Dear editors,
I would like to express my appreciation for the editorial by Rev. Josh Engelsma in the November (2025) issue of the Standard Bearer (“A Warning to the PRCA Against Legalism”). His article points us to the very real threat of legalism, manifested by denominational pride and dead orthodoxy, which are among the greatest dangers that conservative Reformed and Presbyterian churches face. In addition to his timely diagnosis of the problem, I also appreciated his prescription for addressing it—a continuous call for members of the church to personal faith in Jesus Christ and a deeper understanding of the beautiful doctrine of justification.
This prescription stands in contrast to progressive calls for change that have often been the answer to legalism and dead orthodoxy. Over the past century many formerly orthodox Christian denominations have made the right diagnosis but addressed the problem with a wrong prescription. Instead of a return to sound teaching and a call to personal faith, they have chased after a seemingly unending list of changes, especially to corporate worship. Modern Bible versions based on poor translation methods, novel church liturgies, and an ever-growing list of social outreach programs were often adopted in the name of combating legalism. While the many changes initially stimulated enthusiasm among members, they failed to provide a lasting treatment to the creeping rot of dead orthodoxy. The result has been a massive decline in church membership among these denominations.
Change is not wrong in itself—so long as the change is driven by a godly desire to better align our practices with God’s Word. But change is no antidote to legalism, as what is “new” will eventually become a faded tradition with time. If progressive change is the solution, then change can never end. Instead of falling into this trap, let us pursue with all our hearts “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus [our] Lord…that [we] may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings” (Phil. 3:8, 10).
Sincerely,
Brendan Looyenga
Jenison, MI
RESPONSE
Dear Brendan,
Thank you for your thoughtful response to my recent editorial. I heartily concur with what you write about the mistake of trying to combat legalism with external changes. Legalism is a weed of the heart, which means that it can only be uprooted by the gospel of free justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Even though a legalistic spirit places its confidence in external things—such as what Bible version a church uses, certain liturgical practices, or any other number of things—the answer, as you rightly point out, is not found in sweeping changes to those external things. Many of those external things have an important place in the Christian life, when rightly understood, and we ought to be very careful about quickly charging others with legalism for wanting to maintain them in their proper place. The danger of trying to address legalism with external changes seems to me to be twofold: first, that an individual deceives himself into thinking that making these external changes has delivered him from legalism, when in fact he has only placed his confidence in some new external thing; second, that when a number of individuals push for external changes as the answer to legalism, they might subtly (albeit unwittingly) set up a new standard by which others are judged to be good Christians or not (for example, “If you are not on board with what we are promoting, then you are not a mature Christian”). What a noxious weed is legalism! May God drive it from us by impressing upon our hearts ever more deeply the precious reality of our gracious salvation and strengthening our faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone!
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. J. Engelsma
