Cassie L. Wilson

Learning to be the light

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Legalism: There’s No Place for it in the Church

February 17, 2023

Inside: legalism and its effects on the Church 

“What is your story?”

That’s the question the Pastor posed to the congregation last Sunday during his sermon.

As a Christian, hopefully, you can look back on your life and clearly see how God was at work directing and guiding you through life’s difficult moments. I know I can look back on parts of my life and confidently say, “Yep, that was God.”

But, do you know something else about my story? 

There are parts of it littered with legalism and its nasty effects.

Legalism ain’t it, yall, and here’s why.

What is legalism?

Some of my readers may be very familiar with the term “legalism.” But, if you’re not, I like how Laura Petherbridge puts it: “Legalism — a perversion of holiness that masquerades as morality — can look and feel godly, respectable, virtuous, and beneficial.”

In other words, legalism is strict adherence to the law. 

In many church circles, though, that does not necessarily mean strict adherence to just the Word of God. Instead, in some movements, it includes following a list of extra-biblical standards. 

Extra-biblical Standards

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, extra-biblical standards might look like:

  • Women never cut their hair
  • Women only wear their hair up or down, depending on the church
  • Women only wear skirts, never pants (and there are restrictions on the types of skirts, too, in some churches. Knee length or longer. No splits.)
  • Cannot wear athletic skirts with leggings longer than the hem of the skirt
  • Never wear the color red
  • Not wearing t-shirts with logos or writing on the front, especially in the pulpit
  • Not wearing watches or jewelry
  • Not wearing a wedding band or engagement ring
  • Not owning or watching a television
  • No cosmetics
  • No facial hair on men
  • Not attending sporting events or other “worldly” functions, like going bowling or the movies 
  • Strictly only reading the KJV Bible
  • Not associating with people outside of the Church 
  • Not remarrying after divorce, even if there is a biblical right to do so

When a person follows strict lists like these, it may look like “holiness” and “righteousness”, but is it really?

Or is it just performing to stay in the good graces of the lawgiver (which, usually isn’t Jesus)?

Sure, there might be some biblical backing for some of these extra-biblical rules. But, more often than not, the scriptures used to back up these standards are often a stretch or sorely misinterpreted. 

Reader, let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with personally following these rules yourself. 

However, it becomes a problem (otherwise known as legalism) when leadership enforces these types of rules on a congregation and implies salvation is tied to how closely someone can follow those extra-biblical standards.

Why is legalism harmful?

Let me say this again for good measure: if you feel like you must live by these rules to stay on the straight and narrow, that is fine. 

But, when these rules are enforced, used to control the congregation, or are used as a measuring stick of one’s salvation, we’re stepping right into the bounds of legalism.

Oftentimes, if a member of a legalistic congregation is not following the standards as they should, according to leadership, or they happen to disagree with a standard after careful study of the Word, they are threatened with removal from their ministry position and referred to as a “compromiser”.

And, that, my friend, is harmful because it is not compromising if scripture does not back it up.

Not only is it harmful, but legalism also breeds perfectionism, superiority, and judgment. 

Perfectionism

I know what you’re thinking, reader, especially if you’re well aware of extra-biblical standards. “But, we’re supposed to be perfect like the Lord. The Word says that. And this helps keep us separate from the world and in line with Christ.”

Friend, yes, scripture does say in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore ye shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

But, that scripture does not mean you will be made perfect by following extra-biblical standards. In the context of Matthew 5:48, it means you will be perfect if you reflect the attitude of Christ and love your enemies and your neighbors. (See Matthew 5:43-48 for further reading.)

Giving up more things and living more strictly to appear holy and perfect is not how one receives or keeps salvation. Friend, that is straight-up legalism and it’s exhausting. 

Superiority 

Legalism can also bring about an attitude of superiority, too. For example, those who pride themselves on strictly following extra-biblical standards may feel as if they are superior, or better than, other Christians who do not follow those standards.

Legalism: does it really have a place in the church? | Cassie L. Wilson - learning to be the light

Even worse, they may look down on someone who so desperately needs to hear about the Gospel of Grace simply because they’re different or dressed differently.

How will we ever reach the lost, if we feel this way?

Judgment

When it comes to legalism, superiority and judgment go hand in hand.

If one feels superior, they’ll likely take on the role of judge and jury, too. Meaning, they will harshly judge and criticize someone else’s salvation for not strictly adhering to the same rules they do.

This can look like claiming other churches (whether in the same denomination or not) are preaching falsities and are on their way to Hell because they do not follow the same list of standards. 

