Facing and interacting with legalistic believers can be a daunting challenge. More often than we'd like, their ideas, thoughts and speech can become more of a burden than a blessing.
Legalism has nothing to do with valuing laws because God instructs us all to store up His Word and carefully observe it. The problem comes when we start looking to the pursuit of God's holiness in others instead of ourselves.
God's law was not meant to be a looking glass to judge and measure the walk of others, but a mirror for personal reflection and development. When we come into contact with people who use the Bible as a looking glass, things can get a bit messy.
Who is the Pharisee?
But how are we to treat people who can tend to be judgmental and pharisee-like in the way they live? Do we scrutinize them for their sins? Do we shower them with disdain?
It definitely sounds tempting and satisfying, but if we did exactly that then we have to ask ourselves -- what makes us any different from them? When we judge the mistakes and peer through the Bible like a looking glass into the lives of legalistic people, don't we commit the same crimes as they do?
Don't fight fire with fire
Jesus instructs us in Matthew 5:43-45, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
When having to swallow the legalism, hypocrisy and self-righteousness that Pharisees spit out, the easy way out is to throw it back at them, but Jesus never teaches us to fight fire with fire. In fact, He calls us to fight fire with love. Modern-day Pharisees may seem like the devil in the flesh, but remember that they are not.
Legalistic people are still people, and God loves them still. He has called us to love them as well. If we can love the poor, the hurting and the broken, why can't we love spiritually poor, hurting and broken Pharisees too?
It's not easy, I know, because just like legalistic people, we also accidentally fall into the trap of legalism as well by judging them. Just as sinful and vile as they are, we are no different. Romans 3:23 reminds us, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
That is why we need the enabling power of the Holy Spirit that will rid us of all hate and disdain toward our neighbor and replace it with a heavenly move of love so that we can respond to judgment with compassion.
God loves legalistic people too, and He is calling us to bring light into their lives by responding with love -- not judgment.
