LEGALISM, OBEDIENCE, AND BELIEF WINDOWS (part 1)

It’s a Matter of Perspective

A good definition of legalism is “strict and excessive adherence to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.” The definition of obedience? “Adhering to rules, the law, or authorities.” Some might say the difference is moderation: just don’t obey “excessively.” Others might say it’s relevance: it doesn’t mean the same today as it did when Jesus said it. But most just think the difference resides in whether they want to obey or not.

So where do our perspectives on obedience come from? Hyrum Smith, CEO of Legacy Quest and a motivational speaker, explains that people’s perceptions of reality and their adherence to principles they hold to be true find their grounding in “belief windows.” People seek ways to meet their needs (to live, to love and be loved, to feel important) through rules they establish for their lives that result in behaviors and actions, which all stem from foundational principles they call “truth.” These principles are what he calls a “belief window.”

For instance, if Christians need to have fellowship to be loved then they make a rule that all Christians should assemble publicly on Sundays. They behave more kindly and perform different actions on Sundays than other days because their belief windows tell them that doing so will meet their spiritual needs. But we should ask: as Christians, should our beliefs derive from our needs or God’s perception of our needs as revealed in His word?