Do We Need The Law?

Most believers know they are not under the law, but under grace (cf. Rom. 6:14); however, they are not lawless and do not have contempt for the law, but know it has its place.  The law was never given to be a way of salvation, but only to show our need, to measure us.  The law was given to show us we cannot keep it!  The Hebrews vowed they would keep all the law when it was given, but they should have asked for mercy, knowing such a law was impossible to keep.  The Christian life is not hard, it's impossible too!  We must live by faith and express it through love, for love is the fulfillment of the law.

The law of love is harder to satisfy than any code though!  Thank God Jesus lived it and the law's righteousness is credited or imputed to our account in the Divine Ledger up above.  We all fall short, and perfection is only the standard, the direction is the test as we grow in expressing faith through love (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).  In essence, the law is for the lawless and the lawbreaker (cf. 1 Tim. 1:9)!  We don't only have the law to guide us in right and wrong, we also have a conscience, the Holy Spirit, and the totality of Scripture as our plumb line to convict us of wrongdoing.

There are several purposes of the law for the believer (its purpose was formulated in the first Lutheran confession of faith known as the Formula of Concord in 1577):  a mirror to show us what we are like inside with all our guilt, insecurities, sin, and uncleanness--wrinkles and all; a sword to divide soul from spirit; a whip that drives us to the cross for mercy, and a hammer to smash our self-righteousness! The moral code is a guide to enlighten us to the Way, for morality never changes. It's a perfect standard of righteousness that only Jesus fulfilled.

The law was also ordained to restrain evil in society and provide for orderliness. To the Christian, it never loses its ability to convict of sin and to be a light unto our path.  But we must realize that the whole law is summed up in loving God and our neighbor as its fulfillment. The whole idea is to make us realize we cannot save ourselves no matter how righteous we think we are and no matter how good we are to our standards--we always fall short of the divine standard in Christ.

There are four types of laws that I want to mention, and disobeying each one has its consequences,   BUT WE ARE NOT ANTINOMIANS OR AGAINST THE LAW!  NB:  Nowhere in the NT are we exhorted to obey the Law, or to become somewhat Jewish--we must use it righteously--it's only a shadow (cf. Heb. 10:1)!

The first is the law of nature (SOME FIFTY UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS), e.g., the weak and strong nuclear force, the force of gravity, the speed of light, the speed of sound, the freezing of water, the charge on the electron, and even the nuclear weight of the proton and neutron, et al., and there are some fifty of them to consider and are uniform and consistent throughout the universe.  The laws of motion also come to mind:  an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion; each force exerted is met by an equal and opposite force; force equals mass times acceleration. 

The second law to consider is the moral law:  there is a moral compass in man's heart and conscience given by God, and guilt is meant to signal that we break it, there are consequences for wrongdoing to our soul's health, we don't toy with sin and get away with it! What was right in Moses' time is still right and what was wrong is still wrong--morality is absolute, universal, and also timeless.  If you ignore your conscience it may go away but this may lead to becoming perverted, degenerate, destitute, criminal, psychopathic, or worse!  It doesn't pay to ignore the signals of what God has ordained to restrain evil in man.

The third type of law is governmental (THE POWERS THAT BE), which is instituted by God and meant to keep evil at bay and provide for the public welfare--we no longer can survive with tribalism or patriarchal society.  Government, according to Augustine, is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil.  We are to fear government and submit to it unless it contradicts God and it has been given the power of the sword to enforce its laws--under God!

The last and probably most important law to bear in mind is the spiritual one (THE FIVE ONLY'S):  the way of salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ and saving faith must go hand in hand with repentance--one can imagine this as either penitent faith or believing repentance, but they must bear fruit to be genuine and not bogus.   Faith is manifest by trust in Jesus as Savior and embracing Him as Lord.

The savvy preacher knows how to discern and demonstrate law and gospel: the law is what God requires from us and God's expectations or standards; the gospel is the good news about what Christ has done for us in the cross and resurrection--solving the sin problem or the breaking of the law. NB:  Christ is the end of the Law for believers unto righteousness (cf. Rom. 10:4); Christ abolished the law (cf. Eph. 2:15).

What does this all mean in essence?  What can we take away from this going forward?  Laws couldn't exist without a lawgiver, right?  All these laws are indicators of a Supreme Lawgiver far superior to anything we can fathom!  Law implies a Lawgiver--this is reasonable to believe!  We all must beware lest we violate any of God's laws that apply to us, for God disciplines and chastens His children and they don't get away with sin or lawlessness.  Also, each law has its natural consequence which cannot be avoided any more than we can avoid gravity--we violate at our peril!     Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Welfare State

"A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge"  (Proverbs 29:7, ESV).
"The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge:"  (Proverbs 29:7, NKJV).

By definition, a welfare state (or benevolent state) is one that provides its citizens with such things as health care, retirement, and other social programs including public aid to the poor and destitute.  The Romans had a welfare state to bribe the citizenry into loyalty and contentment.  God mandated a kind of welfare to Israel (Deut. 15:4 says there should be no poor in the land, etc.) like ordering farmers to leave crops in the fields for the poor to glean (i.e., they were only allowed to harvest once and leave the corners unharvested).  Likewise, a certain percentage of the tithe went to the poor as well as alms, which were customary.  Some people say that it is not charity when it is coerced by the state; however, following the biblical pattern shows us a grave concern of God for the poor and unfortunate.

