"I perceived how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth except the scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue". -William Tyndale
Legalism
I'm curious to know how you define legalism.
Works of the law do not save.
Christians can not slip back under the law. It's a cage. If Christians end up back under the law they are in bondage and under the wrath of God again because they can't keep it.
*On the back end of that we can place ourselves under the wrath of God by slipping into license. Which is a bondage to ourselves*
Legalism places us under the bondage of others because of their rules and regulations and license places us in bondage of our own desires, sin. Both place us under the wrath of God. In Galatians Paul argued against both fronts to keep the truth. Legalism makes the whole thing a matter of rules rather than relationships. Rules and regulations do not bring revival. Galatians chapters 1 and 2 talk about our liberty in Christ. We have been made free in Christ. Free from the bondage of the rules and regulations this post forces onto people. Galatians 3 and 4 talks about the dangers of legalism and Galatians 5 and 6 talks about the dangers of license.
On every holiday the entire world ..everyone on google, facebook, and all the other platforms scream "paganism". This is a behavior that testifies of a lack of understanding.
We are under Gods grace which teaches us to live righteously. Are we being genuine according to Jesus standard? Do we love our neighbors? Have we repented and followed? This is what testifies of who we worship. Nobody is worshipping another God dyeing eggs on easter, or giving gifts on Christmas. That is a carnal understanding. Some of those people are authentic Christians. How many times did you think about Ishtar growing up? Who you worship is testified in who you are as a person. Whether or not God's Son is being followed and how you are treating everyone in your life.
The biggest danger to Christian liberty is legalism. License is pretty obvious. Legalism kills the spirit. In legalistic fellowships you'll see nothing but "hard" facial expressions. The spirit is dead.
You can not stop people from going into the flesh by putting them under the law. The law does not save.
This is the whole argument of Galatians.
The first link in the chain with legalism for the Galatians was circumcision...or "you must do this". This is not a part of the gospel and they would have to keep the rest of the law.
Telling people there are not under the law is not suggesting to them to go and be lawless. License will also cost us our salvation. Legalism and license are not the only alternatives. Liberty brings us life and God set us free to be free.
Colossians 1 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Romans 14:5-12 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Hebrews 8 13 In that he saith a new testament, he hath abrogate the old. Now that which is disannulled and waxed old, is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 9 15 And for this cause is he the mediator of the new testament, that as sone (as his death was fulfilled for the redemption of those transgressions that were in the first testament) they which were called, might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Did you see what Paul had to say about people trying to keep the law in Galatians? He overemphasized how wrong they were and in every chapter.
In chapter 3 paul says the Galatians are foolish for trying to keep the law, that they were "unwise". He says those people keeping the deeds of the law are under malediction, a curse. He said that nobody is justified by God by the deeds of the law. That if a man wishes to keep all the law he will be cursed for stumbling just one time. He states that no justification comes by the deeds of the law. He stated that the law was only added until Christ arrived.
In chapter 4 Paul says those who try to keep the law in Galatia are carnally minded and are trying to place the spiritually minded into bondage. After a believer receives the holy spirit Paul questions why they turn back to the law "But now seeing ye know God (yea rather are known of God) how is it that ye turn again unto the weak and beggarly ceremonies, where unto again ye desire a fresh to be in bondage?"
Or have you read in Chapter 4 Abraham having a child with each of the testaments and the child born from the old testament was born into bondage of the law and the child born from the new testament being born free of the law in the spirit of Christ?
Paul doesn't stop "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and wrap not yourselves again in the yoke of bondage. Behold I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing at all"
In chapter 5 Paul specifically states that if you want to keep the law Christ is no good to you. Paul states that those who try to be justified by the law are fallen from grace.In Chapter 6 Paul encourages the spiritually minded to fulfill the law of Christ.
In chapter 2 Paul warns of people who are spying on those free in Christ with the desire to place them back into bondage of the law. Paul then accounts his experience with the elders leading everybody back under the bondage of the law.
Paul states "now that a man is not justified by the deeds of the law: but by the faith of Jesus Christ: and we have believed on Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the deeds of the law: because that no flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the law: If then while we seek to be made righteous by Christ, we ourselves are found sinners, is not then Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again that which I destroyed, then make I my self a trespasser. But I thorow the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ."
Paul reiterates "I despise not the grace of God: For if righteousness come of the law, then is Christ dead in vain.
We can't judge a person based on the holidays they celebrate whether or not Christ is held in regard. The scripture makes this clear. I understand that a child dressing up as a fictional character and collecting candy with his parents on Halloween is not worshipping some other God or is participating in evil. That's not what I was doing growing up and God was with me on those days. The love I felt and the joy I experienced are good things that came from a good God. The memories everlasting. God is the source of that. We can not allow the world to define evil for us...and yet we have. Evil is not a scary monster, spooky music, smoke and light shows, it's not gore. Evil isn't someone trying to startle you. These are caricatures of the truth that lead us astray. Satan's world taught you that. My bible tells me evil is lust and adultery, that evil is anger and envy, that evil is pride and disrespect. My bible tells me evil is fleshly in nature and that it is selfish. Evil is sin. In order to condemn people for celebrating these holidays you have to throw out the entire book of Galatians and half of everything else Paul wrote for you. In 2 Peter 3 all of us were warned how difficult Paul can be to understand and it's in regards to legalism. None of these holidays reveal the character of the person celebrating them...not at all. We fail to exceed the righteousness of the pharisees when we condemn other Christians for these matters. Doing so testifies to a lack of understanding of the spirit of Jesus Christ and his mission and what he came to save us from. Carnal interpretation of God spiritual law. God sent his Son and He spent more time with the legalists then He did with the sinners. License is easy to spot, legalism is not.
I haven't celebrated a holiday in many years and also had those joyful days removed from the children around me through convincing because I didn't understand a large part of the New Testament, an important part of the New Testament .. one of which is a salvation issue. I was wrong. Legalism will cost you your salvation. Legalism exists where the spirit of Christ does not. Paul was fighting on two fronts to keep the truth and very few people understand this.