Jennifer was a sincere Christian. She was actively involved in her church and did her best to follow God’s laws to the letter. Yet Jennifer carried a dark secret: she was anorexic. She writes, “I essentially, but unconsciously, tried to atone for my sins by lowering my price tag” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 40). She felt that if she ate less and did more, she somehow might be “less expensive,” costing Christ “less” sacrifice. However, she finally came to realize that “what I did in the physical realm betrayed a spiritual resistance to the Cross. When the love of Jesus broke through my defenses, I acknowledged my value in His eyes” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 40). She realized that the price had already been paid completely; there was not more work yet to be done. Nothing that she could do would cause her to cost less or earn her salvation more.
While this is an extreme case, it demonstrates a pervasive mindset that runs through Christendom today: that we, somehow, can earn salvation by our actions. When this belief takes root in the hearts of believers, they become legalistic. Legalism is an attitude that places undue emphasis on the letter of the law rather than its spirit. It is a phenomenon that has been prevalent in religious circles for centuries (Yinger, 2008). Unfortunately, legalism is not a new concept nor is it unique to Christianity or the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Legalism can lead to various negative outcomes that affect the spiritual and emotional health of believers. Pastors and others in church leadership roles have great influence when it comes to the comportment of their own and their congregation’s hearts.
The 2017–2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS 2017–18), conducted by the Seventh-day Adventist Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, examined various aspects of church life and religious views for 65,000+ Seventh-day Adventist Church members around the world. One significant finding was that about two-thirds of the members surveyed around the world adhered to legalistic views. This was assessed through the respondents’ agreement with the following three statements:
- I will not get to heaven unless I obey God’s law perfectly.
- Following the Adventist health message ensures my salvation.
- If I am to be saved, I need to be baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Theological Perspective: Dangers of Legalism
From a theological perspective, legalism can be caused by a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of religious texts or traditions. Based on their interpretation of religious texts or the teachings of spiritual leaders, some people may believe that strict adherence to laws and regulations is the only path to salvation. However, for the majority of believers and members, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8–9) is the most important element of their salvation. In many denominations, pastors are trained to address misconceptions about legalism and its negative consequences as well as to promote a more balanced understanding of the role of religious laws and regulations in the Christian life (Rom. 7:7–13).
A quick search of scholarly journals using a combination of the words “leadership” and “legalism” quickly garners interesting results of dozens of articles on communism, Chinese leadership styles, Confucian societies, ritualization, Hong Kong Chinese leadership, school segregation, post-revolutionary Iran, and even Barack Obama’s leadership style. This shouldn’t be a surprise, but it is shocking nevertheless, especially when considering the implications of legalism within Christianity. In the book Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism & Liberty, author Brett McCracken (2013) explores the dangers of Christian legalism within the context of faith related to food, music, movies, beverages, and more. He poses the proposition that there can be a healthy, balanced approach to living a God-refined, grace-filled life (McCracken, 2013).
In the study “An Empirical Consideration of Grace and Legalism within Christian Experience,” published in the Journal of Psychology & Christianity, researcher Rodney Bassett (2013) developed and utilized two measurement tools: the Amazing Grace Scale (TAGS) and the Religious Legalism Scale (RLS). Interestingly, characteristics of participants who scored high on the TAGS had a strong Christian identity, intrinsic and extrinsic faith, empathy, gratitude, and a forgiving heart. Those who scored high on the RLS had characteristics of religious legalism, shining light, and feeling as if they were God’s chosen. Grace orientation and legalism orientation proved to be independent factors in this study (Bassett, 2013). Evidence suggests that legalism and grace cannot co-exist within the Christian heart. Yet, if this is so, where does that leave church leaders who must shepherd their congregations to a vibrant life in Christ?
