Law or Love?

I’ve heard many people say, “God does not break or go against His own law!” First, the Mosaic laws were not given to God; they were given by God for man’s well being. God is not subject to anyone or anything. Here are a few examples of God “breaking” his own laws or approving when they were broken:

God made the Sabbath for man, so he would rest and cease from his labor, and be restored for the days ahead, and enjoy what his labor had brought him. Men turned it into a burden by making the keeping of it more important than the man it was made for. Jesus said about the Sabbath:

Mt. 12:10 – 12 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift [it] out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Jesus was very clear about the Sabbath being made for man. As soon as the reason for keeping the Sabbath started destroying the person it was meant to help, the person became more important than the law (keeping the “rules”). This is always true. Any law that God made, was made with us in mind, for our protection and well being, but many have turned the keeping of the law into the proof of our righteousness, instead of the lawgiver being our righteousness.

Do we really think that we earn the position of standing before the Lord God Almighty in holiness by keeping the rules? By our own “righteousness or right-ness”? Doesn’t Scripture in Isaiah call our righteousness “filthy rags” and abominable to God?

In Matthew Jesus gave a personal example of man’s need being more important than the keeping of law:

Mt. 12:1 – 5 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

People and their well being always come before the law. This follows through to every part of our lives, including marriage. God made marriage as protection (especially for the children), enhancement and enjoyment for people. This relationship that was made by God as an enhancement for each of the partner’s wellbeing has become a prison for some, which it was never meant to be. What happens when the relationship is only a shell? What about when there is no love and the “cleaving” in Gen. 2:24 (Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.) never took place? It is neither fulfilling for us or what God meant it to be. Just as when the keeping of the Sabbath became destructive to man, man’s (or even an animal’s, as seen in Mt. 12:10-12) wellbeing superseded the keeping of the Sabbath. When a marriage becomes destructive instead of succoring or nourishing, than the person or persons become more important than the covenant of marriage. Because, in the first place, the tenets of the commitment or covenant were never fulfilled, which makes (if we are talking law) the commitment or covenant void.

When a law or covenant has become destructive to the person it was sent to uphold, things will change. Another example of this kind of change is in Acts when Peter was given a vision,

Acts 10:10-15 - Then he (Peter) became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." And a voice [spoke] to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."

Here God made the salvation (which means to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction) of people (Cornelius’ household specifically and Gentiles in general) more important the continuance of the law given in the Old Testament as seen in Lev. 11:41 & 42:

'And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth [shall be] an abomination. It shall not be eaten. Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on [all] fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth--these you shall not eat, for they [are] an abomination.

On top of all of that, Jesus came and fulfilled the law. Mt. 5:17 says:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill (to do what is necessary to complete or bring something to an end) them.

That is why Paul says:

1 Cor. 10:23 - All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

Jesus left us with two commandments:

1) Believe in Him

2) Love one another

John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 14:1

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

1 John 3:23
And this is his (God's) commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

These are the only things that have to be done by us, and even with these the Lord will give us help when we ask. We seem to have taken the Jewish laws and given them a Jesus sticker. Meaning, we still have to abide by them (or at least the ones that we think are good) and then ask Jesus to help us in our endeavors to keep them. Aren’t we making His death of no consequence? Didn’t Jesus say, “It is finished”? Why are we so insistent on laws and rules? Is it our own will and righteousness that is required, or His?

Rom. 8: 1-4

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh (our righteousness), but according to the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh (our righteousness), that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

God, in His mercy and grace sent us the Holy Spirit to be in us, what we are incapable of being.

John 14:26 - But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So the question is, why do we try and add our own righteousness to Christ’s? Isn’t his enough? I’ve heard all my life, “That isn’t a good witness to others!” when my or someone else’s behavior doesn’t fit within the Christian sub-culture’s definition of acceptable. I started thinking, “Witness of what?” Would it be of Christ’s mercy and love, or my own “righteousness”? The accepted behavior is only pretend, because it is not a part of who I am, so I am being false. Is pretending really what Christ wants from me? Or is it dependence on His righteousness, and not my own? I’m not saying that bad or unloving behavior is good, I’m saying that behavior, does not equal righteousness or get us in any more of a right standing with God. The question always follows “So we can do anything we want?” Well, yes, but it would be really stupid to do things that are harmful to us or to those we love. Jesus’ sacrifice has covered our sins, but sorry to say, there may still be earthly consequences to pay for the choices we make. Like Paul said in 1 Cor 6:12 -

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

And again in 1 Cor 10:23 - All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

So, using a question that Francis Schaffer asked, “How then shall we live?” By standards that were man-made, or by the law of love? The wonderful thing about Christ is that He loves us no matter what; He has an unconditional love for us that never ends. It is our choice, law or Love. I choose Love.

