Legalism is an attempt to
gain favor with God or to impress our fellow man by doing certain things
(or avoiding other things), without regard to the condition of our
hearts before God. At the root of legalism is the sin of pride,
because the legalist thinks that he is able to commend himself to God by
his own good deeds.
Invariably, he is only looking at externals, not at
his heart. Also, the legalist’s pride motivates him to exalt himself in
the sight of others by his outward behavior, again neglecting to see
the corruption of his own heart.
Thus legalism denies human depravity
and exalts human ability. As such, it is opposed to the gospel of God’s
grace. That’s why both Jesus and Paul clashed with the legalists.
Jesus hates legalism because it does not deal with the condition of our hearts before God.
Steven J. Cole, 1999
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-57-why-jesus-hates-legalism-luke-1137-54
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