Yes, Jesus and his teaching have set us free indeed. The Jews that believed on Jesus were freed from the bondage of the Law . Though this is true there is always the danger of allowing oneself to be drawn in again to another kind of bondage. This danger is ever present in any Christian fellowship that does not exercise the spirit of true Christian liberty. We would like to suggest that intolerance based on judgmental attitudes is often the cause.
Legalism is exercised in many Christian fellowships rather than liberty.
Legalism sets up its own rules of acceptability and anyone who does not agree or conform to them is judged to be out of step with the group and a danger to that belief system. Legalism is a power play for control. Members of a particular group try to get people to suppress their ability to critically analyze and instead to accept the teachings of its founder and those in positions of leadership. Once a person has accepted the group, they are then isolated and discouraged from fellowshipping with any other Christians who do not believe as they do in some areas. Personal works are stressed in order for one to be found acceptable to God and to the group.