Counterfeit Spirituality - Part 3 - The Downside to Legalism

All of these things, the Mosaic Law, dietary laws, observance of Sabbath days, Feast days and more were just a “shadow” of good things to come. The real thing has come in Christ. A shadow has no reality; the reality is what makes the shadow. For example Christ “is the bread that came down out of heaven” (John6:41). There is no need for Christians to observe Passover because “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1Cor.5:7). “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming— not the realities themselves” (Heb.10:1). Ask yourself, would you like to have a new car of the shadow of a new car? Christians who are trying to live under the law, who think they have to observe the sabbath, who are living by Old Testament dietary laws, who are keeping the feasts, are leaving the substance of Christ to go back to the shadow of the law.
The Downside to legalism—
1. Legalism spawns judgmentalism that is miserable for those being judged and shrivels the soul of those who judge. Human beings are all legalists at heart, we all judge others without realizing the negative consequences it has on our own life.
2. Legalism is intrinsically joyless. Most legalists are no fun at all, they are sour, they have created all kinds of laws they have to observe and are critical of others who don't observe them.
3. Legalism demands uniformity. Everybody has to be the same, look the same, act the same.
4. Legalism produces a surface faith because it emphasizes things that are not important, and ignores deadly sins like coveting, gossiping, slandering, bitterness and hatred.
Legalism is popular because you can measure your spiritual life and others spiritual life and even brag and compare. Legalism limits one to shallow self-righteousness. Don’t let anyone judge you. There is great freedom in what Christians can do. We can keep days and diets or forget them. We must take this warning to heart because when legalism comes in the church, the church becomes judgmental, joyless, uniform and shallow. Legalism kills.