A Legalist is concerned with Laws, Lists and is devoid of Love!
Asking God to deliver, save, rescue you from a heart and mindset of a legalist. True, “legalistic” people are lost for their “hope” is in themselves and not in the finished work of the LORD Jesus. They view life through the lens of their own mindset and not God’s Word. There is a harshness, hypercritical spirit that they view life and others through. They are self-righteous and elevate their opinion above God. They twist Scripture to conform to their opinion rather than bending the knee and submitting and being conformed to God’s Word.
They are interested in others being Conformed to their image rather than being conformed to the Image of Christ
And where this is true, the Legalist is an Idolater, replacing God with self, wanting to be followed, obeyed, conformed to!
But it is possible for a follower of Christ to fall into the sin of legalism at times, or even bring this sinful attitude into their new life “In Christ,” and this is why we need to “renew” our mind with the Word of God so we may know what God’s will and view of life is for us. The Spirit of God uses His Word to change us and align our thinking with His so we can have His view of life! Beware of hanging around with legalists and allowing them to have influence over you.
Consider some Legalistic characteristics…
The Legalist believes he or she can attain salvation by his or her own works.
The Legalist believes he or she can ” maintain the favor of God through their own merits.
The Legalist thinks he or she is superior to others.
The Legalists are deceived, and promote their false teaching of self works, self-righteousness, to influence the naive and to deceive them if possible!
The Legalist is more interested in people being Conformed to their image and Opinion than to the Image of Christ!
The Legalist has a low view of God and an inflated view of themselves!
The Legalist is Self-centered, and not Christ-centered.
The legalist is self-deceived!
The Legalist motto is, Be Like me, Think like me, Follow me!
If you have any of these traits, confess them to the LORD and turn away and REPLACE them with His Word, this is why it is IMPERATIVE to RENEW our Mind with the Word of God. Rejecting Legalistic Thinking and living by REPLACING the mindset with the Word of God… and when tempted to fall back into it.. REPEAT To yourself what God says and READ, MEDITATE and APPLY His Word…-{Romans 12:2}
REMEMBER ” It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. “-{Galatians 5:1-3}.
Paul REMINDS the believers they are FREE in Christ, FREE from Legalism, Free from the bondage such a mindset, and life gives through legalism. He is speaking to followers of Christ, who had turned away from the Grace of God and were duped into trying to please God by self-efforts! So, it is possible as Paul said to the believers, “ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!… Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?”-{Galatians 1:6-9; 3;2-4}.
The sad thing is the Legalist does not know they are more committed to legalism than to the LORD Jesus. They are more concerned with their voice been heard and obeyed than the Word of God and following the LORD Jesus.
The Legalist is anti Christ in their beliefs and relegates the Work and Person of Christ and elevates themselves and their efforts in His place! Beware of the danger, deception, of legalism beliefs for they Displace and Dishonor the LORD Jesus Christ. Legalism is demonic in it’s origin! It is “another Gospel,” which is not the true Gospel!
The believers in the Book of Galatians had slipped back into self-effort to try to please God and had been deceived, they had displaced the Gospel with LEGALISM! Beware, it can happen to you and me too! This is why … “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”-{Rom 12:2}.
RECOGNIZE the Dangers of Legalism- the Dishonoring of The Work of Christ it attacks
REPLACE Legalistic thinking with
RENEWING your Mind with the TRANSFORMING WORD OF TRUTH-{Rom 12:2}
REPEAT- When Tempted
REJOICE- in the LIBERTY that is in CHRIST- {Galatains 5:1}