The Bible is filled with God’s Law. It’s everywhere you look. From Genesis to Revelation there are certain things that God wants us to do and certain things that He doesn’t want us to do. And we fail Him. We sin. We happily do everything that He tells us not to do, and grudgingly do some of the things that He wants us to do … and not very often.
Deuteronomy 7:12
If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.
Yet, the blessings of a good life come to those who do keep His Law. God summarized His rules for the good life in the two tablets of stone called the Ten Commandments. Who would argue that keeping those rules does not lead to a healthier, happier life? And, the two tablets of stone can be further summarized as tablet one - love God, and tablet two - love others. Paul even boils it down to one word: love.
In counseling people who are going through difficult times in their marriages and families, I have never come across a problem that would not have been avoided with a basic keeping of God’s Law. Somebody sinned, and then the evil entered their life in every direction.
So where is the controversy? Does anyone really think that Jesus came to earth and died so that we wouldn’t have to do what God wants us to do anymore? Does anyone really think God is that stupid?
Psalm 119:113
I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.
Why do so many Christians not know what to do with God’s Law? They get all hinky as soon as you bring it up. They seem to think that because they have been forgiven for breaking the Law that it is no longer important to obey it. They are like someone who is stopped for speeding, let off with a warning, and then they speed away from the police officer … going the wrong-way down a one-way street.
John 14:15
(Jesus says) “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
We seem to get the part of the Law that Jesus satisfied, confused with the part that we continue to break. Here’s an example of what I mean:
God’s Law says to not steal. If you break the Law and steal something, then God says you have to do two things: you have to return what you stole (with an apology and 20% interest) and you have to make an offering to God (a lamb sacrifice) to show that your crime was also against Him and you need His forgiveness.
Jesus died on a cross and forgave you. He is the complete and final sacrifice. You do not need to offer a lamb if you steal from your neighbor. You are forgiven by God.
Does this mean that you are free to steal whatever you want? And what about your neighbor? Should you give it back? With interest? With an apology?
There are three ways to think about God’s Law. Three uses.
The Law Restrains Evil
The first use of the Law is to restrain evil in society. This is the Law applied to others (as well as yourself.) Every culture arrives at the same basic rules for society through the general revelation and common grace of God poured into the world. Those cultures (like ours) that have God’s actual Law (The Bible) are to use it to design the law of the land. We all understand this. We want stealing, murder, rape, etc. to be illegal.
The Law Convicts Us of Sin
The second use of the Law is to show us that we are sinful and in need of Jesus. It is a mirror to show us how far we have really fallen. This is the Law applied to ourselves. We read God’s Word and we are reminded of our need to confess our sins and repent. For all have sinned and fallen short. This is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance and Grace.
The Law Shows us How to Live
The third use of the Law can only be understood by Christians. It is only available on this side of the cross. It is how we are to live now that we are in God’s family. It is how we are to live our lives as worship. It is the Law offered back to God as a living sacrifice.
Psalm 119:97
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Here’s an example: Let’s say that your garage is a mess. It became a mess because things were not put back where they properly belong, people were lazy, sloppy and over time the garage became an overwhelming problem. The First use of the Law was to restrain the mess, but people did what was right in their own eyes and a mess was made anyway. The Second Use of the Law is every time you walk in the garage to find something. It is a mess and nothing can be found. The garage is in need of salvation, and you feel the conviction. The Third Use of the Law is the opportunity for something amazing. Your oldest child gets up early on a Saturday and cleans the garage. Not because you asked, not because you threatened, not for money, not as leverage to borrow the car … Just because it was the right thing to do … just because they love their family.
The Third Use of the Law is thankful worship. It is also a blessing. Living according to God’s Law will yield a safer, happier, healthier, better life than living contrary to God’s Law. (It seems really silly to have to point that out.)
Deuteronomy 5:10
… but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
A thousand generations. There has not yet been a thousand generations. The Law was given to man because of the fall, but not as a punishment. It was given to mankind to give direction to people who had lost their way. People who had lost their sense of “good” were shown what “good” looks like. People who had embraced “wrong” were given a picture of “right.” God’s people can hear His Word and know how we can live a life that is worth living. May Your word be a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. AMEN
May 1st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Do right so we won’t get in trouble, so that other people won’t think bad of us and so we won’t feel too guilty OR do right as an act of worship to the God who loves us?
No comparison. It’s the difference between living life looking at the fuzz buster and living life as a newlywed in love. Yep, grace changes everything.
Now, if we could just remember that a thousand times a day.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:49 pm
This post is so long I will need weeks to get my noggin around this.
But, quickly, my friend Frank, neo-nomist, looks to the good side of the law but ignores the law as a curse. The law, as Paul points out, is a consequence of sin; Duetoronomy comes after Genesis.
I think that we have to be careful to balance the Law God gives us to restrain our post fall sinfulness and the fact that the law was not enough and Christ came as the end (teleos in Gk). The end is not end as in finish but end as in “purpose”. Christ fulfills the law that it may no more be a curse but instead is a joy.
Which, maybe, is Franks point I guess. Maybe we agre after all.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I believe that we agree more than not.
Those who know how to get there, do not need a map. The Law was given to us because we forgot how to get there. The Law was given as a result of sin, but the Law did not change God’s nature. The Law did not change what God wants His people to do, instead it provides a way for us to know what good looks like.
If the OT Law was like a big folded map, Jesus is like a GPS system. He finds us where we are and helps us to find the way, making as many redirections as needed.