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Witnessing Should Be Free from Guilt, Condemnation and Legalism

The kind of witnessing that is not of God is sharing the gospel out of a sense of guilt and compulsion rather than freedom and liberty.

Guilt is a false internal motivator while legalism is a false external motivator.

 Guilt and legalism are used rather extensively in modern society as motivators—especially guilt.  They get quick results, but are never lasting.  They are two of the most commonly used, but worst motivators for getting people to witness for Christ. 

To become an effective Christian communicator, we need to be freed from these false motivators.  In the long run they are destructive and self-defeating.  Only as we are freed from a “having-to-do-it” motive can he become free to “want to do it.”

If an individual is being motivated to witness for Christ out of a sense of guilt, he needs to carefully examine his motivation.  “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17); that is, a spirit of freedom.  If a person is being controlled by guilt, he is not being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

 The point is this, you don’t have to go out and witness for Christ.  God wants you to be free from this bondage and guilt that says you have to. When you don’t have to witness, something very interesting happens, you are freed to want to do it. 

Some people have grown up in very legalistic environments.  Legalistic programming is very difficult to overcome.  Legalism is a poor motivator and keeps people in bondage.  It damages people because it keeps them over dependent and immature.  And it kills the souls.  Legalism is satanic.

If you feel you have to go out and witness out of sense of guilt, may I kindly suggest that you stop.  This isn’t the Holy Spirit’s way.  God wants you to be freed from this kind of bondage and enslavement. 

In attacking legalism, Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) Remember, only as we are delivered from a “have-to-do-it” spirit are we free to want to communicate our Christian faith.