Or, it can be excluding a new congregation member from a ministry position because they have not adhered to the standards quickly enough, even though they clearly love the Lord and are trying their best. 

This kind of judgment will squash the enthusiasm of a new heart in Christ faster than anything else. And, if we’re not careful, it can turn a heart from Christ completely. 

What does Jesus say about legalism?

I really cannot stress this enough: holding yourself to a higher standard is fine if your heart is in the right place and you’re not requiring others to follow or judging them for not doing so. 

If we don’t watch out, legalism can give us a false sense of salvation– holy on the outside, but downright rotten on the inside. 

Jesus even warned us against this in Matthew 23:25-28.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but the inside they are full of robbery and self indulgence. 

You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 

So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Matthew 23:25-28 (NASB)

Friend, when we follow a list of extra-biblical standards, it’s easy to judge, shame, and criticize others who do not.

I know this because at one point in my life, I strived to be the perfect Christian. I took the phrase “You are the only Bible some people will read” to heart. Even while trying to be the perfect Christian and following the standards as best as I could, oftentimes, it still was not enough. There was always some other standard or expectation I was not meeting, in one way or another. On the flip side of that, I became critical and judgemental of others who were not following the same extra-biblical standards as I was. Surely those people weren’t real Christians, right?

But the thing about Bible is this: it is a collection of stories about perfectly imperfect people.

Jesus still loved them enough to die for their sins and God still used them, even when they failed miserably.

Stepping away from legalism

I am learning now that there is no grace in an attitude like that. There is no freedom, only condemnation— of others and of myself.

Salvation is not condemnation.

After this post, I am sure there will be comments of “She’s a compromiser” or “She’s backsliding.” But, that’s just not the case at all.

I am learning to look to the scripture for all things. And, I have learned being holy does not necessarily mean following a strict list of extra-biblical rules or requiring others to do the same. Instead, it means following the Word of God and loving others as He has asked us to do. That includes loving others right where they are, no strings attached. 

Galatians 5:13 tells us, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” (NASB)

And Romans 8:1-4 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (ESV)

Love, not legalism

Friend, we are not called to judge others by our own set of standards. Stripping others of opportunities to work in ministry, serve the Lord, or even come to better know Christ because they have chosen to follow the Word and not extra-biblical standards is essentially booting God off the throne and putting ourselves right in the judgment seat.

And, my friend, that is not our place. 

We have to do better– for ourselves, our friends, and most importantly, for those who do not yet know Christ.

There’s really no way around it.

Love, Cassie

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Filed Under: Confessions of Cassie, Faith, Spiritual Abuse Tagged: Christian, Christian Living, Deconstruction, Faith, Holiness, Jesus, Pentecostal, Pentecostal Holiness

Why You Need to Be Confident in Your Calling from God

June 15, 2021

Inside: why you need to be confident in your calling from God

If you have browsed around my blog for any length of time, you know that I seem to write an awful lot about the call God puts on our lives.

I’m not entirely sure why this is the case. I guess because I want you, dear reader, to be confident in your call from God. I want you to be encouraged and go forth in faith and do what He has laid on your heart to do.

And I’ll be the first to tell you, friend, sometimes taking that first step of faith is hard.

It’s scary. It’s nerve wracking. And it can be downright paralyzing if you let fear get the best of you. (Which, by the way, is exactly what the enemy of our souls wants to happen. Not today, Satan. Not. today.)

If this is where you currently are, stuck in fear of your calling, take heart, my friend. You’re in good company.

But, you can’t stay there and here’s why.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Encouragement, Faith Tagged: Calling, Calling from God, Christian, Christian Living, Christian walk, Encouragement, Faith, Hope, New Testament, Walk in your calling

How to Find the Courage to Pray Big

April 16, 2021

Inside: finding the courage to pray big

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer. You know, the kinds of prayers that are so saturated in faith that it gets things done. (Well, the Lord is the one that gets it done, but you know what I mean.)

Prayer is (or should be!) an important part of our everyday Christian walk with the Lord.

My mom, a Sunday School teacher, likes to teach her kids that neglecting prayer is like neglecting to talk to our best friend. Without that line of communication, eventually that relationship is going to crumble. Same thing happens with our relationship with the Lord when we neglect to pray often and fervently.

But, what happens, friend, when we’re too afraid to pray?

Too afraid that God might answer our prayers and disrupt our super comfy lives? Or, we’re too afraid of the answer to the umpteen questions we have about it?

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged: Answered Prayers, Christian, Christian Living, Christian walk, Encouragement, Faith, Prayer

Pray Expectantly: Why You Need to Expect an Answer

March 25, 2021

Inside: why you should expect an answer when you pray

Confession: I am not a fan of radio preaching.

