Following God’s Instructions is Not Legalistic; It is Discipline
I’m encountering more and more people that have, what I believe to be, a twisted mindset about the bible. Upon further investigation, I’ve come to realize that many of them have the same faulty perspective when it comes to tithing and simply going to church in general. I also find it interesting that the same people, for the most part, have experienced some form of “church hurt” in the past. It has become apparent to me that there are a lot of wounded people, that have allowed their view of God’s word to be altered based off their personal circumstances.
I’m not discounting “church hurt” at all. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to have the very thing you’ve poured into turn around and bite you. I’ve also been a part of the culture that produces a power structure that ultimately leads to so much of the “church hurt” opportunities. I’ve stood on both sides. I’ve been hurt and I’m sure I’ve done some hurting. The point of this particular writing isn’t to discuss the “church hurt” itself. That is something that is far too broad of a subject and quite honestly might not have a resolution. If people are involved, the opportunity for someone to be hurt always exists. What I want to tackle is the issue of perspective and the ability we have, as human beings, to lose sight of truth amidst our confusion and turmoil.
Those people that have shifted their view of God’s word from a truth standard to a “my truth” standard, have come to adopt a perspective that devalues the bible and ultimately redefines God’s instructions as simply suggestions. As if God is a life coach and His Book is a product for sale at a How to Have a Better Life Seminar. They’ve chosen to put aside discipline in the commands of God and instead coined it as legalism. They wave a counterfeit flag of freedom over the things that they once deemed simple instructions and instead reject them as “old covenant” law and walk away from an opportunity to obey them all together. It’s ultimately a masking of the hurt. It’s a projection of blame to the whole body and a refusal to deal with the parts that were affected.
This type of reaction to hurt or discomfort has led to a drastic rise in the number of people that associate with a movement of “faith deconstruction”. It simply means they go on a journey to find out for themselves what is true. While that might sound like a form of empowerment, for many, it ends up being a fruitless freefall into a lonely world of doubt and confusion. Faith, the very thing that makes it possible to please God, is kicked to the curb and put under a microscope for skeptic eyes to dissect. What they’ll find is that the bible, that helped frame their faith from the beginning, doesn’t always match their life’s story. It doesn’t always relate to the modern, worldy experiences that they’ve let themselves go through. It doesn’t fit into the mindset that they want to have and live by. So, it becomes less valuable. It becomes less honorable. Instead of being TRUTH and LIGHT it becomes a powerless book on a shelf and wanting to consistently study it is considered to be legalistic. And sadly, everything that was ever taught to them about God and the bible is willfully set up on the chopping block and sacrificed for a vain pursuit of self.
While they want to misidentify discipline as legalism, they are also allowing the enemy to come and sow discontentment which will eventually lead to apathy. And apathy toward the things of God will ultimately lead to a hardening of the heart. The same heart that once, out of love for God as John 14:15 states, drove them to obey His instructions, now is too hardened to receive the love that comes from understanding the truth that is behind his very word. Legalism is an issue when it comes into play. But don’t be fooled into thinking that a disciplined lifestyle of obedience to basic biblical instruction is legalistic in any way. It is not. It’s exactly what Satan would want you to think. And it’s that kind of thinking that shrinks you away from receiving a satisfied heart, financial freedom and a comforting community to grow in. There is a difference between working toward establishing a disciplined walk with the Lord and allowing a legalistic mindset to hinder your growth.
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Legalism will cause you to do things out of love for the doing rather than from the natural flow from a heart of being. This leads to a works-based mindset and entices you to see your obedience as a task instead of the true act of love that following God’s instructions should be. Legalism will twist the act of giving – making it seem like a duty in order to earn favor rather than simply following a commandment that automatically produces favor (You may need to read that last one a few times.)
Discipline will push you to love the things of God. If you are led by the Spirit of God, you will learn that He loves things that your flesh hates and he detests things that your flesh craves. The Apostle Paul talks about this in Romans 7:19. “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Without the Holy Spirit, we are in a constant state of battling with ourselves. When you learn to be disciplined in your walk, you are given grace for the process and endurance for the road. Following God’s instructions provides not just a blueprint for the faith journey but also its purpose.
Many people will say they don’t need to follow these “old” instructions because they now have the Holy Spirit. Don’t be fooled. The Holy Spirit will never move you in a direction away from God’s word. He will confirm it. Spirit and Truth cannot stand apart from each other. It’s the only way He wants us to worship Him (John 4:23). The Holy Spirit will never move you outside of the body of Christ. You are called to gather with and to love and to encourage the other believers that are running this race. We need each other. The “church” is NOT singular. It’s plural. We need to allow for the sharpening process by being willing to endure holy relationships. Holiness is a matter of being. And being a follower of Jesus produces a desire to look like Him and walk like Him and BE like Him. It’s a disciplined life that knows when to say yes and when to say no.
True disciples have a reverence for the things of God. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. The God of Noah and Moses and David. The God of Daniel. The God of the Old and New Testament. The God of the beginning and the God of the end. True disciples are disciplined
They tithe not out of chore, but because they believe in the inheritance that comes, and the blessing that is available, to ALL who stand behind Abraham’s great faith. They know that Abraham’s blessing was preceded by Abraham’s obedience to God’s instructions.
They go to church not because they have to, but because they believe there is POWER in the house of God. They believe that when the saints gather, there is a strengthening, a comforting and a healing that takes place for every heart that is hungry.
They read the bible not because they want more head knowledge about God, but because they know that without His word they are dead. His word is life. It is instruction. It is comfort. It is a lamp. It is a sword. It is the standard of truth.
