However, legalism is strewn with potholes. People who stress that path almost always become selective about what they emphasize. Legalists also tend to turn outward in judgment and self-righteousness, harshly judging others who do not follow the particular emphases of their selective code. I checked the biblical references on divorce and self-righteousness. Yes, the Bible has much more to say against the latter, in contrast with the self-righteous judgments some church people make against the divorced.
Legalism provides comfort to insecure people.
But, as they become more mature and experienced in their faith, they often discover that the rigid codes oversimplify reality. Probably, most of us muddle along somewhere between the extremes, make some errors in moral judgment and pray we do not presume too much on God's grace. Richard Kahoe is a licensed psychologist and lay minister. He is chair-elect of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists.