A Better Understanding of the Law.

As Christians how are we supposed to view the law?  Are we supposed to keep it?  Is it just a nice to have bunch of suggestions?  Didn’t Christ fulfill it so we don’t have to as those who say that we are no longer under the law but under grace so are not required to keep the law.  However if we take that position I suppose there has to be that slightly nagging feeling in the back of some minds that well certainly murder, lying and adultery cannot be ok which is maybe why someone once told me that if we believe in Christ we will want to keep the law – however, not that it is a requirement – and certainly we are not saved by keeping it.  Nonetheless into this complex stew we have to add some direct quotes from the Bible that almost seems to contradict one another.  In one case Paul said, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.” (Gal 3:11).  In another Paul said, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Ro 3:31).

A Missing Ingredient

Something I discovered perhaps some 15 years ago was that many, including myself were overlooking something very important.  It was like an elephant standing in the middle of the room.  Something that Paul shouted from nearly every page he wrote.  I believe this was strongly in his mind nearly every time he spoke.  Even Jesus spoke about it.  As a matter of fact an entire chapter, Acts 15, was all about it – and no – it wasn’t just about circumcision.  It was about the power of the government and the laws of that government.  This was a government comprised of Pharisees and Sadducees who had their own set of rules and laws – these were laws that were supposed to be based on the laws of God – but somehow they went astray.  One could say that they were trying to codify what I will call a spiritual aspect of the law (more on this in just a bit).  For example, it’s ok to walk five miles on the Sabbath, but not six.  It’s ok to get off a boat on the Sabbath if a gentile worked to put the plank out.  There were many other such laws, many not Sabbath related.  The Mishnah would be a good resource to get an understanding of how complex these regulations could get.  Not to get off track – but I also know of a nearly defunct modern organization that had quite a power trip of their own going with sets of rules that ran parallel this same ideology, i.e. women, could not wear makeup, etc., but I digress.  So the ones in charge – the Pharisees – were the one’s back then who would tell you how to apply the laws of God.  They ruled – you did not question their authority – even if their laws seemed stupid - for to do so could prove fatal.  As one young Man once said, “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”  Statements like that would later prove to be fatal for Him.  Nonetheless I challenge you to read Mark 7:1-13 where I found this at and not see what Jesus was attempting to convey is that in their zeal to uphold the law, they actually transgressed it.

So where are we now?

The information I want you to walk away with at this point is that when in scripture you see the law being talked about – you need to immediately ask yourself whether this may be the laws of God or the added interpretations of the doctors of the law.  So for example when the law was allegedly nailed to the cross, was it the 10 commandments or was it Jesus making dead the rule of the Pharisees and their laws and setting up something I call spiritual based laws – a newfound freedom in Christ?   Well let’s look over some key elements leading up to those famous lines.

“Beware lest any man [Now I’m thinking Pharisees, the doctors of the law here – also known in other parts of scriptures as those of the group of the circumcision] spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ…And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:…Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, [Now are God’s laws of don’t steal, don’t murder really against us?] which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col 2:8-15)

May I suggest that Christ replaced not the commandments of God, rather the then governments as the Head?  Remember that before He paid the penalty, He once said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat;  so practice and observe whatever they tell you...”  But at His death He replaced them – not the laws.  Now if I am right on this, it is to the shame of any individual to let any organization - or leader come between you and Christ and interfere in any way with what I will talk about next – which is the spiritual application of the law.

Spiritual Law

1Pe 2:16 as the early Christians were told that they were free’ “free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice [wrong doing – which implies laws that can be transgressed – is your head hurting yet?]”  So they were free, but free from what?  Well the law.  But which law?  Well here I believe it is a complicated combo of Pharisaical added law and God’s laws – I’ll explain more in a moment.  

A parallel scripture of Galatians 5 says,“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; [freedom] only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [that by the way is a perfect example of the spirit of the law]”  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [letter of the law slash added law- but you are under the spirit of the law]”

Ok so what is this spirit?  Some would say – Holy Spirit.  Well that’s partially true, it is the spirt of God – but does not quite hit it on the head.  Then what is it?  Well, have you ever seen where a bunch of lawyers write out a legal document with the intent of covering every possibility toward enforcing some rule, but then someone who seemingly transgresses that rule gets away by getting a smart lawyer who finds a loophole in the original document?  What often follows is the rule is revised until the next loophole is found, and then on and on until the next thing you know is that there are a bunch of clauses and pages of documents for just that one item.  I think I remember signing a pile of legal documents last time I bought a car, and I paid cash and I just wanted a car.  Nonetheless when the smarter lawyer finds a loophole does that always make him smarter or would some say that in some cases he really just managed to circumvent the spirit of the law?  Or as we could say – the really smart people always knew what the intent of the original document was anyway so quit trying to get around the intent.  That is – the law was not designed for someone to find a loophole now was it?  It then follows that someone intent on following the spirit of the law does not need a hundred clauses, a list of do’s and don’ts do they?  Maybe this is why when Jesus spoke of adultery He could speak spiritually saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  To me that would be the application of the spirit of the law.  In some cases it adds to the law.  In some cases it modifies based on situation, for example, by eating grain, plucking it from the field on the Sabbath because you were hungry.  This does not do away with the Sabbath nor does it place undue burdens on it either via badly written codification.  Laws are sometimes situational; remember that Rahab lied [in order to save lives] but is considered faithful or which is why it is written, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.”  In other words keep the Sabbath – but as it is written, be careful or, “Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind” as to how you handle abiding by the spiritual intent of the law.  The law still stands, all of it still stands, as Jesus said, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law”.

So this then brings me around to my closing comments.  To the person who said a Christian will want to follow the law (not have to keep God’s laws) I would answer that this is partially true – a true follower wars in his soul to do right – but he wars against the lusts of the flesh which want to pull him away from obedience.  Numbers two is that if it is just a matter of “want to” and not have to, then Jesus cannot keep you out of the kingdom of God or request that you overcome.  Yet there are plenty of scriptures that say things like, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things [transgression of the law] shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” or “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God”.  So then the conclusion is that the law is fully in tact – but not with a bunch of rules trying to codify the law, which may be why Paul exclaimed, “the law is spiritual”.  Indeed it is and we are to follow it by the spirit and in the spirit in which it was intended.