by Elder Peter Lim
If you’ve read Parts 1 – 4 (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) of this series, you hopefully understand my heart behind this subject…that it’s not a simply a matter of trying to define where lines ought to be drawn. I think we can move on to another aspect of this subject that may help us to understand how things fit together.
First, some definitions from dictionary.com:
- strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.
- in Theology: 1) the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works, 2) the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws.
- those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable.
Legalism is generally considered to be a bad thing and should be avoided since it produces arrogance and heartless adherence to behaviors. Jesus Himself condemned legalistic behavior, especially in His chastisement of the Pharisees. Paul treats this topic in detail in his letter to the Romans in chapter 2. It would be helpful to read this chapter carefully before continuing here. Judging others sounds bad (Rom. 2:1, Matt. 7:1) but judgment itself is not necessary bad (Rom. 2:2, 1 Cor. 11:13). It is good when it is determined using God’s standards rather than man’s. This is also known as “discernment” or “righteous judgment” and is indispensible for people, Christian or not. Bad judgment is known as being “judgmental” and should be avoided because it disregards God’s righteous judgment.
Standards, on the other hand, are generally good. Jesus Himself sets standards, such as in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5). More germane to our discussion, the writer of Hebrews commands us to obey our leaders (Heb. 13:17). What are we to obey? Don’t we already know that we are to obey what the Bible has to say? In context, this passage is talking about the subjective moral, ethical, habitual conduct established by the leaders of the church (Heb. 13:7). These are standards. Of course the leaders are not to establish strange teachings as though they are on equal footing with God’s Word (Heb. 13:9). The congregation is to pray for their leaders to be accountable to God not to overextend their authority (Heb. 13:18).
Let’s summarize some thoughts that we have so far:
- It is the responsibility of every Christian to please God in all respects.
- It is the responsibility of the elders of the local church to set the example for the rest of the church.
- It is the responsibility of the members to obey their leaders.
- The pastor-teacher must be faithful to preach what he believes is the correct interpretation/application of Scripture.
- What the pastor teaches may not necessarily be completely agreeable to all Christians, even the other elders, since people are different.
- Leaders must be careful not to lord over the sheep under their oversight.
If anyone in the congregation feels that the leaders are being unreasonably restrictive to their Christian liberties, they should voluntarily leave peacefully and not cause divisions nor grumble nor complain. It would be displeasing to God for them to remain within the congregation and subvert the authority of the leaders of the church that God has established. This is especially true with respect to gray issues. Although we have the same Word of God, each church and each individual will have their own set of standards. I do personally and I know you do too. But most people don’t think about the fact that there are standards which are set by the leaders of the church. These can be frustrating to people who don’t understand that biblically, the leaders have the authority and the responsibility to do this. Furthermore, these standards are often vague and unwritten. These factors combined cause some of the interesting dynamics which exist at every church. Typically, leaders try to set some sort of standard of behavior because they are trying their best to follow God with their lifestyles while trying to deal with the differences among themselves. The rest of the congregation either don’t care what the church’s standards are since they’re busy trying not to violate the clear sins as explicitly prohibited by the Bible, or they try to follow their favorite leader, all the while being careful not to be legalistic.
As an Elder here at Lighthouse Bible Church, I understand that I must not be legalistic in how I live nor in how I judge others in the lifestyles they choose unless it’s sin. However, it is my responsibility to be the best example that I can be in order to help them to grow. Because sin is so hideous to God, I must voluntarily stay away from both sin and the appearance of sin. I must seek to be above reproach even in areas that I believe are not necessarily sin, if it may cause others to stumble. In the end, we all try to do our best to please God with every aspect of our lives and devote ourselves to the furtherance of the gospel because ultimately that’s what we’re here for: to live for God and to spread the gospel of the saving grace of God.