My friend Bob Gonzales shares what he calls “Confessions of a Recovering Legalist.”
He identifies three areas of “remaining legalism”:
- Elevating My Own Opinions
- Looking Down at Others
- Trusting in Human Tradition
He explains why he calls himself a “recovering legalist”:
Ironically, one area I’ve been wrestling with lately relates to my attitude and posture towards other Christians in whom I perceive the tendencies of legalism. Christ has been so patient with me, yet I’ve not always been as patient with them. Instead, I’ve become so preoccupied with what I perceive to be their tendencies toward an imbalanced rigidity, a sectarian spirit, and an inordinate veneration of human tradition, that I’ve sometimes lost sight of God’s grace in their hearts and ministries. This too is a legalistic tendency.
Related:
This is such a struggle for all of us who have genuine concern with the cultural and ecclesiastical drifts away from truth. We in turn can (and in my case have) become self-righteous over our desire to stand for truth, love truth, be faithful to Scripture and the gospel. In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, I have certainly noticed that I can be the elder brother. It frustrates me, and then the gospel reminds me Jesus died for my self-righteousness as well.
Thanks, Andy.