Organization
August 13, 2000
Dear Friends:
This week we would like to briefly consider the subject of legalism versus organization. They are easily confused.
One of the ways we characterize legalism is the leading of a “checklist” life. We live our lives by a list of “righteous” actions devoid of the proper spirit. Do the daily Bible readings – check! Go to Sunday School – check! Go to Bible class – check! Say your prayers – check!
In living like that, we impute to ourselves a sense of righteousness because we regularly and methodically do those things which we think count for righteousness. Yet, because they do not stem from our faith, but from a sense of a need to justify ourselves, they are but a shadow of what God really wants from us.
There is nothing wrong with making checklists for ourselves. Organization is a desirable quality. Legalism is attitudinal, not organizational. Legalism is thinking that using a Bible reading chart is mandatory because to not use it would be “wrong.” Organization, on the other hand, is time-management and task-management. Organization is using a Bible reading planner for a way to plan and round out your study of God’s word.
If we do our readings of God’s word with the attitude that we are satisfying some sort of requirement of God, we are approaching it in a legalistic manner. If one brother reads his Bible daily following a reading plan, but does it with dread and skims over the content not remembering the words, they have legalistic tendencies. Another brother may follow the same plan, but uses it as a organizational tool. They might feel it is a good way to order their approach to the Bible. They read to transform their minds, not out of some sense of self-justification.
We can approach almost every religious activity in this way. Take tithing as another example. If we add a line item in our personal budgets for donations to the ecclesia or some other worthy cause, it is commendable. If we set a personal target for giving we do not necessarily become legalists. However, we must always be cognizant of our motives. We must also avoid the sense of self-satisfaction that can come with such organization. We must be like the servants in Jesus’ parable that said “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke17:10)
Someone once said that they did not give much money to the ecclesia because they did not have any cash left over at the end of the month. Perhaps if they were better organized (and learned the lesson of the firstfruits!), they would.
So let’s not be afraid to be organized in God’s service for fear of being legalistic. Let’s be afraid of being self-righteous to the point of being humble.
Have a great week!
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