When personal ideologies become corporate theologies, legalism (or re-legalism), hurt, and abuse can become rampant as the beauty, individuality, and personal relationship with Jesus has been destroyed in the name of trying to mold everybody to be like the person who implemented the concept in question. In this concept, the implementer of the personal ideology gone corporate theology uses the now corporated theology as his or her measuring stick to determine if a person is or is not a "real" Christian in their eyes. Instead of the Scriptures, the ideology turned theology has risen in priority above the Scriptures as accept / reject criteria where there are Scriptures and there are "the added rules". When "the added rules" are hidden, then a grave danger has been made worse because one would now have to question "What are the rules?". Some go as far as to determine heaven / hell acceptance of that person by God and therefore attempt to take God's place in a person's life by playing the role of God "in the name of God".

Throughout church history, the taking of a personal ideology and force-feeding it as corporate theology has taken place to bring people into "freedom with Christ". The tragic thing is that the personal ideologies that helped one person become free has now become the noose that places others in bondage. We constantly yearn to break legalism in our lives but many times, we end up re-legalising ourselves and place ourselves (and others) under more subjection and bondage. The re-legalisms can become near cultic when we then decide that everyone must see our personal ideology as "the only way" to heaven, to holiness, or to growth in Christ. I find it interesting that in many cases the imposed legalisms (or re-legalisms) only deal with the external surroundings instead of the internal torrents within an individual's heart.

Therefore, the direction of work is backwards between legalism and holiness. Legalism is not about what the rules are, but about one's focus and motivation. A legalistic person is focused on the rules to the extent that their relationship with God suffers, or they miss out on part of what God has planned for them because they are limiting His hand. Legalism also encourages one to judge others who don't share the same set of rules as inferior, compromising, heretic, or apostate. We all have to be careful of legalism in that we don't replace a deep search for relationship with God with a set of rules that let us think we're doing well in His sight. What legalism really does is add to the Scriptures what is not there and calling it "God". How does legalism adds to the scripture? Legalism is the ball and chain that enforce external rules and rules of do's and dont's and regulations and calls the following of the external rules, internal holiness and the not following of those rules, compromising the Gospel. Furthermore, Legalism produces emotional unhealthiness and emotional bondage. In legalistic environments, they teach that the pathway to the inner holiness is through the practicing and application of the outer rituals. The Pharisees showed this well through their Temple customs and the wearing of the phylacteries (hopefully that is correct spelling, if not, then the legalist will have to call me sinner because I made a mistake in misspelling the word). While Holiness is the opposite where inner sanctification and purity reflects and shows on the external person through their integrity, character, and moral being of the person. When change is present on the inside of a person, the outside will manifest and confirm the change on the inside.

In society today (and in years gone by), there are numerous instances where one man's personal ideology force-fed into many churches became the corporate theology of all. In fact, many of the extreme legalistic doctrines (aka re-legalism) propogated today are a result of the ideologies of one attempted to become the theologies of all. Perfect examples are the controversial book "I (keyword "I") Kissed Dating Goodbye", Hebraic Roots / Sacred Name (GOD, not G_D help us) Movement, rules at some conservative Christian universities, extreme fundamentalism of men's hair must be an inch above the ears (my best friend told me this about the Christian school he attended as a child and every week, being measured and if not in compliance, his parents were called and expected by the next day to make sure the hair was an inch above the ears) and women's skirts could go no more than three inches above the ankles (ask many old ladies, it was the law in the fundamentalism / holiness church they attended and some have written me telling their stories of having the length of their skirts checked at the door with a wooden yardstick), etc. All have to conform to the wishes of one because the wishes of one was seen as holiness instead of the intentions and God given cleansing of the heart. When things go wrong and one "breaks the added rule", all are punished for the sins of one. The same is true in Corporate America. That is so Old Covenant thinking when we are under the New Covenant. In the New Covenant, the one is punished for the sins of the one.

Remember in the Old Testament at Ai, Joshua and the Israelite warriors were punished and defeated for the actions of Achan at Jericho. Later on, Achan AND HIS FAMILY were stoned to death for Achan's sin. In the New Testament, only Ananias and Sapphiria (and not the fellow family members or church members) were killed for grieving the Holy Spirit. If the Old Covenant philosophy held true in the New Covenant, then Ananias and Sapphira's family members and the body of believers they affiliated with would also have been punished for Ananias and Sapphira's sin. Look at Stephen in Acts 7. Stephen was stoned by the Jewish leaders for "blaspheming the law of Moses and for his belief in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the Jewish Leaders who were so bent on obeying the law of Moses were true to Moses' law, then per the law of Moses, Stephen and his family should have been stoned and not just Stephen. The legalists who were so bent on enforcing the whole law of Moses could not consistently enforce and carry out properly the punishment for breaking the law of Moses and their laws comprised of one man ideology made corporate theology. At the same time, they expected all to follow those rules to a tee.

Please Click here for part three of this article.