Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Note on Legalism

I noticed something the other day. I was watching a TV show and there was a scene where teen mother needed help comforting her newborn. She didn't know that newborns liked to be wrapped up tight in receiving blankets or else they don't feel secure.

Now, I already knew that, having had four children of my own. But for some reason when I watched that, it came to me:

Being wrapped up tightly in a receiving blanket to a baby brings security just as being wrapped up tightly in legalism brings security to many new believers.

If one comes from a place where rules and regulations makes one feel safe, it's not hard to imagine transferring that need for security onto faith in God.

I guess what I'm saying is that I've seen many people go through this works base/legalistic phase of their Christian walk. I went through it myself. I've seen some get past it and on into true freedom and others get trapped in it and keeping their "security blanket" of rules and works long past the time when they should have gotten rid of it.

I Corinthians13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Too many Christians are still dragging around the receiving/security blanket of salvation by works and legalism. It is way past time to do away with childish things.

2 comments:

Hannah said...

That is a great visual!

I think we all know that there are aspects of our lifes that we change once you become a believer. You tend to look at life differently.

Then you have those sermons about how to stay away from worldly, fleshy things. You have hurting people that have found freedom in Jesus, and you have some churches that take that aspect away - and replace it with legalism.

Its strange because some people can find something evil in everything. They never see they have become jaded, negative, and scared of new things.

Good article! Makes you think!

Anonymous said...

I think that so many lives would be transformed if more Christians would take seriously the fact that calling "good" what God has declared bad is no worse than calling "bad" what God has declared good. Or passing judgment on something God has not generally revealed to be either good or bad (see Romans 14).