Paul says in 1 Tim. 5:8 that a person who doesn't provide for his own relatives is worse than an unbeliever, but also says that those who are unwilling to work (presumably because they are too busy getting ready for the Second Advent of Christ) should not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). Many people misquote this verse and say that if you don't work, you don't eat like Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame said.  The verse should only apply to those who truly don't want to work, period.  Caveat:  "Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land" (Amos 8:4, NASB).  God reprimands those "Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy" (Amos 4:1b, NASB).

There are people who are unable to work and should be the dependent of the state, since they have bona fide or legitimate disabilities, diseases, or handicaps--and there is nothing inherently wrong with retirement as one wanes in ability and they find they can no longer compete; however, some jobs or careers are easier to do in old age.  But it is not the government's job or responsibility to provide the people with security from cradle to grave or in retirement; however, government is a social contract and can legislate a so-called "Ponzi Scheme" if it wills to keep on supporting the retirees with the wages of the working people.  But technically, people are only getting back what they put into it and are only getting the return on their personal investment throughout their working life.

The verse in 2 Thess. 3:10 is also not referring to those who are willing to work but just can't find any--there is nothing inherently wrong with a society set up a safety net for those who are between jobs, laid off, or can't find work that fits their qualifications.  In all fairness, I also believe people should be given adequate opportunity to find work that becomes their abilities, skills, and education, etc.  This is only showing mercy and grace to those in need as if you were in need yourself.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Having No Vision

   "Without a vision, the people perish..."  (cf. Proverbs 29:18).
  "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people..." (cf. Isa. 10:1). 
  "...Men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do..." (cf. 2 Chronicles 12:32).

By vision, I mean the goal or the understanding and interpreting of reality (not political or economic), as in worldview:  the Muslims have hegemony (or domination) as their vision and will not stop until the whole world belongs to Allah--"Tomorrow  belongs to Islam."  Unless Christians have a common, worldview that encompasses believers all over the world, our faith will not stand the trials to be upon the world in the near future.  Islam is soon to replace Christianity as the world's most numerous religion.

What is it that joins us together, that unites us in Christ?  Fellowship is really two fellows in the same ship, they say.   A Christian in Sweden or Russia should have the same worldview or Christian outlook and I am not talking politics. We have no geopolitical concerns in our faith.   Christ's kingdom is not of this world and we are to build His kingdom, not ours.  How is this accomplished?  By the fulfilling of the Great Commission by the church at large.

Never forget that our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission--don't get sidetracked.  Keep the main thing the main thing and don't major in the minors.  Every other goal we have is to be subjective to this one.  The so-called "social gospel" (a misnomer) is not for the church per se individual believers may be led or inspired to do great works in Christ's name (one only looks at William Wilberforce devoting his life to freeing the slaves).  The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern (Prov. 29:7):  'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.  Is this not what it means to know Me?' declares the LORD"  (Jer. 22:16).

The government, or the powers that be, are ordained of God, and we are to be obedient unless they directly violate Scripture.   Aurelius Augustine said that "government is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil." To be anti-government is to be anti-God just as much as anti-family is. Before you shrug that comment aside and disagree, note that he is considered by many to be the greatest theological thinker of the first millennium.  Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk, by the way.

Our mission on earth is not to make people come over to our way of political interpretation, but to know the Lord.  God's pet peeve or controversy with Israel was this:  "There is no truth, or mercy, or knowledge of God in the land," (Hosea 4:1).  I am not saying it is evil to be a member of a political party, but to associate it with the church or to imply that Christ would join your party is.  This is what has happened in today's evangelical-right movement that tends to have a self-righteous attitude because they desire to judge or condemn others.  They can have their convictions or opinions, but not the right to label them as "Christian."  So many of them are merely geography-related and have prejudices inherent.   Sincere believers in other parts of the nation disagree.

We are to be the salt and light in the world and I mean the world-system or the cosmos ("Virtually every significant social movement in Western civilization--from the abolition of slavery to child labor laws--owes its origin to the influence of Jesus Christ).  We are of the light and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).  But our light and salt are the Word of God, not some attainment of education, the standard of living, economic system, or political system.  God's people can thrive anywhere and surpasses the world-system that lies in the power of the prince of the power of the air--the prince of this world or Satan.

Are we sowing seeds of truth, not are we affiliates of some party-system?  The problem with too many Christians is that in their misdirected zeal or zeal, which is not according to knowledge, they look at the cosmos and become do-gooders bent on the betterment of society, but losing sight of the Great Commission--turning stones into bread instead of offering a cup of water in the name of the Lord.  Become spiritual leaders and servants, not political activists in league with the world!  In conclusion, let me cite George Bernard Shaw:  "What the world needs is more Christian love."  Soli Deo Gloria!

Do We Need "Big Brother?"

Many people are enraptured with the TV show "Big Brother" and have a negative attitude towards what it represents. I am a big bro myself. I played a roll growing up with three younger siblings that I don't regret. Today many people see the government as a big brother, as it were, interfering in our lives and telling us what to do. When we depend on the government for everything and have forgotten personal responsibility we are using the government as a big brother. Many people today are dependent on the government for welfare, entitlements, and employment. Government is ordained of God and we are to submit unless it contradicts Scripture, and Israel had mandatory welfare set up  (see Deut. 15:4).

God wants us to ultimately trust in Him and not in government--He is our Provider. The best way to acknowledge this is to give thanks and trust him to give us our daily bread. In the Bible, a big brother is called a "kinsman-redeemer" and is an example of someone in the family buying back or redeeming a relative who is a slave or destitute. The book of Ruth shows a kinsman-redeemer marrying Ruth. In analogy, Christ is our kinsman-redeemer. He is our big brother! Everyone is dependent in some sense but don't forget God is the Provider and is only using the government or job, etc., (you don't owe your soul to the company store, as they say).   Soli Deo Gloria!