THE LEGALISM PROBLEM (30 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 5:17-26
This content is part of a series.
The Legalism Problem (30 of 52)
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:17-26
Legalism is a concept I faced in many venues growing up. I went to a reportedly Christian school for First Grade, Sixth Grade, and then throughout high school. My sisters had to kneel down and have their skirts measured from the floor; there were rules against public displays of affection; a musical ensemble I participated in was banned from rehearsing with drums on the school grounds; and dancing was considered a bad word. I had classmates who were not allowed to watch TV. Others could not go to a movie theater, but they could watch movies at home. In church life outside of school, people would be kicked out of church for alcohol use, tobacco use, or divorce. Others were overly concerned with which version of the Bible one read or performing any kind of manual labor on Sunday. At the end of the day, however, legalistic interpretations of Scripture and rules of morality did not transform people's lives to make them holy. It always fell short of that ideal. Why do we still consider that rules can make us holy, when they repeatedly fail to do so?
I don't always like what Jesus had to say. I have a picture in my mind of Jesus being meek and mild, calling out to us softly and tenderly with never a harsh or difficult word to say. In reality, Jesus' words were often very different from that mental image. Today's passage is one of those situations in which Jesus' sayings are hard to swallow. Worse still, his words make the legalism I grew up around seem all too shallow, lacking any depth of righteousness.
The Christians I grew up with were well-meaning people. The ones making the rules at school were missionaries of various stripes, all dedicating their lives in ministry to expand the reach of God's saving grace throughout Brazil. Their legalism was designed to take a stand against cultural norms that seemed immoral and contrary to righteous living. They att ...
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:17-26
Legalism is a concept I faced in many venues growing up. I went to a reportedly Christian school for First Grade, Sixth Grade, and then throughout high school. My sisters had to kneel down and have their skirts measured from the floor; there were rules against public displays of affection; a musical ensemble I participated in was banned from rehearsing with drums on the school grounds; and dancing was considered a bad word. I had classmates who were not allowed to watch TV. Others could not go to a movie theater, but they could watch movies at home. In church life outside of school, people would be kicked out of church for alcohol use, tobacco use, or divorce. Others were overly concerned with which version of the Bible one read or performing any kind of manual labor on Sunday. At the end of the day, however, legalistic interpretations of Scripture and rules of morality did not transform people's lives to make them holy. It always fell short of that ideal. Why do we still consider that rules can make us holy, when they repeatedly fail to do so?
I don't always like what Jesus had to say. I have a picture in my mind of Jesus being meek and mild, calling out to us softly and tenderly with never a harsh or difficult word to say. In reality, Jesus' words were often very different from that mental image. Today's passage is one of those situations in which Jesus' sayings are hard to swallow. Worse still, his words make the legalism I grew up around seem all too shallow, lacking any depth of righteousness.
The Christians I grew up with were well-meaning people. The ones making the rules at school were missionaries of various stripes, all dedicating their lives in ministry to expand the reach of God's saving grace throughout Brazil. Their legalism was designed to take a stand against cultural norms that seemed immoral and contrary to righteous living. They att ...
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