Legalism can lead to a distorted view of God, making Him seem like a harsh and demanding judge rather than a loving and merciful Father (Gal. 5:1). Legalism can also lead to complete rejection or a “lesser” view of Christ’s redemptive work, resulting in a focus on external performance over inner transformation—as we saw in Jennifer’s story. Legalism can lead to
a judgmental attitude toward others, causing individuals to look down on those who do not adhere to the same strict religious standards (Matt. 7:1–5). Individuals who believe that their strict adherence to religious laws makes them superior to others often experience spiritual pride (Luke 18:9–14). As exemplified by the Pharisees and scribes in the New Testament, such pride—a deadly sin—can lead to spiritual blindness. After all, we know that God Himself opposes the proud (1 Pet. 5:5).
Legalism feeds the desires of our sinful human nature as it provides religious justification for striving to control one’s own spiritual destiny. It also allows individuals to form their identity based on their ability to follow religious laws and regulations, leaving God out of the equation completely. In extreme cases, legalism can even become a subtle form of idolatry, replacing God with religious laws. According to Galatians 4:8–11, Paul perceived external religious legalism as just that: blatant idolatry (Meadors, 2006). Finally, legalism can lead to a lack of joy and freedom in one’s spiritual life, as individuals focus more on rules and regulations than on their relationship with God (Gal. 5:1). As the following section shows, well-educated Adventist believers may be aware of these dangers in theory; however, it can be challenging to translate this knowledge into practice.
Summary of GCMS 2017–18 Findings
Using the GCMS 2017–18 data (Bailey, McBride, Trecartin, Baltazar, Činčala, & Drumm, 2018), Petr Činčala, Duane McBride, and René Drumm (2022) more closely examined Adventist legalism at a 2022 conference on Adventist identity. First, it should be noted that the official teachings of the Adventist Church are based on the good news of the Gospel, by which people are saved solely by faith, through Jesus Christ. The vast majority of members understand and agree! Over 95% of survey respondents agreed that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and 90% agreed with the statement, “I am saved the moment I believe and accept what Jesus has done for me.” Seven out of ten respondents also claimed that the issue of righteousness by faith is preached on very frequently or frequently in their local church. (Interestingly, there is no difference in the frequency of preaching on this topic among those who adhere to legalistic beliefs and those who do not.) The data clearly shows that a lack of knowledge or understanding of Biblical teaching on salvation is not the reason behind members’ legalistic views. Yet, such beliefs are still present among Adventists, despite the wide acceptance of salvation by faith alone.
Adventists have often been accused of legalism due to their emphasis on obedience to God’s commandments and a strict lifestyle; however, the Adventist emphasis on a healthy and morally sound lifestyle is not what drives legalism. The GCMS 2017–18 data showed that Adventism’s conservatism does not automatically equate to legalism. It is possible that for many members, the strict level of obedience simply flows from the grateful heart of a believer who has fully accepted Christ and experienced transformation as a result of being exposed to God’s love.
Those who adhere to legalistic beliefs still acknowledge that God is love and reflect this belief through acts of love in their own lives. The GMCS 2017–18 findings indicated that legalism did not prevent individuals from helping others, showing mercy by spending time and/or money, or meeting the needs of others. However, the data did not reveal whether helping others was motivated by fear and/or a duty to perform or by gratitude and the joy of salvation.
Although there were some demographic variations among those holding legalistic beliefs (such as age, gender, and education), there were no significant differences in these areas. However, the data analysis provided clear evidence that culture and environment influenced legalistic attitudes. The strongest correlation with legalism was found at the level of geo-cultural regions, where legalism was shown to flourish in contexts of limited economic opportunities, limited access to education, crime and violence, and poor health.
It appears that the global church has expanded over the past few decades in regions with a higher percentage of respondents who endorse legalistic beliefs. Whether legalism has been driving this growth—and to what degree— requires further research. While legalistic beliefs may lead to greater church growth in certain contexts, church leaders need to question whether this growth is genuine and sustainable. In such contexts, legalism may attract people seeking control or assurance of their salvation, but this can lead to a shallow faith and a lack of spiritual growth. Discipleship and church growth should be assessed in regions where legalism is thriving.
Legalism was also correlated with negative feelings in the church setting. Respondents were more likely to feel distance in their relationships, feel incompetent and inadequate, and feel pressured to behave in certain ways in settings where legalism was a factor. In other words, legalists tend not to thrive emotionally. The data also indicates that legalists are less happy or at peace. They may often experience negative feelings such as guilt, shame, and fear.