I don’t know what it is about it (actually, I think I do), but most times, I just flip the station to some Christian music instead.

Don’t get me wrong. I think radio preaching is a wonderful thing. Most people listen to the radio in the car (unless you’re a crazy person, and, well, I can’t help you there), so it only makes sense to share the Gospel on the radio.

But… I am just not a fan. I think it’s why I’m also not a fan of online church. (Thank you, Pandemic, for forcing most of us to have to resort to online churchin‘.) I don’t have a major problem with online church either.

But, for me, I just like to be there. In-person. Watching the preacher pour his heart out. Praying I’m not in the splash zone. (If you know, you know. Ha!)

So, imagine my surprise when I caught myself listening to a sermon on the radio as I was running errands.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged: Answered Prayers, Christian, Christian Living, Faith, Faith blogger, Hope, Hope in Christ, Prayer

What to do when it hurts to hope

January 31, 2021

Inside: what to do when it hurts to hope

If you’ve been browsing around the blog for a while, you’ll know that I liked to read YouVerison’s devotionals when I dry my hair. YouVersion has a devotional for just about every topic you can think of. Want to start a “read the Bible in a year” (or half a year)? Well, YouVersion has you covered on that, too. They’re basically a one stop shop.

Now that I have a fancy-dancy Dyson hair dryer, my drying time is cut in half. But, I still have plenty of time to start my day with a devotion and God’s word while getting my hair dry.

Lately, I have been reading Harmony Grillo’s devotion, Dreams Redeemed. I’ll be honest, when I pick a devotion to read on YouVersion, I usually read the first day’s devotion before starting the plan. You know, just to see if I like it.

But, not with this one.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Encouragement, Faith Tagged: Christian, Christian blog, Devotions, Encouragement, Hope, YouVersion

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Cassie L. Wilson

Cassie Wilson

Christian. Writer. Fly fisher. Sweet tea enthusiast. Middle child. Lover of all things green.

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Gather ‘round. It’s story time. Several mont Gather ‘round. It’s story time. 

Several months ago, I was visiting my boyfriend’s church when the pastor began talking about being stuck in the hallway. 

You know, the “hallway”?

Those moments in life we’re you’re just stuck. It’s dark, you don’t know which way to turn, which way to go, and all the doors seems to be closed. 

Those moments when you just have to surrender and let the Lord work in your life. 

Yeah, that kind of hallway. 

When the pastor was talking about this, something struck my heart and it just felt like the words he was speaking were important. 

Back ages ago, one of my favorite preachers said “When the Lord speaks to you, write it down. He’s only obligated to speak to you once.” So, I flipped my Bible open to the front page and I wrote down “The Hallway” and dated it. 

Little did I know that I’d find myself stuck in a literal hallway some three months later. 

I couldn’t go out the way I came in because it was too dangerous. I couldn’t go out the emergency exit because I had no idea what was on the other side of the door.

I was stuck. 

Sometimes life gets this way, too. Maybe we’ve lost a job and we don’t know how we’re going to make it. Or, we’ve lost a loved one or a relationship ended and moving on seems terrifying.

There are umpteen situations in life that can put us in a hallway where we have no idea what to do. 

But, God was in the hallway.

Philippians 4:7 talks about the peace that passes all understanding. I’ve read this verse a hundred times, but I don’t know that I truly knew what it meant until I was stuck in that hallway. 

When I began to pray, a peace came over me and I knew we’d be okay. I knew I had to trust Him. 

God is in the hallway. 

When all seems hopeless, He is there. 

When all seems lost, He is there. 

When you don’t know what to do, He. Is. There. 

God is in YOUR hallway, too. 

He knows where you are. He knows how to bring you out. He knows when to send the peace at just the right time. 

You just have to trust Him. 

He can and will bring you to the other side. 

#shinebright #learningtobethelight
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by p “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭

Oh, friend, what if we actually lived like Philippians 4:6? 
 
What if we actually trusted Him with 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 in our lives?

I’m not just talking about the big prayers that you absolutely need God to take care of because you can’t do it on your own. 

I’m talking about the little things, too. The things that seem insignificant, but are actually really big things in the grand scheme of it all. 

What if we turned it all over and learned —really learned— to lean on Him to provide? 

Imagine what a difference that would make. Not just for you, but those around you. 

Wow. 

World changing. 

What verse has stuck out to you lately? 

#learningtobethelight #shinebright
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” If you h “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

If you have kept up with my stories this week, you know I’m attempting the @biblereadingchallenge. The goal is to read the entire Bible in one academic year. 

