CHAPTER
3 –
What
is behind legalism?
Our childhood and
youth play a major role in the roots of legalism. If we had a happy childhood
and people appreciated us, there normally will not be big problems, but if our
emotional life was very poor in the past and we had a harsh or distant father,
it can be difficult to believe in God’s grace and love for us. In fact, we
transfer past experiences to our relationship with God. We do not understand
that God, through Christ, is our loving and merciful Father; He is the God of
comfort:
- (2 Cor 13:11) Finally, brothers,
farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the
God of love and peace shall be with you.
- (Eph 2:4) But God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,
- (1 Peter 5:10) But the God of all
grace, who has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after
that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle
you.
- (2 Cor 1:3-4) Blessed be God, even the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of
all comfort;
4 Who
comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them
which are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted
of God.
A good description
about how our past can affect our relationship with God is given in the next
story. In the story, a pastor’s wife transferred her poor relationship with her
father to her relationship with God. She believes that God is just like her own
father. Perhaps you have experienced something similar:
A pastor’s wife who came to me for pastoral care told me about her home
of strict morals, controlled by a demanding mother. The father was a wimp who
did not defend his daughter when the mother verbally abused her.
"You really love Jesus,”
I said to the lady.
"Naturally,” she
answered.
"And you also love the
Holy Spirit.”
"Yes.”
"But you don’t even like
God as a Father.”
She was unable to do anything
else than cry. Her comprehension of a heavenly Father had become distorted
because of her earthly father. She saw Jesus and the Holy Spirit being actively
present in her life but in her mind, God the Father – just like her earthly
father – was passive and did not care whether the daughter had great
difficulties in her life. (7)