Overall, these findings indicate that legalism is a complex issue influenced by both personal and contextual/societal factors. Understanding legalism among Seventh-day Adventist members requires a multi-faceted approach that considers more than just theological factors, as the following discussion indicates.
Psychological Perspective: Looking into the Heart
To have a better understanding of the human experience, we must pay attention to our hearts; in fact, the word “heart” is “the most significant term” in Scripture (Saucy, 2013, p. 31). It is important to know ourselves and God. To know ourselves, we need to look deeper into our hearts (Prov. 27:19); “the real identity of a person is in his heart” (Saucy, 2013, p. 35). Our heart tells who we really are. According to Psalm 139, God knows our hearts—even though our hearts are often hidden from others and, to some extent, even from ourselves (Saucy, 2013, p. 38).
When the Bible talks about the human heart, it refers to both thinking and feeling (as well as the actions they produce). In the same way that we cannot separate the spirit/soul from the body, we cannot separate thinking from feeling, and vice versa. This is increasingly supported by modern neuroscience, which continues to disprove any real separation between mind and body, our thoughts and our emotions (Collins & Collins, 2019, p. 29). It is often the thinking that we focus on, but we can easily remain ignorant of how to navigate and address our feelings.
Legalism is fairly easy to detect in other people, but it is very difficult to self-detect as it often flows from internal thinking/feeling of which one may not be aware. It would be unusual for anyone holding legalistic beliefs to admit he/she is legalistic. People with legalistic beliefs claim they are not legalists, but as it turns out, legalism is their way of expressing love for God.
Individuals strive to remain loyal to God by obeying His commandments and fearing Him in the belief that God will justly reward them. The Bible contains numerous passages that may appear to endorse this approach, and these texts are often interpreted in such a way as to cultivate such a mindset. Consequently, legalistic perspectives can be easily rationalized by scriptural passages, fostering a transactional relationship with God that centers on the principle of quid pro quo.
As a result of this mindset, spiritual pride is nurtured. It is satisfying to possess knowledge of the truth, to perform righteous deeds, to offer additional sacrifices to God, and to distinguish oneself by exhibiting exceptional behavior. Much like legalism, it is challenging to recognize
spiritual pride within oneself. If they can vindicate their legalistic tendencies (which, by the way, arise from their inherently flawed human nature) by citing various biblical passages, they can unwittingly nurture their spiritual pride. Identifying and overcoming spiritual pride is a prolonged and arduous undertaking.
We also know that pride can emerge as a coping mechanism for feelings of inferiority.
Low self-esteem is actually inverted pride. People with low self-esteem genuinely feel bad about themselves, but they hope that if they just try hard enough, they’ll prove their worth . . . low self-esteem and pride rest on the same foundation of self-value for the self’s sake. (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 102)
Legalism attracts people with low self-esteem, negative attitudes toward themselves, self-rejection (perhaps as a result of rejection from other key people), fear that they will not be accepted by God, fear that they are not good enough, etc.
Religious legalism is attractive to such people because of the inner urge to earn acceptance or prove their worth. It is beyond the scope of this article to conduct an exhaustive review on this issue, but there are reasons why people hold on to legalism in their heart. The seed of such unhealthy spirituality may grow in an individual who was not praised by his or her parents as child in order that he/she would not become proud. There are other “justifiable” religious practices springing from or leading to legalism that instill negative self-image.
The “sincere” desire to self-fix flows from the desire of fallen human nature to cover our nakedness before God. “The more fig leaves are piled on, the deeper the guilt and the more profound the denial. Self-fixing can escalate out of control until our lives are little more than a cycle of shame, denial, and sin” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 41). Such a behavior is both spiritually and emotionally unhealthy. God’s desire is for us to grow up to accept the gift of His Son Jesus so He can transform us through Him.
