Legalism is the elevation of man-made tradition to be on equal level as the commands of God.

Some even put it above the word of God.

Legalism is the keeping of man-made laws and traditions and rules.

I'm talking about the church now.

I'm not talking about man-made laws that we need to obey outside of the church.

I'm talking about the church.

That you make those and you place those above what God said or equal to it

and thinking that this is what God wants.

Legalism is the thinking that the keeping of man-made tradition is going to give you favor with God.

Legalism in some tradition has truly been far more important than the word of God itself.

Legalism is that religious spirit that says that if I go to church for one hour a week,

I can live like the devil for the rest of the week.

Legalism is the religious spirit that says that unless you worship a certain way, unless you

are baptized a certain way, unless you follow a certain liturgy, unless you do this or you

do that, you're not a great Christian.

Legalism is the condemning of one sin, but then winking on a whole lot of sins. Legalism is the focus on those things

that are not necessary for salvation and making them almost as important as the gospel itself.

You know, Dr. John Edmund Haggai writes in one of his books a story

that took place back in the 30s. It was a gathering of the World Baptist Women Alliance in Berlin, Germany.

And there, the German Baptist women came to the port to greet their American counterparts.

And when the German women looked at the American women coming with the big hairdoes and heavy makeup,

the German Baptist women at the time believed that's a sin.

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