Tag Archives: Legalism

It Is Not the Doing of This Thing or That Thing

Posted on by under John Owen

It is not the doing of this or that thing, but the doing of all things by Christ commanded; not a loving of friends only, but of enemies; not a denial of the ways of ungodly men only, but a denial of self and the world ; not a doing hurt to none only, but a doing good to all ; not a hatred to evil men’s ways only, but a love to their persons; not praying and hearing only,—but giving alms, communicating, showing mercy, exercising loving-kindness in the earth ; not a mortification of pride and vanity only, especially if as to others in any outward appearance,—but of envy, wrath, discontent. In a word, it is “perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord” that is required. If men professing religion, who are almost devoured by world, or flesh, or envy, or faction, or idleness, or uselessness in their generation, would but lay their hearts to the rules we have considered, they would find they had but little cause to hug themselves in their ways and walking.

John Owen (1616 – 1683)

HT: The Essential Owen

Legalism Aborts Relationships

Posted on by under Douglas B. Wicks, K. Neill Foster, Rockwell L. Dillman

Legalism aborts relationships with God and others by its negative focus. The evil we seek to avoid grows — with concentration — into targets we cannot miss. Instead of limiting our sin, rules define sin, rivet our attention to it and lead us to desire it. In legalism, the flesh is in charge, taking the Holy Spirit’s place, and thus is strengthened.

Rockwell L. Dillman in K. Neill Foster & Douglas B. Wicks, eds., Voices on the Cross, p. 44

Performance Based Relationships

Posted on by under Jerry Bridges

We believers are apt to fall into a servile fear if we don’t fully understand the grace of God and His acceptance of us through Christ. If we believe we’re in a performance relationship with God, then He can seem to be a hard taskmaster whom we can never please. We’ll see Him as the divine ogre ready to judge us for even our least failure to live up to His rules.

Jerry Bridges, The Joy of Fearing God, p. 27