If you have been visiting my “Spin” for any length of time, you know I have been doing a series of posts on legalism.  For a refresher you can check here, here, here, and here.  This post in the series is a bit different.  Floyd wanted to talk about the trap of legalism that is so easy to fall into, even by those who say they aren’t legalistic.  You can connect with Floyd here.  I encourage to check out his blog.

             THE HEART OF TRUTH

“Ring-Ring”! … “Ring-Ring”! … “Ring-Ring!… “If that’s Randy tell him I’m not home right now”!!! I yelled as I was running toward the front door. I could hear my wife saying “Hello”! as I was closing the front door… I’d count to myself, sometimes even out loud, “One thousand one – One thousand two – One thousand three.” I’d stroll back inside whistling, all content with myself for my integrity and cleverness.

“I don’t like lying for you”! my wife would complain. “That’s not lying”!!! Quicker than Jekyll could turn into Hyde, I’d turn into Mr. Legalist. “I wasn’t inside the house- so you weren’t lying”!!! – “I don’t lie”!!! … Nothing worse than a Christian that lies to himself…

I’d grown up in churches, more church than I wanted as a kid to say the least. The hypocritical actions of the majority of the members left me repulsed by the group of legalistic people hiding safely in the church. I honestly felt more compassion and genuine concern from people who the church people had condemned as “sinners.”

The majority of those legalists could quote scripture and use them like bad folks use weapons; to seek and destroy…

My mind that I didn’t even know had been dipped in the ugly vat of legalism used the early training to justify my chosen life of a Prodigal Son. Much like Jonah, I ran from God, thinking that chasing the wind would drown out the voice and hand of God.

It’s easy to try to break the laws of God down into a list of Do’s and Don’ts’, but that can’t begin to measure the heart of God and His infinite love and omnipotent power. The characteristics that mark a child of God can rarely be found following a rule. It’s my belief that God’s children are identified by the actions that reveal a heart not of this world, but one that trusts in the things that can’t be measured by our earthly senses.

Jesus Christ shared with us how to spot His followers, “They will know you by the love you have for one another.” To pull that off would require a lot of compassion and forgiveness, I think.

God has brought most of us a long way, but we’ve still got a long journey ahead of us. Sometimes when I think I’ve got my heart right where God wants it, I stop and ponder some other commandments from Jesus Christ, “Pray for your enemies,” and “Pray for peace.”

I realize how easy it is to fall back into a life of legalism, to become one of the people capable of chasing away others in search of the truth. That’s when I throw the knapsack back over my shoulder and seek the path that God has chosen for me and us.

That path chosen by God will not be as much about following the rules as it will be following the light of God that shines upon the paths of our lives as He leads us eventually home.

For those of us whom God has freed from the slavery of legalism know we are free indeed. We live a more abundant life offered through Jesus Christ. Our new challenge may  be to offer love without stipulations to the ones still under the burdensome yoke of legalism…

Oh man…Where’s my knapsack?

From Bill:  if you would like to take part and tell your story of legalism, then contact me at pastor (at) ovcf.org