Rules and Legalism
A young man was working for a church that had Scandinavian roots. Being a rather forward-looking and creative young man, he decided he would show the youth group a missionary film. He showed a simple, safe, Christian film. That film projector hadn't been off an hour before a group of the leaders in the church called him in and asked him about what he had done. They asked,
"Did you show the young people a film?"
In all honesty he responded,
"Well, yes, I did."
"We don't like that," they replied.
Without trying to be argumentative, the youth worker reasoned,
"Well, I remember that at the last missionary conference, our church showed slides--
One of the church officers put his hand up signaling him to cease talking. Then, in these words, he emphatically explained the conflict:
"If it's still, fine. If it moves, sin!"
Apparently he could show slides, but when they start moving, he was getting into sin!
Jesus Christ had summarised God’s will for us in two all embracing principles.
“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39
In contrast the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. By the time Christ came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws.
(1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations.
(2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men.
(3) It reduces a person's ability to personally discern.
(4) It creates a judgmental spirit.
(5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.
(6) It produces inconsistencies.
(7) It created a false standard of righteousness.
(8) It became a burden to the Jews.
(9) It was strictly external.
(10) It was rejected by Christ.
Around 200 AD a young man was talking with a minister of his church and said,
"I am in earnest about forsaking 'the world' and following Christ. But I am puzzled about worldly things. What is it I must forsake?"
The following reply was given,
"Coloured clothes for one thing. Get rid of everything in your wardrobe that is not white. Stop sleeping on a soft pillow. Sell your musical instruments and don't eat any more white bread. You cannot, if you are sincere about obeying Christ, take warm baths or shave your beard. To shave is to lie against him who created us, to attempt to improve on his work."
The great Victorian preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said,
“I have found, in my own spiritual life, that the more rules I lay down for myself, the more sins I commit. The habit of regular morning and evening prayer is one which is indispensable to a believer's life, but the prescribing of the length of prayer, and the constrained remembrance of so many persons and subjects, may gender unto bondage, and strangle prayer rather than assist it.”