Today’s readings came from Genesis 17-20 and John 10-11.

In Genesis 18, we find God, himself, asking, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” 

God was trying to prove to Abraham and Sarah that He could (and would!) provide them with a child. 

Even in their old age. 

Even in their doubt. 

There was nothing too hard for the Lord. 

But, then in John 11, we find Jesus and Lazarus. 

Well, actually, we don’t find Lazarus until later in the chapter because he had already croaked. He was already in the grave and his family was already grieving. 

But, is there anything too hard for the Lord? 

Even in their grief. 

Even in their doubt.

There was nothing too hard for the Lord.

Even in your circumstances, friend, no matter what those circumstances are there is NOTHING too hard for the Lord.

You can trust Him. Always. 

P.S. have you participated in the #biblereadingchallenge? If so, I want to hear about it! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

#learningtobethelight #shinebright
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘦?”
 
Ouch. 

Lately, it seems like every where I turn, I keep being reminded of 1 Kings 19. Yeah, you know, the chapter about Elijah hiding in the cave and feeling all sorts of ways about his life and everything and everyone in it. 

Elijah felt alone. He was discouraged. He thought he was useless. 

How many times have we felt the same way?

Alone. Discouraged. Useless. Good for nothing. 

I tell ya, friend, when discouragement hits, it hits hard. And sometimes it’s not easy to shake. 

I know because there were several years (yes, I said 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴) that I battled m a j o r discouragement. 

Sometimes, when the storm is raging, it’s difficult to see the Son. You 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 He is right there with you, but when you can’t see Him and your faith is dwindling… 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘰𝘩, 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

It was 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 to be the light when I felt like I couldn’t even find it myself. 

To say I hit a low point is an understatement. 

But, it’s often when we are at our lowest that God has the greatest work for us to do. 

God wasn’t done with Elijah. And, He’s not done with you (or me!), either.

There is a purpose for you. 

There is hope for you.

What doest thou here, friend? 

#learningtobethelight #shinebright
“…the patient in spirit is better than the pro “…the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” — Ecclesiastes 7:8

Pro tip: never, ever pray for patience because the Lord WILL answer that prayer. 😂

Kidding aside, learning to be patient and wait on the Lord is tough, but it’s one of the best things we can do as Christians.

Whether we want to accept it or not, God has a plan for our lives. And His plan is way better than anything we could have come up with ourselves. 

But, His plan often requires that we are patient and wait for His leading. 

Impatience will lead us to a whole world of trouble. It will lead to heartache, unnecessary sorrow, and unwanted suffering. (Ask me how I know…)

The Lord knows what is best for us. Always. Trust Him. 

Stay patient, my friend! 

What book of the Bible are you currently studying? 👇🏼

#learningtobethelight #shinebright
There’s just something special about finding the There’s just something special about finding the most appropriate Bible verse right as you’re listening to your mom teach the Sunday School kids about the paralyzed man who’s friends tore a roof off a building to get him to Jesus. 
•
“In my distress, I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears.” - Psalm 18:6
•
The story of the paralytic man goes like this: his friends were carrying him on a bed to Jesus. But, because it was so crowded with everyone else trying to get to Jesus, they couldn’t get him there. Instead, they decided to carry him to the roof and where they would tear the roof off and lower him in. Once Jesus saw this, He had compassion on the paralytic man and healed him. 
•
My mom was teaching the Sunday School kids about how we need to be an encouraging friend to others. I mean, in this day and time, you never really know who just needs to see your smile and who needs your prayers. 
•
But, as I was sitting in the floor trying to figure out something for mom, my eyes landed on Psalm 18:6. 
•
“In my distress, I called upon the Lord… and my cry came before him.”
•
The Bible tells us that it was crowded where Jesus was. It was probably chaotic. It was likely overwhelming.  And, it was probably discouraging knowing you needed to get to Jesus, but the way seemed impossible. 
•
But, yet, Jesus healed the man anyway. He knew his cries. 
•
When our hearts are overwhelmed, when our minds are full of fear and anxiety, when the stress of the day (or week or year) is crowding up our minds, or when we are oh, so very discouraged, we can call to Him and He will hear us.
•
Sure, it was a crowded mess and looked impossible for the paralytic man to get to Jesus. But, Jesus had already heard his cry. He already had a solution for him. He knew exactly how to help him. And so He did. 
•
Jesus knows how to help us, too. Even when the world is falling apart around us. 
•
He still hears our cries. 
•
#shinebright #learningtobethelight
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