If we but embrace the message of grace down deep in our heart, “the drive to justify ourselves drains away” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 41). It takes a healthy self-view to fully admit and confess sin—without being fearful of rejection—and receive forgiveness without feeling guilty. It takes a healthy, God-instilled self-view to grasp the much-needed understanding of how God’s love can transform desires, thoughts, and behavior to grow in Jesus’s likeness. Schwirzer (2011) writes:
The Gospel heals. When a person really gets it, when the good news of the free gift of righteousness can penetrate the barriers of self-justification, when we gladly and humbly receive an undeserved gift, a powerful psychological release takes place. The compulsion to deserve and all its compounded fig-leaf sin abates. Guilt and shame melts away. Gratitude springs up. Joy overflows. Peace reigns. And last but not least, love wells up and spills out to God and His children. (p. 38)
It is important for Christians to accept their own imperfections—not because a person is indifferent to sin but as an expression of humility, devotion, and dependence on God, who transforms our heart. This is how unhealthy competition disappears, how mutual respect can grow between people, how God’s love makes a difference between humans. This is how genuine humility is born. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6, KJV).
It takes more than knowing Bible and theological doctrines to be set free of legalism. It requires experiencing God’s healing of the heart!
Application: Changed Heart and Identity in Christ
We have looked at the data and discussed them; now let’s wrestle with the “so what?” question before we conclude. Spiritual and emotional health go hand in hand. Peter Scazzero (2006) has spent years helping leaders and church members; he observed that people cannot be spiritually mature without being emotionally mature.
Emotional issues are often not discussed in the church. In some parts of the world, professional help is available outside the church to consult emotional/psychological issues that members face. In other parts of the world, however, no professional help is available or accessible. Relational and emotional problems are bottled up and not discussed or addressed at all—whether between wife and husband, friends, colleagues, etc. It is fair to say that in many cases, the church would be the last place to expect open conversation about maladies of the heart. We go to church to learn about God and, in the best-case scenario, worship Him from our hearts. But if there is a widespread dysfunction of an emotional nature affecting their relationship with God when/if believers do not embrace God’s view of them, where else should it be addressed other than in the church?
After all, in churches, we preach, teach, and believe the truth about God’s plan of salvation and Christ’s redemptive work, but how can we live it, apply it, internalize it? Our hearts carry conflicting messages. Psychologists have discovered that we carry memories or information in our heart that affects our feelings, often causing us to behave in certain ways without us even realizing it. Unfortunately, much of the information we internalize is a lie and misleads us, keeping us in bondage.
Here are some examples of such lies we believe:
- I am a loser who cannot change.
- God cannot accept me the way I am.
- God cannot forgive me. I need to earn His forgiveness.
- If people knew the real me, they’d definitely not love me.
- I need to behave well to be loved.
Scazzero (2006) lists more common lies that are internalized and hidden in the hearts of many sincere believers:
- I am a mistake.
- I am a burden.
- I am stupid.
- I am worthless.
- I am not allowed to make mistakes.
- I must be approved of by certain people to feel okay.
- I don’t have the right to experience joy and pleasure.
- I don’t have the right to assert myself and say what I think and feel.
- I don’t have a right to feel.
- I am valued based on my intelligence, wealth, and what I do, not for who I am. (p. 53)
These internalized messages leave us responsible to win God’s approval, acceptance, forgiveness, and love—despite what He has done for us. Neil Anderson, in his books Victory Over the Darkness (2000) and The Bondage Breaker (1993), calls this experience a misplaced identity in Christ. When our identity is misplaced, we believe such statements as, “We are in Christ if we obey . . . ,” or “Yes, we are God’s children, but we have to. . .” Belonging to Christ is conditional on our performance instead of the opposite. Being in Christ is the source of transformed thinking, feeling, and behavior.
Anderson (1993) encourages us to seek our identity and sense of worth in Christ. He encourages us to renew our mind with the truth that our “acceptance, security, and significance is in Christ by saturating” our mind with the following truths:
- I am God’s child (John 1:12).
- I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
- I have been justified (Rom. 5:1).
- I am God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9).
- I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27).
- I am a saint (Eph. 1:1).
