There are a few pejoratives that preachers casually like to throw out in the middle of sermons; they make for easy targets when in the middle of a rant. In congregations of our more ultra-conservative brethren, you’ll hear a lot about how “liberals always say…” and “liberals always think…”
What does it mean?
The fact is, there are some brethren who care very little for the authority of the Bible, and who believe the Word of God is a malleable document, able to be contorted and manipulated as needed, especially to fit the needs of the modern culture. To these people, it doesn’t matter if the Bible prohibits something, nor does it matter that the Bible commands something; all that matters is what they want to do. Those people are called “liberals,” and they’re an easy target for brethren on the other side of the fence.
On the other hand, there are congregations where this “liberal” mindset is the prevailing one. In assemblies like this, it’s not uncommon to have preachers or teachers smirk and talk about their “radical” brethren, who “condemn this” and “reject that.” They talk about the grace and forgiveness of Jesus as though it is a foreign concept to brethren on the other side of the fence, and maybe it is. Maybe there are brethren who demand their peers toe the line as drawn by them, not straying to the right or the left of their perceived boundary of fellowship. Cross to the other side, or even just get caught having a fellowship breakfast meal with someone they have written off, and you will find yourself written about in all of their papers and periodicals. Without a hint of irony, these people will tell you there’s a way things should be done, that they alone know the one right way to do those things, and it just so happens to be the exact way they always do those things. Don’t you dare cross them or challenge them. Those people are called “legalists,” and they’re an easy target for brethren on the other side of the fence.
The former would defend themselves as godly by saying they, like Jesus, are filled with greater compassion, patience, and mercy than the legalists. The latter would defend themselves as godly by reminding us that the Bible is a pattern and must be adhered to, otherwise we’re no different than an Old Testament pagan offering sacrifices to false idols.
So which should we be? Would God have us be liberals or legalists?
I think God prefers His children to be liberal legalists, no more and no less. He wants us liberal, as the word means “full of charity.” You will scarcely find a more common trait used to define God’s people in the New Testament than that: We are called to be loving, merciful, giving, forgiving, patient, etc. Our hearts should always be bursting, our compassion should always be on full display. That doesn’t mean we can allow things which God does not; God is liberal and charitable, but He has limits. We must respect those limits and follow them, too.
On the other hand, why not be a legalist? If we use the word to mean “someone who follows the law,” I can think of no better alternative. What should we do, if not follow the law of Christ? Should we follow the law of the world? Should we let an ungodly culture dictate who and how we worship? Of course not. God has given us a guidebook; we would be fools not to use it. That doesn’t mean we get to draw the lines and determine where “right” begins and “wrong” ends. God has drawn the lines; we just need to respect them and follow them.
It is not oxymoronic to be a liberal legalist, nor are we compelled to choose one side of the fence or the other. We can be merciful and obedient; in fact, we can’t be obedient without being merciful. We can be obedient and also be loving; in fact, we can’t be loving without being obedient. God commands us to be both.
So let us be.
~ Matthew