Church Wars: Legalism -vs- Liberalism: Part 2

"What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." - Romans 6:15

On the other side of the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:14) is the equally devastating malady of "Liberalism". Liberalism is defined as freedom from traditional values, biblical interpretations, rituals, viewpoints and activities in favor of a more individualized form of spirituality free of anything that may cause the adherent to experience any negative emotions (“I’m ok, you’re ok theology”). The liberal believer's favorite word is "Freedom" ("liberty" works too).

Now, to be clear, there IS freedom and liberty in Christ (Romans 8:21; 2 Cor.3:17; Gal.5:1). However, that liberty is not a free pass to live in habitual sin (Gal.5:13; 1 Peter 2:16). In fact, we are commanded to be careful how we exercise our freedom so as to keep the "weaker brethren" around us from falling into sin (1 Cor.8:9). I know I've made mistakes in my search for godly liberty and will undoubtedly make more before I leave this earth. It is a constant battle between our flesh and the Holy Spirit of God to "flesh out" (pardon the pun) our selfish desires from the desires God has for us.

God doesn't want us to live in bondage; he wants us to live in freedom and liberty. However, our definition of liberty and God's are not in the same ballpark; in fact they aren't in the same universe. When legalists are freed from their chains the natural tendency is to run across the road and jump into the ditch of liberalism (and visa versa). It is our natural inclination to move from one extreme to the other in our search for God. I am so thankful we have a loving and patient God who knows the difference between a rebellious saint and one who is seeking for God in all the wrong places. Let's face it, God is much smarter than we are.

Having said all of this, I need to describe the more predominant traits of Liberalism so you can see the dangers inherent in chasing after the wrong kind of liberty and freedom. Here are just a few:

IGNORANCE OF FUNDAMENTALS: Many liberally minded people have no foundational knowledge of scripture in spite of many years of church attendance. In liberal churches, Bible teaching is replaced with self-help seminars and motivational speakers. Paul's warnings to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 paint a perfect picture of this problem.

DEEPLY UNCOMMITTED: Lack of Biblical foundation produces wishy-washy, double-minded, children who are unable to maintain a doctrinal center and are usually easy prey for false teachers/prophets. Liberals are constantly "chasing the wind"; looking for that fresh touch from God and they'll go anywhere and believe anything in order to get their Jesus fix (Eph. 4:14).

LOVE OF THE (RHEMA) WORD: Liberally minded people are focused on the “fresh” words from God rather than on the written words of God. Words like “suffering”, “sacrifice” and “accountability” are omitted in favor of words like “prosperity”, “perpetual healing” and “liberty”. Liberals tend to demote God to a more human level and project their methods and thought processes onto God. ("God would never want me to suffer like this..."). That is why a lot of these "fresh words" from God are more appealing than the written Word. Hearing a "prophet" tell you of 1,000-fold blessings and expanding tent posts sounds a lot better than submitting and sacrificing in order to follow God's path for you.

FREEDOM AND LIBERTY COMPLEX: Almost across the board, liberals believe the liberty in Christ is a blank check from God giving them anything their heart desires and freeing them from anything that looks, tastes, sounds, smells or feels like legalism. (Church attendance, personal responsibility/accountability, biblical standards etc.)

NEED FOR FREEDOM: Liberals are all about freedom from anything that makes them feel bad; personal accountability, responsibility or walk with God is replaced by personal wants, desires, and ambitions. This is a natural digression by those who have "escaped" legalism; after being held down by "the man" for a lifetime they are eager to spread their wings and sow some wild oats...in the name of Jesus. Most liberals are inherently selfish in their service. Instead of focusing on the edification of their fellow saints, many liberally minded people are focused on what they can get out of their service (the "give to get" mentality).

CONFORMITY COWARDS: Liberals will run at the first sign of conformity or adherence to some Biblical standards. Church is eventually seen as an obstacle to their “liberty” rather than a place of corporate worship and fellowship. Accountability is a bad word and a danger to their freedom.

SELECTIVE INVOLVEMENT: For the liberal, the merit of Church membership/attendance is based solely on what the congregation can do for them. If the church isn’t the right size with the right programs designed to meet their needs, they’re gone like Donkey Kong…eventually out of church altogether.

Hopefully you can see the dangers inherent in this mindset as well. Like the legalists, this thinking is founded purely in the carnal mind but, again, self-deception plays a key role in keeping folks in this ditch. It is very easy to believe oneself "holy and blameless" during a supercharged church service where the Spirit appears to be falling on people and manifesting Himself in a variety of ways.

Because of the subtle nature of our enemy, God requires His people to move with wisdom that ONLY comes from God. God's discernment is mandatory when navigating the narrow road because there are so many things out there that have a form of godliness but are inherently powerless. We all make mistakes; we all fall for a slick snake-oil salesman with a polished pitch. No one is infallible. The trick is to not let ourselves become disillusioned and fatalistic whenever we do find ourselves in one of these ditches of extremism.

Because of my non-conformist roots, liberalism is much more attractive a trap for me than legalism. I've found myself in both ditches and bear many scars from the experiences I've had. But (and this is a huge "but"), I have learned and am still learning from my mistakes. The weapons of warfare that God has for us sounds fairly benign in the face of the weaponry at Satan's disposal but it is no less effective. Satan comes with subtle deceptions and lies; God combats those lies with faith in His truth.

That is why knowledge of the Word of God is paramount to finding true liberty in Christ. Fresh words from God and true manifestations of His Spirit are fine and have their place but they are not a replacement for the established Word of God. If you are more inclined to memorize and study your Prophecy Notebook than the Word of God , your priorities are messed up and you're setting yourself up to be lion food. (1 Peter 5:8)

Both of these ditches carry profound consequences that are ultimately terminal for the child of God. I personally know of many people who are out of church and have sworn never to attend again because of wounds received from representatives of both of these extremes. The chaos and confusion surrounding the Body of Christ because of ignorance, deception and carnality is vast and seemingly without end. It is very easy for people to become fatalistic towards God and His Word because of all the different denominations and biblical opinions floating around out here. I am asked all the time "which one of you (denominations) is right?".

The solution to all of this confusion is fairly simple. It is Hebrews 11:6. God doesn't want us chasing after a denomination, a religious code or creed or any other man-made philosophy or ritual. God wants us to seek after HIM. He tells us he is a "rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". The reward isn't money or fame or even elite bible scholar status. The reward is object of our search; it is Himself.

If you're following after men to find God, you're following the wrong thing. Men can be used to help you along the narrow road but God should be the one you are depending upon, not men. We have been guilty of elevating the messenger over the message for far too long and I believe God is moving to bring the mighty "celebripastor" movement to a close. It can't happen soon enough, in my opinion. The wheat is being separated from the chaff; the goats from the sheep. God is moving to bring restoration, TRUE healing and TRUE liberty to all who are seeking for HIM.