- I am a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20). (pp. 212–214)
How can we internalize these positive biblical messages without feeling guilty or bad? Jennifer Schwirzer in her 13 Weeks to Peace: Allowing Jesus to Heal Your Heart and Mind seminar provides practical help that can get us FAR in our Christian growth. FAR is an acronym for three steps: find, argue, and replace. The first step is to identify and find misbeliefs that keep us away from the full experience of God’s love. The second step is to argue out the distorted thoughts, whether in prayer, self-talk, or through writing in our personal journals. The third step is to replace lies with truth. The process of identifying “hidden” core beliefs provides a great relief. It feels like “putting toxic waste in containers, taping them shut, and labeling them” (Schwirzer, 2011, pp. 79–80). The goal is to learn to see ourselves as God sees us, to recover self-respect. Before we get there, “we have to eliminate our self-sabotaging behavior and thinking. Often what we do to fix our wounded self-image actually makes it worse” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 99).
This is why it is so important to take the process of identifying hidden lies in our heart seriously and be intentional about “FAR.” Craig Groeschel, in his book Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (2021), describes his struggles with hidden messages in his heart that created tension and undesired responses in his behavior. He explains that this deeply inhibited sense may naturally become part of our heart from the family in which we grow up, the church environment to which we belong and in which we interact, and/or the societal culture of which we are a part. According to Groschel (2021), we need a cognitive reframing in order to “rewire thought patterns” (p. 66) and “restore [God’s] perspective” of who we are (p. 123) so that we can pay attention to the positive work of Christ. In this case, we are not referring to knowing the doctrines or rules/ regulations. Instead, we must accept Christ’s acts of love on our behalf and His perception of us.
One more hurdle needs to be mentioned here. A frequent argument against positive self-worth says that we need to be humble and that healthy self-esteem is actually sinful, leading to pride. Schwirzer (2011) admits that the current use of this term is a mix of good and bad, and we need to be careful how we use it: “Self-esteem, self-worth, self-regard, self-concept, self-awareness, self-respect, self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-this, and self-that . . . I prefer the terms self-respect and self-worth to indicate the sense of value one obtains when he or she believes God’s love” (p. 100).
The critical issue is this: if God sees us in a certain way, and if we refuse to accept His divine perception, which led Him to the greatest sacrifice ever made, we are sending Him the message that we are actually not so happy with what He has done for us. This is not a promotion of any kind of self-centeredness or self-indulgence. Once again,
regardless of what we call it, a healthy, godly, positive self-worth comes from God—not from ourselves. That is the issue . . . But because we are sinful, corrupt, infirm, defiled, sick, broken, and fallen, the source of our self-image must originate in something outside of ourselves. (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 100)
We either take it seriously, accept it, and work with it or we look for alternative ways how to be worthy (i.e., through legalism). The bottom line is that “God values us and desire that we value ourselves accordingly!” (Schwirzer, 2011, p. 101). God is good, and somehow, mysteriously, He sees the good in us—even if we do not see it in ourselves.
True humility does not come with self-depreciation or self-rejection. There are times we may be dissatisfied and disappointed with ourselves, but that is only until we come to Christ again and confess our sins and accept (again and again) the value He places in us. In His presence, experiencing His love, there is no space for sinful pride. There is no space for unhealthy pride in God’s presence, but we don’t have to be fearful of pride to be humble. On the contrary, fear of pride often attracts pride by means of which we may not even be aware (such as legalism).
As young man, I (Petr) once knew a pastor’s kid with a desire to love God and be a good Christian. From early childhood, he was taught to be a good kid in order to please God. No one told him explicitly that he needed to “deserve” God’s love; however, somehow this belief became internalized in his heart. Yet the more he tried to be “good,” the more he felt it was not enough. Later, he figured that he needed to spend more time with Christ. During his teen years, he prayed, read the Bible, and dove deeply into other Christian literature. Despite all his efforts, his experience and involvement in the local church still left him with the sense that he was not good enough. Years of living with such hidden internal feelings/thoughts brought him down mentally as well as emotionally. On top of that, he was repeatedly caught off guard by his own prideful behavior, which was simply beyond his human ability to change.
