strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than its spirit
Han Fei Tze is the representative of this school and it suggests that strict rules should be used in order to control the people.
Either a dependence on earning salvation by keeping the law, or a reliance on man-made laws in addition to Scripture. To require obedience to God's word is not legalism so long as it is understood that obedience does not merit salvation and is only possible by grace.
The belief that one's salvation depends upon strictly following religious laws and rituals. The belief that salvation is at least partly dependent on one's good works.
using the law in an attempt to accomplish what only the gospel can, calling things sinful when God has not, or using the gospel as a club to coerce a certain type of behavior. The law reveals sin (Romans 3:20) and sin's punishment (Romans 6:23), but only the gospel can change hearts (Romans 1:16, Ephesians 2:4-5) and produce God-pleasing behavior (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
In Chinese history, Legalism was one of the four main philosophic schools in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (Near the end of the Zhou dynasty from about the sixth century B.C. to about the third century B.C.). It is actually rather a pragmatic political philosophy, with maxims like "when the epoch changed, legalism is the act of following all laws", and its essential principle is one of jurisprudence. "Legalism" here can bear the meaning of "political philosophy that upholds the rule of law", and is thus distinguished from the word's Western sense.
Legalism, in Christian theology, is a pejorative term referring to an improper fixation on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigor, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God. Legalism is alleged against any view that law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Its opposite error is antinomianism, which is alleged against a view that moral laws are not binding.
Legalism, in the Western sense, is an approach to the analysis of legal questions characterized by abstract "logical" reasoning focusing on the applicable legal text, such as a constitution, legislation, or case law, rather than on the social, economic, or political context. Legalism has occurred both in civil and common law traditions.
