|
DATE |
CHURCH |
SUBJECT |
PREACHER |
BIBLE
REF. |
|
17.08.08 |
All Saints Church |
What is the
Purpose of the Law? |
Tony Higton |
Luke 10:23-41
Galatians 3:16-29 |
|
Paul asks: What is the purpose of the law?
When we lived in Jerusalem it was clear that Jewish people
thought that we Christians didn’t think the Torah (the Law) was
important. They thought we simply thought it was important to
believe, but keeping the Law of the Hebrew Scriptures was
unimportant.
Paul considers this issue in the Galatians passage.
Gal 3:21: “If a law had been given that could impart life, then
righteousness would certainly have come by the law ... Before
... faith [in Jesus] came, we were held prisoners by the law,
locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in
charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision
of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus.” (Galatians 3:21, 23-26).
Paul made a very dangerous statement (verse 25): “We are no
longer under the supervision of the law”!!
Does that mean we can be lawless? It sounds like a rebel’s
charter! What did he mean? Was he saying “Just believe in
Jesus and do what you like”?
The words of Jesus in the reading from Luke help us:
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’
He answered: ‘'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your
mind'’; and, ‘'Love your neighbour as yourself.'’ ‘You have
answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’
(Luke 10:25-28)
The heart of the law is not legalism, rigid obedience to a code
of law. The heart of the Law is love. Firstly, it commands us
to:
Love God
This is a most neglected duty amongst human beings. Sometimes
people say: “My neighbours don’t go to church but they behave in
a very Christian way. They love their neighbour more than some
Christians.” I know what they mean. Some unbelievers are very
kind, generous and hospitable. But I want to ask them: “Do you
fulfil the first and greatest commandment? That is, do you love
God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?” The answer
has to be “No.” So they aren’t behaving in a very Christian
way. They are failing to fulfil the most important Christian
duty of all.
God doesn’t need my love. But he is love and love calls for a
loving response. Have you ever experienced unrequited love? If
so, you were pre-occupied, off your food, dreaming of your
beloved, looking out for your beloved and trying to communicate
with your beloved!
God is the greatest sufferer from unrequited love. Millions whom
he dearly loves, don’t love him. Some of those who profess to
love him are selfish and unfaithful.
We are called to love him with all our heart (emotions), soul
(the centre of our being), strength (making an effort to please
him and mind (trusting him, meditating on his Word and
discerning his will).
So Christianity isn’t about rigid obedience to a code of law.
Martin Luther said, “Love God and do as you please!” His point
was this: “If you truly love God, you will do what pleases Him.”
Secondly, the law of love commands us to:
Love our neighbour
This is a real challenge – to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Christopher Hitchens, one of the “new atheists” in his very
anti-religious book “God is not great” criticises Jesus. He
writes: “The order to ‘love
thy neighbour as
thyself’
is too extreme and too
strenuous to be obeyed, as is the hard-to-interpret
instruction to love others ‘as I have loved you.’ Humans are not
so constituted as to care
for others as much as themselves: the thing simply
cannot be done (as any intelligent ‘creator’ would well
understand from studying his own design).” What a sad –
and rather ignorant – statement from a ranting author.
He is ignoring – or doesn’t know of – the grace of God,
otherwise known as the indwelling power of Jesus or being filled
with the Holy Spirit.
God doesn’t just give us rules and then leaves us to obey (or
disobey) them. He offers us supernatural power to love him and
to love our neighbours as ourselves.
It is this supernaturally-inspired love for God and neighbour
which spurs and enables us to want to please God and our
neighbour. It is our relationship of love and trust with God
that is the foundation of our eternal salvation, not rigid
obedience to a code of law. Another problem with the legalistic
approach is that we shall never keep God’s law perfectly, which
would be the only way we could deserve salvation in this
life and eternity in heaven. We don’t and we won’t deserve these
blessings. But because we love and trust God, because we love
and trust Jesus, God accepts us as if we did deserve salvation
in this life and eternity in heaven. That is the good news, the
godspel, the gospel.
We are no longer under the supervision of the law, i.e. bound to
think rigid obedience to a code of law is the way to
salvation in this life and eternity in heaven. Instead we go
the way of love and trust in God, in Jesus, which is the basis
of our acceptance by God and which supernaturally spurs and
enables us to want to please God and our neighbour.
How much do you love God? Do you love God with all your heart,
soul, mind and strength?
How much do you love your neighbour – as much as you love
yourself?
Ask God for the filling of the Holy Spirit which will enable you
to do all this and then , by faith “go on being filled with the
Holy Spirit.” |
