"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11.28-30
According to the understanding that legalism is fidelity to the constituted government, care to respect the laws, a former chinese thinker said about legalism: “Legalism, as a political philosophy thath upholds the power of the law, is based on three pillars: Legal code, method and legitimacy. Legal code are written laws, and made public; method is the tactic of the ruler to manage the State; and legitimacy is the position of the ruler”. Close to chinese philosophy is religious legalism, its laws, methods and legitimacy, including some christian doctrines. If the boundaries between the christian faith and religious doctrines are not well demarcated, the field for religious legalism is broadened. How to draw the line between christian faith and religious legalism?
We all seek to believe correctly in order to be saved, delivered, healed, prosperous and have peace, however, being "stuck" in religious behavior, the tendency is towards legalism. The legalistic method seeks to control life, instead of seeking to promote people's self-supervision. The legalistic method cadence the faith, but it should stimulate the discernment. Finally, the legalistic method strips, rather than promoting learning and experiences with the Lord Jesus Christ. The watchword in religious legalism is "acceptance", but it should be "commitment". It starts, then, to give great importance when doing things, instead of the search for commitment (communion relationship with God). As a result, the legalistic burden becomes heavy, difficult to bear. Faced with this state of affairs, the following question arises: Are we willing to follow Jesus? (Christianity)
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
John 1.17
The christian must believe and obey Jesus, according to the guidance of the Holy Bible. Not according to ourselves, our wants. The New Testament consists of the four gospels (biographies of Jesus) - 21 (twenty-one) epistles (Pauline and general) - constituting the deepening of the doctrine of grace (Jesus Christ) - the book of Acts (The History of the Church) and of the Apocalypse (prophetic book). The gospel of Matthew - written to the Jews, the gospel of Mark - written to the Romans, the gospel of Luke - written to the Greeks, and the gospel of John - written to the Church. The Pauline and General Letters (epistles), in practice, is the deepening of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, demarcating the limits of the border between the christian faith and religious legalism.
"So the law has put in charge to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Galatians 3.24
The question is again, how far are we willing to follow Jesus? The watchwords of the follower of Jesus are renunciation and self-denial. Renunciation means leaving self-interests behind, and self-denial means sacrificial dedication. Both pointing to altruism (giving up the “I” in favor of the interests of others) - the practice of agape love. Therefore, self-denial and renunciation, slogans in defense of the unity of the christian faith, defense of sonship in Christ, defense of the christian home and other necessary defenses. The fatal error of some christian doctrines is to want to place their laws, methods and legitimacy above Christ. It is grace turned into a burden. The following alerts to the partisanship of followers of legalism, and its heavy burdens: Jesus is the faithful in the balance.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11.28-30
Jesus' teaching method has unique characteristics that impress with authority, clarity and originality. With the communication resources available today, certainly applying Jesus' method would make disciples more committed. Certain that the teachings that supplanted customs and culture of the time would bring great discomfort to religious legalists today, a reflection follows on the main characteristic features of Jesus' teaching method.
“In addition to impressing with authority, clarity and originality, Jesus' teachings are devoid of the customs and culture of the time, characterizing and revealing the Divinity and Lordship of Jesus (Matthew 7.28-29). Three elements are added to the characteristics of Jesus' teaching method: Content, transmission of knowledge and richness of style. Content covering a wide variety of teachings: About the Kingdom of God (Luke 17.20-21), about himself (Luke 24. 44-48), about the Holy Spirit (John 16. 13-14), about Worship (John 4. 21 -24), about prayer (Matthew 6. 5-8), about sin (Luke 17. 3-5), about the Church (Matthew 21. 12-13), about the commandments (Mark 12. 28-34), about the need to persevere (Matthew 24. 3-14), about Jesus' return (Luke 21. 25-28), and so many other teachings. The teachings are transmitted according to a technique based on renunciation, humility and service, stimulating the minds of the disciples to capture and retain the teachings, for later application. Another element of Jesus' method is the richness of style, using figures of speech giving extension to the meaning of the texts: Example of metaphors (Matthew 5. 13-16) and parables. (Matthew 13. 24-30). ”
(Extracted from the book, Cristologia ao seu Alcance, 2010)
How far are we willing to follow Jesus, or are we in a comfort zone between christian faith and religious legalism?
We are the righteousness of God, in Christ.
Manoel Lúcio da Silva Neto is master in Production Engineering (Media and Knowledge) and author of the book, Cristologia ao seu Alcance, 2010