Consequences of legalism:

1. Keeps people distanced and alienated from God. Afraid of God, the taskmaster. Afraid of God’s rejection. No assurance or security.

2. Guilt, condemnation (Rom. 8:1), accusation, disapproval (both objective and subjective).

3. Defeat, despair, frustration, futility. “It’s a losing battle. I can never do enough, be good enough, do it right and perfect as expected.” Burned out!

4. Self-destructive behavior; self-belittling, sense of worthlessness, low personal concept of oneself.

5. Hypocrisy. Play-acting; role-playing; lip-service (Matt. 15:8, 9). Contrived piety, perfunctory performance, pretense, ostentation.

6. Minimalization. What do I have to do to get by, to side-step the rules?

7. Impersonalization; shallow personal relationships because they relate to law rather that to Person of Jesus Christ and other persons.