I just read that another member of the Duggar Family (as in the once-famous reality show, 19 Kids and Counting) is coming forward with her own version of the “living nightmare” that was growing up in the home of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. From what I have investigated about the upcoming docuseries on Amazon Prime, Jill Duggar Dillard has no intention of lashing out against Christianity in general, but her hope is to expose the dangers of the kind of harsh legalism which marked her childhood. For about four years, Jill was sexually molested by her older brother, Josh.
I find this fascinating. While reading about the full-speed-ahead promotion by Target (America’s 7th largest retailer) of transgender clothing, swimwear, and school supplies for children via its new “Pride” collection (designed by a Satanist, no less), I’m also reading about the Duggars and their failed attempt at ultra-conservatism. I think that you and I should take note of this current and compelling juxtaposition.
When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He started in Nazareth, where you may remember that He was angrily and forcefully rejected. There in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, Christ stood up and read from Isaiah (Luke 4:18): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives …” The world was already imprisoned by sin, and what we needed was freedom, though Christ’s message of freedom was anything other than warmly received.
I want to let you in on a little secret that I have learned after all these years in ministry: the best friend of licentiousness is legalism. Licentiousness and legalism may seem to us like polar opposites, but they’re like two sides of a death certificate. Please let that sink in.
The licentiousness is generally easier for us to spot. For example, we can see what Target is promoting among young people for what it is: misguided, evil, and dangerous. But it’s the legalism in the church that’s often more subtle.
I have no doubt that Jim Bob and Michelle wanted to be good parents. I have no doubt that they worked diligently to raise their children according to the precepts of God’s Word. I have no doubt that they stood strong on moral principles and taught their kids to do the same. But something was dreadfully wrong. Something was wrong at the root that damaged the fruit. From all of the pieces that I have put together regarding the major influencers who shaped the family’s theology, I think that much of what was off-track can be summed up in a single word: legalism.
What is legalism? I’m going to give this my best shot …
Law and gospel become confused
External rule-keeping without internal transformation
Goes beyond Scripture in its moral imperatives
Adds tradition, preference, and opinion as if they were truth
Letter of the law trumps the spirit of the law
Insists upon adherence to nonessential doctrines
Swells the ego, while chilling the heart
Minimizes the finished work of Christ by adding to it
Here is the universal reality: no matter how good it is, the Law can never save. On its very best day, the Law can only show us our need for a Savior. Only Jesus can save! That’s why it’s vitally important that you and I never add anything to the good news of Jesus …
“We are saved by faith in Christ plus baptism.” Deadly!
“We’re saved by faith in Christ plus keeping the Ten Commandments.” Deadly! (By the way, good luck with that one.)
“We’re saved by faith in Christ plus attending the right church.” Deadly!
“We’re saved by faith in Christ plus (anything).” Deadly!
I am not exaggerating one iota, friends. “Deadly” is the right word. Because, when we add to the gospel of Jesus, we actually take away from it. We diminish it. We destroy it. We lose it. And the gospel of Jesus is our only hope!
And here’s my personal opinion about why legalism is so insidious: it creates a phony religious world for the person trapped in it. And here’s why: deep down in the heart-of-hearts of the legalist, there’s at least a subtle awareness that he or she is not living up to their own standards. (I’m not talking about God’s standards, but I’m talking about the legalist’s extrabibllical standards.) So they try, and fail. They try, and fail. They try, and fail. Finally exhausted, they yield to their worst temptations, but they do so as secretly as possible for as long as they can, because they’re still trapped in (and in some measure committed to) the phony religious world of their own design.
Just as I would warn you to flee licentiousness, I am warning you to flee legalism. It’s a killer. In fact, it’s a gateway to the very licentiousness which it claims to abhor.
The Apostle Paul sounded the same alarm with these words (Galatians 5:1): For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Here’s the good news: Christ has come to rescue us from both licentiousness and legalism. Hallelujah! What a great and gracious Savior is our Lord Jesus!
Pastor Charles
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