The Dangers of Legalism

Dangers of Traditionalism. “Some people consider

any Christian who abstains from certain practices to

be legalistic. But high standards are not legalism.

Legalism is claiming that such things are standards

of righteousness, or worse yet, are necessary for

salvation. The other great danger of traditionalism is

hypocrisy. When religion becomes a series of dos

and don’ts, there is a tendency to simply follow the

rules and miss the heart of God.” (Mark Strauss)

Fulfilling the Law. The spirit of God’s Law can be

missed when adherence to the Law is one’s

motivation rather than seeking God’s love. Adding a

fence around God’s Law, like the Pharisees, made

loving one’s neighbor who is sick impossible. Jesus

fulfills the Law by living a perfect life, demonstrating

proper adherence, and reorienting our hearts from

legalism to fulfilling God’s purposes of loving our

neighbors.