We live in a free society governed by law. The US Constitution says we are free to choose our religion, share our beliefs by mouth and in print, and assemble peacefully, among other things. State and local laws tell us how fast we may drive, what rights property owners have, who has the right to drive a car, and the penalties for breaking the law. We have freedom in some areas, and we are restrained in others. And we are responsible for our choices in all areas.
Two Uses of the Law
Historically, that has been seen as one reason for the Law: It is meant to restrain sin, to be an impediment to everyone doing what is right in their own eyes regardless of the consequences to others. In this respect, the Law is something of an instruction book for living together in peace.The second purpose of the Law is to let us know when we miss the mark. When we sin, we should feel guilt. This is a moral universe, and part of the image of God within us is that we innately know right from wrong. Granted, some are sociopaths and some have different definitions of private property and the public good, but everyone understands "Thou shalt not murder me." Or lie about me. Or take what is mine.
We live in a broken, messed up world, and that impacts every part of our lives - even our sense of guilt. We may feel no guilt when breaking some rules, and we may feel false guilt when we have done something that is right. Because the world is permeated with sin, we cannot depend on our feelings of guilt to be correct. Satan tempted Eve by getting her to think that doing what God prohibited would actually be a good thing - and with sin, guilt entered the world.
In all of human history, only one man lived the Law in such a way that he never knew guilt. Jesus was God made Man, lived in this broken world for thirty-some years, and never once did anything that upset God the Father. (He did a lot of things that upset the religious leaders of his day, but that's another thing altogether.)
The problem with the Law is that sin has entered the world, we are all selfish, and we are all subject to being led astray. Calvinists have a notorious reputation for piling on the guilt: "I am a miserable sinner and know I will be damned" is one line that comes to mind from a book we read in my Canadian Literature class in high school (as best as I can recall it). Baptists and Catholics and moms are also good at laying on the guilt.
We're susceptible to this kind of abuse because our sinful, selfish nature misunderstands the Law. We want to be free from the Law and allowed to do anything we please. There are some religious factions that preach that when Jesus Christ broke the power of sin through his death and resurrection, it was to give us license to do whatever we want to. This perverts both Law and grace, because not all things are good (1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23).
We are guilty of violating God's rules. In the flesh, every single one of us has sinned and fallen far short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We are incapable of living as God wants us to under our own strength (Rom. 7:18, Gal. 5:17). We are selfish, and we obey the Law only to avoid punishment or when it is to our advantage.
That's the beauty of the Golden Rule, which seems to be part of most moral creeds. Do to others as you'd have them do to you doesn't fly in the face of God's rules; neither does it fulfill them.
On the other hand, there is sufficient mercy and grace in the blood of Jesus to cover every sin throughout history and to allow every human being entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. We can all be free from the Law that brings guilt, but we should never use that freedom as license to do as we please. That not only falls short of God's desire, but of the Golden Rule as well.
Legalistic Sundays
Growing up in a fairly legalistic tradition and also attending Christian schools during the week, it was interesting to hear how other families observed Sunday as a day of "Sabbath rest". Some kids had to take naps. Some were not allowed to play outdoors. Some could play outdoors but not ride their bikes or engage in team sports. Some were not allowed to watch TV on Sunday. Some could not go swimming. And almost none dared to buy anything - except if you were on a trip and running out of gas.Doctors, pastors, and gas station attendants were among the few jobs where it was necessary to work on Sunday. Farmers were obligated to milk their cows on Sunday, but worried that taking in crops might violate the Sabbath, as in "Obedience" (a poem by Sietze Buning, pen name of the late Stanely Wiersma):
Were my parents right or wrong
Not to mow the ripe oats that Sunday morning
with the rainstorm threatening?
Almost all businesses were closed on Sunday in those days, and my brothers and I felt very fortunate to belong to a family that would go to the lake on Sunday - and would even buy ice cream cones on the way home. While others were fighting against stores that wanted to open on Sunday, we felt superior because we could thumb our nose at those legalistic Sabbath rules. (In retrospect, that smacks of pride!)
To this day there are Christian sects that have such a high view of Law and such a low view of grace that even baptized and professing members may only feel themselves worthy to receive communion a few times in their lives. On the other side, we have those Christians who have such a high view of grace and a low view of the Law that there is no restraint on sin.
