Leaving Legalism Behind

Church Planting Series, Part twelve

I came across a great quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

“A society based on the letter of the law and never reaching any higher, fails to take advantage of the full range of human possibilities. The letter of the law is too cold and formal to have a beneficial influence on society. Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses.”

In church planting, legalism is always a temptation. You start something a certain way. You use your gifts to get the ball rolling. You choose the songs. You pick the slide backgrounds. You organize the small group structure. You brainstorm community outreach projects. You design the strategic plan. Then, suddenly, people show up. People get involved. And they have ideas that might change things!

You may be a Gospel preacher, a Gospel servant, a Gospel kind of person. You may never think of yourself as a legalist, a control freak, an in-the-box dude. But suddenly, at the prospect of change, you bristle. You hesitate. You say (or want to say) “No!”

It’s amazing how “that’s not the way we’ve done it before” can surface after one week in a church plant!

We’re creatures of habit. We like our will to be done. We’re legalists at heart.

The result is death. People get discouraged. Imaginations whither. Creativity disappears. Taking risks for the Gospel falls off the radar. The fear of not doing things the way “they” say it should be done takes hold and paralyzes the hearts and minds of all. 2 Corinthians 3:6 sums it up well: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

I’m not talking about an “anything goes” attitude or a departure from God’s Word and ways. I’m talking about the fear-based reduction of all possibilities to one person’s mind, judgment, and rules.

How do you leave “an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses” behind? How do you leave legalism behind and live in the new covenant that gives life?

Building on “the Spirit gives life” proclamation of 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul sticks with his point of a life of freedom in the Gospel. He says in chapter four, verse five, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” Legalism is left behind when an event that we would have never thought of takes hold of our lives. Legalism is left behind at the cross. His ways ARE higher than our ways. We’re not the only game in town. There’s a body of Christ out there. There are many gifts for the common good. We live by grace, not by our works—-or our brainy plans and strategies.

When we belong to Christ Jesus and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25), people live in the freedom of the Gospel. They are respected and loved. Their Spirit-led imaginations soar. Paralysis is gone. Spiritual mediocrity evaporates. The Kingdom flourishes. We notice and embrace God’s surprises. Mission and ministry become beautiful. A church-plant happens, not a me-plant.