C. J. Mahaney gave an excellent definition as to what legalism is: "Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through my obedience to God."
In our churches today, every time you speak about obedience and holiness, there are professing "Christians" that will accuse you of legalism. Why? Because of their consciences. They know that they are not doing what Jesus commanded them to do, but rather than submit to Him and conform their lives to His wishes, they want to be told that they are doing just fine and Jesus will accept them as they are. However, they might want to pay closer heed to what Scripture has to say on the subject. Christ Jesus said, "Why call ye me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do (obey) not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). He stated further that, "Not everyone that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth (obeys) the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many marvelous works?' And then will I profess unto them, 'I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (you who live as though I never gave you commandments to obey)" (Matthew 7:21-23).
So many people in our churches today have been fed a false gospel that says they can have Jesus, do whatever they want, and live just like the world. Again, Scripture tells a different story for those who dare to look. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). "And He said to them all, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:23-27; cf. Matthew 17:24-28; Mark 8:34-38). "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, 'Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.' And Jesus said unto Him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.' And He said unto another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.' Jesus said unto him, 'Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.' And Jesus said unto him, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:57-62; cf. Matthew 8:18-22). "And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them, 'If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple*. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple*. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple*'" (Luke 14:25-33; cf. Matthew 10:34-39 - in Acts).
On February 17, 2009, Matt Chandler had this to say about legalism in ‘Dwell Deep: The Blog’:
If Jesus is not first in your life, and if you are not obedient to His commands, do not fool yourself into thinking you are a true, biblical, born again Christian. If you are genuinely a Christian, then there will be repentance in your life due to your selfishness and disobedience against Jesus. A Christian is consistently renewing his thinking (Romans 12:2), consistently bringing his thoughts into submission (2 Corinthians 10:5), and consistently thinking on righteous things (Philippians 4:8). "Seek ye first the kingdom of God AND His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33). Have your eye on eternity and your mind set on holiness.
In our churches today, every time you speak about obedience and holiness, there are professing "Christians" that will accuse you of legalism. Why? Because of their consciences. They know that they are not doing what Jesus commanded them to do, but rather than submit to Him and conform their lives to His wishes, they want to be told that they are doing just fine and Jesus will accept them as they are. However, they might want to pay closer heed to what Scripture has to say on the subject. Christ Jesus said, "Why call ye me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do (obey) not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). He stated further that, "Not everyone that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth (obeys) the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many marvelous works?' And then will I profess unto them, 'I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (you who live as though I never gave you commandments to obey)" (Matthew 7:21-23).
So many people in our churches today have been fed a false gospel that says they can have Jesus, do whatever they want, and live just like the world. Again, Scripture tells a different story for those who dare to look. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). "And He said to them all, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:23-27; cf. Matthew 17:24-28; Mark 8:34-38). "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, 'Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.' And Jesus said unto Him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.' And He said unto another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.' Jesus said unto him, 'Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.' And Jesus said unto him, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'" (Luke 9:57-62; cf. Matthew 8:18-22). "And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them, 'If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple*. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple*. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple*'" (Luke 14:25-33; cf. Matthew 10:34-39 - in Acts).
*cannot be my disciple = cannot be a Christian
On February 17, 2009, Matt Chandler had this to say about legalism in ‘Dwell Deep: The Blog’:
Holiness is something we should all be striving for. God, by His grace, has set us free to pursue Him in joy and walk in obedience to His commands, not begrudgingly but with gladness. The commands of God in Scripture shouldn’t be a burden that we rail against but a disciplined hope-filled act of daily worship."Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through my obedience to God." If by my obedience I am trying to seek forgiveness from God and/or acceptance by God, then I am being legalistic in my religion, just as the Pharisees. I do not obey just to get something from God. But that is not what the Christian's obedience looks like. A Christian is obedient because Christ Jesus has commanded it and because He loves the Lord Jesus, whether anything good comes of it or not. If God never blessed him for it, a true Christian would still be obedient to the Lord Christ Jesus because it was commanded of him and because he loves Him. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken (listen) than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22b). "Walk before Me, and be thou perfect (blameless)" (Genesis 17:1). "Be ye holy, as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). There is no way around it. On every page of Scripture are the commands for obedience and holiness. Christ Jesus had this testimony: "For I do (obey) always those things that please Him (the Father)" (John 8:29c). If you are doing the will of the Father, or of Christ Jesus, then you are obeying Him.
First, legalism is using morality or a command of God as a means of expressing independence, self-sufficiency and self-determination. It’s moral behaviour that’s not from faith. This is the kind of legalism the Pharisees were most often caught up in. Their obedience to God’s commands didn’t flow from a love and worship of God but rather as a means to exalt themselves over others and exalt their own discipline and strength. The problem wasn’t the command; it was their heart.
If Jesus is not first in your life, and if you are not obedient to His commands, do not fool yourself into thinking you are a true, biblical, born again Christian. If you are genuinely a Christian, then there will be repentance in your life due to your selfishness and disobedience against Jesus. A Christian is consistently renewing his thinking (Romans 12:2), consistently bringing his thoughts into submission (2 Corinthians 10:5), and consistently thinking on righteous things (Philippians 4:8). "Seek ye first the kingdom of God AND His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33). Have your eye on eternity and your mind set on holiness.