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Legalism (theology)

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In Protestant, Evangelical, Christian theology, especially in popular versions of the same, the charge of "Legalism" is an accusation of ignorance of the Christian Gospel, or of unbelief. In that context, to apply the criticism of "legalism" to a theological position or religious attitude, implies that the accused has over-turned the Gospel of salvation through faith and new life in Jesus Christ, and has substituted for grace some principle of personal merit instead.

A "legalist" is deemed subject to pride in his own accomplishments, judgmental of others to his own condemnation, depriving himself or others of Christian liberty, or even perhaps ultimately to be judged not a true believer in Christ. Such a one is accused of posturing himself as somehow more deserving of the favor of God, or of salvation, because of positive practices in which he is engaged or negative behaviors from which he abstains. However, it is a basic controversy of Christianity, especially since the Reformation, to determine which views, attitudes or practices really constitute legalism.

See also: sola fide

No Christian nor pseudo-Christian sect refers to itself as legalistic although some sects criticize others as being so. Typically criticism of other sects proceeds from those who interpret faith liberally or who emphasize salvation by grace rather than works.

The essence of legalism, considered as a Christian heresy, is the belief that believers must earn their way into heaven by obedience to the Law of Moses, or some other code of Christian principles or canon law, in order to achieve salvation. This is thought to contradict the Christian teaching that we are saved by the unearned grace of God. It is also feared by the critics of legalism that those who are law-abiding, respected, and conventional in habits, will conclude from their legal obedience that they have no sins to repent and have earned salvation from their outward conformity to social norms. This contradicts texts from the New Testament that say everyone is a sinner.

Criticism of legalism goes back to the roots of Christianity, when Gentiles as well as Jews began to be baptised as Christians. Questions arose as to whether Gentile converts had to keep the dietary laws of kashrut or observe other Jewish customs founded on the Torah. In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15, a decision is rendered that the Gentiles do not have to conform to them; as to dietary laws, they should abstain knowingly from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, and from the meat from strangled animals. The Apostle Paul contrasted salvation by grace against obedience to the Law in the Epistle to the Galatians chapter 3 and elsewhere. Christians (even those who are criticised as being legalistic) typically refer to Pharisiacal fixation on the rules of Levitical purity or observance of the Sabbath in the New Testament as an example of legalism.

A tension remains in Christianity, as to how much obedience to moral principles is required of the believer, and the source of authority for those principles. The contrary extreme from legalism is called antinomianism, the view that no such obedience is required of Christian believers. This same tension is also characterized as a tension between faith and good works, the role that each plays in salvation and ought to play in the living out of a Christian life.

In popular usage, there is a strong and a weak sense of the word. In the strong sense, the alleged legalist is accused of actually denying the gospel and positing that salvation can be acheived by means of good works. In the weak sense, he is only accused of placing undue restrictions on the actions of other Christians.

Some sects whose accusers criticize as legalistic in the strong sense include the Seventh-day Adventist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Roman Catholic Church and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some critics apply legalism in the weak sense to include the Church of the Nazarene, the Pentecostal Church of God and essentially any Fundamentalist Christian group. Some liberal Christians will even criticize all Evangelicals as legalists. It is sometimes difficult to determine which sense a critic intends, as groups that officially teach salvation by grace alone are sometimes accused by non-adherents of not actually believing this doctrine.

Those Christians against whom the charge of legalism is brought reject the charge. Within the context of Christianity, teachings and practices that attract the controversy include:

  • Ascetic practices such as fasting and other forms of self-denial. Those who belive in these things often defend them as practices that improve concentration on spiritual things and cultivate detachment from the world, and as practices that Jesus apparently expected his followers to continue.
  • Various ordinances and customs that address subjects not directly covered in Scripture, such as customs disapproving of dancing, playing cards or alcoholic beverages. Believers in these practices often defend them as addressing issues and controversies unknown at the time the Bible was written.
  • Ritual, such as the use of customary prayers and an elaborate liturgy. Believers in these practices often defend them as traditions with deep roots, and as logical expansions of practices that do in fact have Biblical precedents.
  • Similarly, the insistence on certain exclusive ritual practices, such as a Saturday Sabbath or adult baptism, especially when practicing these rituals is held necessary for salvation.
  • Sacraments, especially when the underlying theology views them as vehicles of God's grace. Believers in these practices often defend them with the claim that the church was founded by God as the vehicle for grace, and that to reject them is to flirt with the gnostic notion that matter is inherently evil and cannot be a vehicle for God's grace.
  • Biblical literalism of the sort that underlies Christian fundamentalism.
  • The degree to which various ordinances of the Old Testament continue to be binding on believers.

Several underlying dynamics appear in these controversies. The permitted scope of veneration of material objects, versus claims that such veneration is idolatry, affects the perceived sanctity of ritual spaces and objects, and therefore of the rituals and customs themselves. Related to this are competing ideas about whether material things can be good, or are just a temporary evil to be done away with as soon as possible. Teachings about the authority of the church, the sources of legitimacy of that authority, and the role of clergy versus the priesthood of all believers, also affect these debates. Related to these disagreements are debates concerning the authority of the Bible, and whether it is to be interpreted literally or more freely.

Another area of legalism in Christian theology is in theories of the atonement of Jesus Christ that explain its necessity and effect in legal terms. One such explanation is that mankind's Original Sin offended God's sense of justice or violated God's law, and a legal solution was required to absolve mankind of the guilt of that original sin, and/or the guilt of sins committed by each person individually. The solution was for God's son Jesus to willingly die on the Cross in place of humanity, thus allowing the legal penalty to be carried out. This idea of satisfaction was especially strong in Tertullian's writings; some scholars suggest that Tertullian's background as a lawyer may have influenced him. It was repeated by Augustine of Hippo together with other theories of the atonement, and developed further by Anselm.

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