One day, he felt God telling him: “You believe that I am love and that I love you the way you are, and yet you continually resent my acceptance.” This realization brought a new experience of God’s love, along with a new sense of being set free. He realized that, in his zeal, he had been denying Christ’s redemptive work on his behalf; deep in his heart, he had been unknowingly rejecting the gift of God’s acceptance. A new message began echoing in his heart: If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you are always good enough— regardless of what people think and say.
This does not mean the Holy Spirit stopped convicting him of his sin or that he no longer needed to repent. Instead, he stopped being traumatized when convinced of sin, and he gladly repented. No longer did he feel the need to justify himself or explain his intentions to God. He did not need to make false promises to God that he would never do this or that again. He learned that in order to be in harmony with Christ, he had to view himself as God views him—and God sees the good and the potential. This discovery of his God-given value brought a new sense of joy and freedom into his life, an unspeakable gratefulness and desire to do “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10, NIV). God sees you and me through Jesus Christ; because of that, He sees us as perfect. If you and I see ourselves that way, in all humility and ready to repent as needed, profound transformation will follow.
Dear pastor, leader, administrator, if God has spoken to your heart through these pages, do not let it fade away. The GCMS 2017–18 research showed that preaching correct doctrinal beliefs does not always address the issues people wrestle with in their hearts. That, however, does not mean that preaching is worthless. People need to hear practical sermons about what it means to have identity in Christ, how we can adopt a God-given value of ourselves, how to overcome Satan’s lies engraved in our hearts, and how to replace them. Moreover, fellow believers need to be discipled and encouraged through mentoring relationships so that they can learn how to live as God’s children. Most importantly, they need someone (a leader) to be a living example and model of how to be “crucified with Christ” so that “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20, NIV).
If God impresses you that there is yet some more work to be done to go FAR with Christ, do not wait. “It’s important to open up to God while you can, because if you bottle up your feelings too long, it will disrupt the harmony of your relationship with Him” (Anderson, 2000, p. 189).
Conclusion
In this article, we have examined findings from the 2017–2018 Global Church Member Survey related to how current Adventists view the law and God’s love. We have learned that legalism is not merely a theological issue; it is an issue of the heart that requires a heart solution. Yes, legalism is perpetuated in some cultures more than others, and it is hard to overcome the influence of environment. However, legalism attracts hearts that are insecure. Addressing legalism, therefore, requires a shift from fear to love, from guilt to grace, and from self-righteousness to Christ’s righteousness. It requires a renewed emphasis on the Gospel, the love of God, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to see a new level of growth and
maturation toward “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13, NIV).
Pastors and spiritual leaders are called by God to model a joyful life in Christ. In order to do that, they may also need to help individuals develop a healthier self-concept and a more secure sense of identity in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Church leaders need to model grace and love in their relationships with others, avoiding judgmentalism or pressuring others to behave in a certain way.
Legalism eventually leads to a rejection of Christ’s redemptive work, spiritual pride, performance orientation, idolatry, and a misplaced identity in Christ. By emphasizing the Gospel message of grace and love, pastors and church leaders can help believers experience the freedom and joy that comes from an intimate relationship with God.1
Petr Činčala, PhD, is director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University, associate professor of World Mission, director of Natural Church Development (NCD) America, and executive editor of the Journal of Applied Christian Leadership.
Sharon Aka, PhD, MSN, RN, is currently an associate professor in the graduate program in the School of Leadership at Andrews University. She is also a virtual global events consultant with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Prior to her current role, Dr. Aka worked as the director of governance for an NFP Adventist healthcare network in the United States.
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1 Author’s note: The findings of the survey are elaborated on in yet another published article: See also McBride, D. C., Bailey, K. G. D., Landless, P. N., Baltazar, A. M., Trim D. J. B., & Stele, G. (2021). Health beliefs, behavior, spiritual growth, and salvation in a global population of Seventh-day Adventists. Review of Religious Research (63)4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-021-00451-4.