First let us define what legalism is and what it focuses on:

Legalism Is:

• following man made rules instead of God given principles of living.
• the opposite of God's grace
• "a satanic substitute that supplants faith." ^a
• "contrary to the Lordship of Christ" ^a
• "contrary to Christian obedience" ^a
• "contrary to the Spirit-led Christian life, wherein the Spirit of Christ enables and empowers." ^a
• "contrary to freedom in Christ" ^a
• a killer of joy in serving Christ
• used to control people through guilt

Legalism's Effect of the Individual Believer

• It can easily cause feelings of self-righteousness
• It can cause a person to consider others as being less Christian or less spiritual if they don't follow a particular rule or list of rules
• It can and will quench joy in the life of the believer
• It often poisons people to the true message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• It can blind us to the reality of God's grace in the life of a believer.
• It can make an individual divisive and condemning.

Obedience is one thing, Legalism is another. There is also another gospel called Ascetism which I will deal with on another blog. Obedience has to be by faith and not some sort of do's and don'ts:

Heb 11:6

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
KJV

Legalism is centered on self effort to please God. So MANY believers today are entraped in this thinking this how to live they have do certain things in order to please God. Legalism focuses on Old Testament scriptures to put people under bondage of the Old Covenant Law. Another thing how legalism destroys Christian people is it does not focus on the WHOLE counsel of God. Let us look at the scriputres:

Legalism is really a form of pride to begin with. It says a person can do all these things to please God in the strength of the flesh. Legalism boasts of what it does or does not do though such boasting may not merely be verbal in nature but by life attitudes of what a person does or does not do. Legalism does not correctly handle the Word Of Truth-- 2 Timothy 2:15 ( ) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Legalism robs Christians of the joy of Christ in their lives; Legalism is a gospel of works and not grace. Legalism focuses on outward appearances. Most of all leagalism puts people into bondage.

The Christian gospel vs. legalism

A. Contrariety of legalism to Christian gospel
1. Legalism is contrary to the Grace dynamic of God in Jesus Christ
2. Legalism is contrary to faith, our receptivity of God's activity; a satanic substitute that supplants faith.
3. Legalism is contrary to the Lordship of Christ, wherein He directs and guides our lives.
4. Legalism is contrary to Christian obedience, which is "listening under" the direction of the living Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Legalism is contrary to the Spirit-led Christian life, wherein the Spirit of Christ enables and empowers. (Eph. 5:18;
6. Legalism is contrary to freedom in Christ, and the liberty that is to be realized in present kingdom living. (John 8:31,32,36; II Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:1,17)

B. Reaction and response to legalism by Christians
1. Christianity is not a legal, judicial, law-based religion
2. Must not assume that legalism is the only alternative to antinomianism, license or libertarianism. (II Tim. 3:5)
3. Must not assume that legalism is just another innocuous approach to Christian living.
a. Legalism is the basis of religion that binds people up, and ties them back, to rules, regulations and rituals, thus enslaving them to the sin of self-effort.
b. Legalism is a radically opposite counterfeit of Christianity
4. Legalism is sin. (Gal. 3:3; 5:4)
5. Legalism is idolatrous, setting up an independent standard of law as the basis of rightness, rather than God's righteousness.
6. Legalism is not to be tolerated or condoned, but to be exposed and eschewed. (Gal. 1:6-9)

© 1999 James A. Fowler

I have appended copyrights to information that is not mine but some of the information here is mine.