More? or Enough...

So many people I know have felt so dissatisfied with their walk with the Lord. Not with the Lord himself, but with how they were relating to Him (or not, as the case may be). What is the problem? Are we not doing enough or maybe doing what we shouldn't and He is keeping Himself aloof because He is not pleased with us? What is wrong?

I have a theory, not surprising to those who know me. My theory is that it is we who are keeping ourself aloof from Him. We feel that we, somehow, have to measure up by reading our Bibles more, praying more, listening to Christian radio or sermons more. More, always more. We can never seem to do enough to make us feel accepted and loved by our Father in heaven. But, what if, as He's asked us too, we don't do a thing other than accept the Father's gift of His Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for us? We come to Him with the filthy rags of our own righteousness, and He covers us with His righteousness. We say "Thank you Lord for your Grace and Mercy" and move on in the knowledge that Christ is enough. We too often think that after we accept His sacrifice for our sin, that somehow we are no longer human, no longer sinners. Suddenly we have become someone else entirely. Yes, we have become "new creations in Christ...", but notice the "IN CHRIST" part. We act as if suddenly the filthy rags of our own "right-ness" are somehow now clean and we proudly gather them up around us and try to use them to begin cleaning up our lives. It never works for long, soon we begin asking ourselves "what's wrong with me? Why can't I do what I know I should? Where is the power for my life?"

Romans 7: 15, 24 - I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. What a wretched man I am!... Who will rescue me from this body of death

You can see from these verses, nothing is new. Paul the Apostle dealt with this himself and in others. What do we do than?

Galatians 3: 1-3 -Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you? For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

I think this is where the "Peace that passes understanding" passage comes in. We say "Thanks. I know I am not worthy in and of myself, but through your precious blood, you've made me accepted. I don't understand how this works, but I thank you for you grace and mercy to me." As Paul said in the 25th verse of Romans 7

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Father in heaven loves you and me. We have been redeemed. There is no more price to pay or works to do to earn this gift. It was and is free to us, it cost Christ a great price, but He gave it to us free. Thank you Father! Thank you Jesus!

Simplicity of Love

Waking up this morning, I found that I had realized the simplicity that is called Love. Not that Love is easy, actually it has cost me almost everything, but it should be simple. When you come from a foundation of Love, your decisions are already made, you don't have to grapple or wrestle over them. You do because you Love. Simple.

The kind of Love that I am speaking of is the love that makes the two one, makes the selfish give. It is not the kind of love that you have to "choose". You know what I'm saying, not the kind when you must say "I choose to love this person" or "I choose to act in a loving manner". You just love because that is what Love does.

I no longer have to choose to act or do a certain thing because it is the "right" thing to do, I do it because, flowing from Love, I have no choice. Love is the only course, the only path set before me, it just flows.

In my previous life, there was not that kind of love. I had to choose daily to act in love, or respectful, or kind, or giving, etc. It was because there was never the "oneness", the foundation of Love. The heart that overflows with Love and flows to the other was not there. It was complicated, exhausting. I told myself regularly, "don't say that, it wouldn't be nice" or "don't do that, it wouldn't be kind". Now if I ever choose to act unkindly or dishonoring, it's the same as being unkind or dishonoring myself. It isn't natural.

I now understand my relationship with my Savior, Jesus, better than I ever could before. I love Him because He first loved me. My love for Jesus flows from the foundation of His love for me. I understand now that I no longer need to perform to make Him happy, I now act from my heart of Love and He is pleased. It is not my right-ness, (righteousness), it is His. God sent His Son; Jesus gave His life for my sin. Now I walk with Him on the foundation of His right-ness. Simple, and wonderful!

Love to me is no longer a verb, something you do, it is now a person. I don't know how this kind of Love happened, it just did, it just was. I feel like I have found my home, whose foundation is Love. Simple. Blessed.