent to the words 'legalism' or 'legalist'.
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Encyclopedia
Legalism, in Christian theology, is a pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigor, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit. Legalism is alleged against any view that obedience to law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Its opposite error is antinomianism, which is alleged against a view that moral laws are not binding.
In the New Testament
There is no Greek equivalent to the words 'legalism' or 'legalist'. At least one of the concepts of legalism is found in the New Testament, however.
One concept of legalism is believing that salvation can be earned by obedience to laws. This concept (though not the term) is referred to in various New Testament books, including Galatians. In this case, some Jews who had become Christians believed that in order to obtain salvation, both faith in Christ (as the messiah), and obedience to some of the laws (such as circumcision, see also Noahide Laws) were required. (This is not legalism)
Legalism in the New Testament refers to any doctrine which states salvation comes from works. It can be thought of as a works-based religion. There were many groups in the New Testament which fall into this category. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Judaizers,and Nicolaitans are the most common. They are legalists because they emphasized obeying the Law of Moses, in the case of the Pharisees and Scribes, to the letter without understanding the concept of grace. Jesus condemned their legalism in Matthew 23. The Pharisees love of the praises of men for their strict adherence is a prime example of legalism.
Other New Testament books, such as Romans, speak of grace and obedience together. An example is found in Romans 1:5 (New American Standard Version) speaking of Christ 'through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name's sake...' The goal of receiving the grace was to bring about obedience of faith. Here grace, faith and obedience are tied together. (This has nothing to do with legalism)
The most common misunderstanding of legalism is the word law. Most people do not understand that law in many cases of the Bible refer to the Law of Moses. In Galatians the Judaizers, another group of legalists, were trying to insist that salvation required that a person be circumcised prior to obeying the law of Christ. Galatians 2:16 says, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (King James Version). The faith here is the Law of Christ and the law here is the Law of Moses. The legalism of the Judaizers was that obedience to the letter of the law was required more than obedience that comes from faith.
Legalism in the New Testament is most probably revealed by the life of Saul prior to his conversion. He sought to redeem himself by his works of persecution of the church and its ultimate destruction. Acts 26:9-11 reveals, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities" (King James Version). Galatians 1:13-14 states, "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers" (King James Version). These two texts emphasize the nature of Saul's religion, works.
The last point about legalism needs to be sorted out. Today, many assert that a legalist is one who requires a strict obedience to a law. This is not true. If it was then Jesus, Peter, Paul and many others in the New Testament would be legalists. They repeatedly condemn the Pharisees and Judaizers because of their misguided attempts to replace faith with works. Yet Christ and these godly men while condemning these legalists required a strict adherence to the law of Christ. Christ said in John 14:15, "If you love me keep my commandments" (King James Version). In this verse we see the denial of legalism by Christ's own words revealing to us the relationship between love and obedience. They are not mutually exclusive but require one another thus openly refuting legalism.
However, in this passage the obedience is not tied to the obeying of specific Old Testament laws, such as keeping the sabbath or circumcision.
At the Council of Jerusalem, c. 50, James the Just decreed the Apostolic Decree:
- "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day" .
In Inter-Christian relations
Roman Catholic Church
In Roman Catholicism, good works are done in service to God and one's neighbor by faith working through love. In contrast, an excess of severity in the imposition of, or overly-scrupulous conformity to any rule of piety, may be charged with legalism.
In an attempt to resolve the dispute over legalism, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was a document issued in 1999 by Lutheran-Catholic clerical representatives, declaring a common belief in Sola gratia, that grace alone can save the faithful, and that there is a progressive infusion of grace in the spirit of the believer.
Eastern Orthodox Churches
The Eastern Orthodox, for another example, rejects the satisfaction theory of the atonement as legalistic. The satisfaction theory states that mankind's Original Sin violated God's law, resulting in all men being born guilty: an idea prevalent in the writings of Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo. Anselm formally developed the theory that the legal problem of guilt before the Law, required the legal solution of retribution, in order to achieve a just salvation. The solution was for God's son Jesus to willingly die on the Cross in place of humanity, thus allowing the legal penalty to be fully carried out, satisfying the justice of God, and thus clearing the way for mercy to be shown to sinners. The Eastern Orthodox charge that this theory is too dependent upon Roman legal concepts of retribution and justice.
Protestant churches
In Protestant, Evangelical, Christian theology, especially in popular versions of the same, the charge of legalism is an accusation of ignorance of the Christian Gospel, or of unbelief. In that context, to apply the criticism of legalism to a theological position or religious attitude implies that the accused has overturned the Gospel of salvation through faith and new life in Jesus Christ and has instead substituted some principle of personal merit for the unearned grace of God. This is a common Protestant criticism of the Roman Catholic Church.
In history
Throughout the history of Christianity, certain beliefs and practices have tended to draw charges of legalism. These include:
- Asceticism, such as fasting and other forms of self-denial.
- The keeping of the Sabbath, especially regarding prohibitions of various otherwise innocent activities on the day of worship.
- Various extra-biblical ordinances and customs that become associated not just with wisdom but with holiness, in the contemporary situation, such as prohibitions against theater, movies, dancing, playing cards or mixed bathing.
- Total abstinence from alcohol (See also Christianity and alcohol.)
- Ritualism, a superficial or superstitious use of customary prayers and liturgy.
- Similarly, certain exclusive ritual practices, such as rigorous insistence on the tetragrammaton as the only name by which God is honored, dietary laws, a Saturday Sabbath, or Passover (Christian holiday), especially when practicing these rituals is held necessary for salvation.
- Sacraments, especially when the underlying theology allegedly views them as communicating God's grace automatically (compare ex opere operato).
- Various rigorous and restrictive beliefs, such as that, only the King James Version of the Bible constitutes God's word.
- The belief that contemporary Christian music is evil.
- The belief that women should never wear pants or shorts.
- Iconoclasm
- Circumcision
- Puritanism
- Judaizing
- Restorationism
Several underlying dynamics appear in these controversies. The permitted scope of veneration of material objects versus claims that such veneration is idolatry, affects the perceived sanctity of ritual spaces and objects, and therefore of the rituals and customs themselves. Teachings about the authority of the church, the sources of legitimacy of that authority, and the role of clergy versus the priesthood of all believers, also affect these debates. Related to these disagreements are debates concerning the authority of the Bible, and whether it is to be interpreted literally or more freely.
See also
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