From the May 17th 2004 section of “Reflections For Ragamuffins” by Brennan Manning:
“Legalistic Christianity”
This is the God of the Gospel of Grace. A God who, out of love for us, sent the only Son he ever had wrapped in our skin. He learned how to walk, stumbled and fell, cried for his milk, sweated blood in the night, was lashed with a whip and showered with spit, was fixed to a cross, and died whispering forgiveness on us all.
The God of the legalistic Christian, on the other hand, is often unpredictable, erratic, and capable of all manner of prejudices. When we view God this way, we feel compelled to engage in some sort of magic to appease Him. Sunday worship becomes a superstitious insurance policy against his whims. This God expects people to be perfect and to be in perpetual control of their feelings and thoughts.
When broken people with this concept of God fail - as inevitably they must - they usually expect
punishment. So, they perservere in religious practices as they struggle to maintain a hollow image of a perfect self. The struggle itself is exhausting. The legalistics can never live up to the expectations they project on God.Mark 7
: 6-7
He replied, ” Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites: as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. ”
Manning has hit the bullseye on the target.