The Third Use of the Law
John Calvin said that there was a third use of the Law. It doesn't exist just to restrain sin and let us know our guilt; it also exists as a guide for righteous living.The Jews were already free from bondage in Egypt when they received the Law. Obeying the law was never meant to be a way to earn freedom; it was a set of rules that would allow those God had already set free to live together in peace.
The same thing applies today. Jesus Christ frees his followers from bondage to sin and boils the Law down to two statements: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. And love your neighbor as you love yourself."
This summary of the Law is not binding on those living apart from God. You cannot love God if you don't believe that he exists. You cannot love God if you are deathly afraid of him. You cannot love your neighbor if everything you do is rooted in self-interest. You cannot live the law of love until you comprehend that you are known and accepted and forgiven and loved by God - and you don't have the power to do that without the Holy Spirit living inside you.
Until we are in this kind of relationship with God, we are susceptible to spiritual abuse - the same kinds of legalism and license that humans always fall back on in order to get what we want. We're told that we have to observe the Sabbath, have to tithe precisely ten percent to our local congregation, have to obey our parents without hesitation, must never lie, and must never long for anything we do not have. We are told to fear God, not to embrace him and be embraced by him.
The flip side is the libertine standpoint (a word coined by John Calvin). Free from the Law, I can do whatever I want to do on Sunday, tithe if I feel like it, disrespect my parents, twist and stretch the truth, and lust after anything and everything. We are told that we are absolutely and completely forgiven by God - and he has no expectactions of us.
Living in Love
Both are equally wrong. Free from the Law, we're given new life by the Holy Spirit. Knowing that we are loved by God, we want to see his smile instead of his frown. The natural response of love is to put the other first - to make God #1 in our lives.If you've been in Christian circles for any amount of time, you've probably seen a picture of a chair or throne with the word SELF in the seat - and the statement that God wants that place in the center of your life. As simple as that sounds, it's true. It may not be easy to do, but it is true. God wants to be in the center of your life, flooding you with his love, and this can only happen when you make God #1 in your life.
Only from that point - only with God's love pouring into you - do you have the ability to love others as you love yourself. Try to love others under your own power, and you will run out of steam. You will get frustrated and ornery and depressed and angry. You don't have enough love inside you to love even one person the way you love yourself, not unless God unleashes his love through you.
That's when the third use of the Law manifests itself in your daily living. Knowing God's love and allowing it to work in and through your life, your new nature wants nothing more than God's smile. You don't stress over sin and guilt and breaking rules; walking in righteousness becomes like breathing as long as you continue to walk in grace and let God have first place in your life.
There is a balance of law and grace, but we can't find it on our own. Only when we surrender our pride, step out of the spotlight, and allow God to become preeminent in our lives will we find that balance - and by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, that becomes our new nature.
Others will not understand. Legalists will try to judge and bind you with the Law. Libertines will tempt you to do anything that may make you happy. But you will have the peace to live in love and the knowledge that what makes you happiest is making God happy. Perfect love really does drive out fear (1 John 4:18).
As St. Augustine said, "Love God and do as you please." As long as it's done in that order, it's a way to walk in grace instead of license.
Broken and Remade
Honestly, it's not an easy thing to reach that point. Most of us cannot divest our egos unless and until we are broken and without hope, handing over the pitiful remnants of our broken lives to God in desperation. We have come to the end of ourselves, and in our despair we hope that God will come through for us.The good news is that God is love, loves us, knows our every failing, and longs to take us in his arms and heal our brokenness. When we come to him in weakness, he binds up our wounds and heals us. When we despair of control, the Holy Spirit is ready to live within us and give us direction. Our old, broken, sinful nature gives way to a new, healed, spiritual nature that draws us into God's will - although the old nature will still tug at us.
This is where we find victory over the world and peace with ourselves. This is the time when we can put down our striving and find rest. This is the place of Sabbath rest and shalom that enables us to walk in true righteousness instead of slavish obedience to the Law.
God offers new life to all who are willing to give up their old ones. The Lord Jesus has paid the price to wash away your sin, and the Spirit is ready to live within you and make you holy. Only then will you be free from the treadmill of legalism or the emptiness of living to feed your own desires.
When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!
