I can't exactly remember where/when I heard this but I think it's a good metaphor and distinction:

The problem with the "easy believism, cheap grace" crowd is that they don't understand the severity of their sin. In other words, it's hard to appreciate someone paying your bill for you if the bill wasn't all that much to begin with.

On the other hand...

The problem with the Ned Flanders-type "legalists" is that they don't understand the extent and efficacy of Christ's redemptive work to forgive all our sins - past, present and future. In other words, they keep trying to pay a debt that has already been paid. And unfortunately, they look at every other believer as a person who needs to keep working in order to pay their own bill as well.

I'm just glad that Jesus came in both grace and truth.

Food for thought...

Great stuff Ed. Legalism about killed me.

amen! legalism and liberalism are equally devilish...(I wonder how many faithful church goers understand and truly belive that)...both are grasping at the throat of evangelicalism in general and the SBC specifically.

Great message yesterday. I'm glad you are part of our church, Ed. I was convinced once again of God's calling you to our church. I've been at this church 27 years, and I've never seen a colored undershirt, behind an open color. Maybe that's a superficial observation, but does it not say a lot? You are waking the demons.

Ed - there's an important distinction to make here. Legalism, by definition, is making salvation conditioned fully or partially on one's standing before the law (whether biblical law or man-made law makes no difference) [see Galatians].

To admonish someone that something may not be appropriate Christian behavior or may be hindering one's growth in grace (whether music, mini-skirts, tobacco, or whatever) is not a legalistic attitude as long as we are not telling the person that it is a salvation issue.

American Christians like everything to be black/white. It's either OK or it's sin. That's why we preach abstinence regarding alcohol when scripture teaches moderation. However, in the real world there are a lot of gray areas that Christian's need to make decisions about daily.

For example, I enjoy many genres of popular music, but when a song comes on that glorifies sexual impurity, or has a clearly anti-Christian message, I am compelled to change the station. My salvation may not depend upon it, but as one who is seeking to become like Christ it is still an important choice even though the Bible doesn't directly address it.

Doug,

People do have different definitions of legalism (Swindoll and you, for example), but whatever you call the attitude Swindoll, it is a church (and soul) killer.

I wonder if Chuck Swindoll would call Al Mohler a legalist?

Legalists don't know, or respect, the moral law. If they did, they wouldn't add to it, or distort it by extrapolating it out too far. That was what was so peculiar and twisted about the Pharisees. Everyone thinks of them as the Law Guys, but Christ criticized them for their actual ignorance of the Scriptures and substitution of Biblical commandments with made-up traditions.

Ed,

I know it's been nearly a year and this post is probably dead. I just want to respond to your comment for posterity's sake, I guess.

Actually, I agree with Swindoll's analysis as given in your post 100%. I was raised in a legalistic church and left the church in my late teens, rejected Christianity, got involved in drugs, alcohol and criminal behavior. I've been down this road.

But since coming back to Christ in my late 20s, I've seen the other extreme as well. I've been in communities that give everything a stamp of approval because they are afraid of being "legalistic."

I guess my point was that I agree that legalism is dangerous to the church, but so is "permissivism." The admonition that each man should "work out his own salvation with fear and trembling" seems to fall somewhere in the middle.

BTW.. I enjoyed your seminar. Keep up the good work.

I want to remain Anonymous. I attend Assemblies of God church, All I see is... all AG People think is TITHES TITHES TITHES. I have VERY HEAVY DEBT, and I had been to Crown Financial Ministries. They suggested if I have LOT OF DEBTS, I can give tithes with smaller than 10% and utilize talents I have.

Ironically, I found a link that AG and CFM are partners and AG recognize CFM. Huh?

To have everyone from AG people tell me how important is to TITHE, that made me feel corner-walled. Please look at 2 Corinthians 9:7 "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully".

See? This is BIBLICAL to NOT GIVE Tithes Reluctantly because I have heavy debts.

Because I want to remain anonymous, the link is unfortunately not working. But I tell you this...

TITHES ARE MARRIAGE KILLER because my wife had been arguing with me all times about paying tithes. I had heard from AG AG AG Pastor that say "It is important to obey God with Tithes, one couple fought over the tithes and end up divorced, that is sad. That is why so important to obey God with Tithes."

To me, this is LEGALISM! Sorry for saying so.

Anyway, I own three books by Ed Stetzer including "Comeback Churches" and "Lost and Found". Keep the good work, Ed!

Hurting Soul for Jesus Christ, I Love Jesus, I Hate AG Churches for emphasizing Tithes too much.

My wife and I were taught in an AG church to give our way out of heavy debt. The debt came about from a financial loss ... not from over spending.

Anyway, we bought into the give your way out of debt message, paying our bills with credit cards (after tithing, offerings, and a number of mission foreign trips) to the point that we almost faced bankruptcy. We continued to pay our tithes off the gross ... even though so much of income went to debt.

I feel that God spoke to me over the last year through Galations about how we are no longer under the law of the tithe and that Christ's burden is easy. We are gradually scraping our way out of this huge burden of debt.

Unfortunately I feel like I have been lead astray and am having a tough time trusting leadership.

I'm not sure anyone can appreciate what we've gone through. We gave everything to the church and just kept sinking further and further ... all the while (due to preaching) feeling like we were doing something wrong as to why not being blessed. It's all been so confusing and disturbing the control I let leadership have on my family.

I know God will lead us out of this.