The religious authorities who accused Yeshua Messiah of breaking the Sabbath have been described as having a legalistic approach. But what does the term "legalism" mean? A dictionary definition of legalism is "a strict, literal or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code."
A popular meaning attached to the word today is that any form of biblical law-keeping is legalism and therefore to be avoided. The word is used pejoratively, especially against such practices as keeping the Sabbath or adhering to other laws given in the Old Testament.
However, this use of the word is incorrect. It is not legalistic to obey Elohim's laws correctly. To be legalistic is to misuse Elohim's laws in a way never intended.
The Pharisees, an excessively strict branch of Judaism whose religious interpretations dominated popular thinking at the time of Messiah, were examples of this. They added many of their own humanly devised rules and regulations to Elohim's laws, which had the effect of misrepresenting and misapplying them.
Their added interpretations of Elohim's laws so distorted the original purpose that they rendered them ineffective (Matthew 15:6), nullifying them. By following the Pharisees' interpretations and edicts, the people were no longer following Elohim's law (John 7:19).
This mistaken view of Elohim's law led many to reject Yeshua Messiah as the promised Messiah, even though that very law had prophesied of Him (John 5:39-40; Luke 24:44).
This was why Messiah so strongly condemned the lack of understanding and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His time. He taught a return to the correct teaching and practice of Elohim's laws according to their original intent and purpose, and also that He was the promised Messiah.
The apostle Paul also wrote extensively against those who would pervert the proper use of Elohim's law. This is particularly apparent in the book of Galatians. What Paul addressed was not the correct keeping of Elohim's law, which he himself elsewhere upheld (Romans 3:31; 7:12, 14, 22, 25), but a claim that justification (the forgiveness and restoration of a sinner to a state of righteousness) could be achieved by circumcision and strict observance of the law.
Some false teachers (Galatians 2:4; 5:10, 12; 6:12-13) subverted the Galatian churches by wrongly insisting that circumcision and the keeping of the law were sufficient requirements for justification and salvation, apart from faith in and from Yeshua Messiah.
Paul condemned this erroneous teaching, noting that obedience to the law had never made eternal life possible (Galatians 3:21). He made it clear that justification—being made righteous in Elohim's eyes and thus gaining access to eternal life—is only available through Yeshua Messiah (Galatians 2:16; 3:1-3, 10-11, 22; 5:1-4).
Paul made it clear that forgiveness of sin requires a sacrifice, and even the strictest observance of the law cannot remove the need for that sacrifice.
However, the law of Elohim remains the righteous standard by which all mankind will be judged (James 2:8, 12). The law is not annulled or abolished by faith in Messiah (Romans 3:31), as many falsely believe. Instead, said Paul, the law's proper use is established by faith.
When Solomon concluded that the whole duty of man is to "fear Elohim and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), he expressed the enduring purpose of Elohim for all mankind. The apostle John agreed when he concluded that, if we love Elohim, we will keep His commandments (1 John 5:3).
Yeshua told the woman taken in adultery to "sin no more" (John 8:11)—in other words, to uphold and live by Elohim's law! Yeshua told the rich young man, who came to Him asking what he could do to have eternal life, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments"(Matthew 19:17).
So what does the Bible tell us about legalism?
To substitute humanly devised laws for Elohim's laws, as the Pharisees did, is legalism.
To rely upon the keeping of any law to make one righteous in Elohim's eyes, instead of faith in Messiah, is legalism.
If all one focuses on is obedience to law apart from the motivation of pleasing Elohim, loving Elohim and loving neighbor, this distorts the purpose of the law (Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:10) and is legalism.
If we believe that the keeping of Elohim's law can earn our salvation as our reward, we are guilty of legalism.
Technical obedience, or strict obedience to the exact letter of the law while searching for ways to get around the underlying purpose and intent of the law, is legalism.
But Yeshua Christ's teachings and the remainder of the Bible make one thing perfectly clear: Proper obedience to the law of Elohim is not legalism.
After conversion, a Christian is given a much fuller understanding of the purpose and intent of Elohim's law. He understands the importance of having faith in the person and sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah. He is given a more complete understanding of why he is to be obedient. But it remains for him to obey. That is not legalism.
To obey Elohim's biblical commands in a proper attitude, such as His command to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, is not legalism. Don't allow anyone to beguile you with such a false notion, which is itself a contradiction of Yeshua Christ's own command (Matthew 5:19).