The order does not matter, hoping it will be helpful. Feel free to add more criteria in comments if you remember something!
1. THE PHARISEE TEST.
Does the teaching fit what Jesus called Pharisees out for - preaching grievous burdens to others, or do they teach the gentle yoke of Christ and salvation and victory through the power of God?
Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
2. THE MANMADE TRADITION TEST.
In accordance to the previous, does the teaching introduce rules, laws or regulations that add to what the Bible says, or add to the Gospel, or add conditions for salvation that are not Biblical, or contradict the authoritative teaching of the New Testament, or take away from the Word, or plainly cause destruction?
Some good examples would be forbidding blood transfusion (see Mark 3:4), commanding to abstain from meats (1 Timothy 4:1-7), or racism (Numbers 12, Colossians 3:11). Some examples of this in the Bible:
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [here the word means conduct] received by tradition from your fathers;
1 Timothy 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
3. NOT HELPFUL.
Proponents of legalism will keep telling you that "you must be sinless" and claim that they are sinless themselves or keep the Law, or whatever alike, but they will never give you helpful intel on how to achieve that spiritual status yourself.
This is also an erroneous doctrine unless meant sinless as in forgiven. Although sin is supposed to be decreasing in our lives as we grow and Jesus increases, this is a process and it is not completed while we walk on Earth, according to:
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
4. BETTER THAN THOU.
Saying they are sinless and seeking justification in works, legalist believers will naturally consider themselves better Christians than others who do not follow their teaching and the rules of their congregation.
Oftentimes, they believe that people out of their congregation or denomination cannot be saved, or that all other Christians carry mark of the beast, or something to that extent.
5. UNBALANCED MESSAGE.
Three manifestations of prophecy are exhortation, encouragment and comfort. As well as legalist preachers will talk almost exclusively about hell and brimstone, teachers of legalism will be unbalanced when addressing the congregation also and operate almost exclusively in exhortation, never balancing their message with encouragment and comfort. We are never balanced with the world, but the Spirit of the Bible is against extremes of any kind:
Deuteronomy 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left:
Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
6. FOCUS/FAITH IS NOT ON/IN GOD.
If all that is being talked about is work work work or ritual ritual ritual and God is trusted comparatively little, ran to for help little, praised little, with dull prayer life going and little or no power of the Holy Spirit moving, maybe it is time to move on from that kind of congregation.
1. THE PHARISEE TEST.
Does the teaching fit what Jesus called Pharisees out for - preaching grievous burdens to others, or do they teach the gentle yoke of Christ and salvation and victory through the power of God?
Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
2. THE MANMADE TRADITION TEST.
In accordance to the previous, does the teaching introduce rules, laws or regulations that add to what the Bible says, or add to the Gospel, or add conditions for salvation that are not Biblical, or contradict the authoritative teaching of the New Testament, or take away from the Word, or plainly cause destruction?
Some good examples would be forbidding blood transfusion (see Mark 3:4), commanding to abstain from meats (1 Timothy 4:1-7), or racism (Numbers 12, Colossians 3:11). Some examples of this in the Bible:
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [here the word means conduct] received by tradition from your fathers;
1 Timothy 1:7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
3. NOT HELPFUL.
Proponents of legalism will keep telling you that "you must be sinless" and claim that they are sinless themselves or keep the Law, or whatever alike, but they will never give you helpful intel on how to achieve that spiritual status yourself.
This is also an erroneous doctrine unless meant sinless as in forgiven. Although sin is supposed to be decreasing in our lives as we grow and Jesus increases, this is a process and it is not completed while we walk on Earth, according to:
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
4. BETTER THAN THOU.
Saying they are sinless and seeking justification in works, legalist believers will naturally consider themselves better Christians than others who do not follow their teaching and the rules of their congregation.
Oftentimes, they believe that people out of their congregation or denomination cannot be saved, or that all other Christians carry mark of the beast, or something to that extent.
5. UNBALANCED MESSAGE.
Three manifestations of prophecy are exhortation, encouragment and comfort. As well as legalist preachers will talk almost exclusively about hell and brimstone, teachers of legalism will be unbalanced when addressing the congregation also and operate almost exclusively in exhortation, never balancing their message with encouragment and comfort. We are never balanced with the world, but the Spirit of the Bible is against extremes of any kind:
Deuteronomy 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left:
Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
6. FOCUS/FAITH IS NOT ON/IN GOD.
If all that is being talked about is work work work or ritual ritual ritual and God is trusted comparatively little, ran to for help little, praised little, with dull prayer life going and little or no power of the Holy Spirit moving, maybe it is time to move on from that kind of congregation.