By Augustus Henry (PhD)
The law in most regions of the United States demand that you drive above 40 miles per hour on most interstate highways. Suppose a group of my friends and I decided to parallel drive 41 MPH on an interstate during rush-hour; you can imagine what a mess that would be. However, we would not be violating any law. People do not typically engage in such reckless behavior. Therefore, the reason much of society work has little to do with law, but decency. Courtesy is necessary in order for the roads’ efficient operations and for civil society to function efficiently. But that requires a heart that is willing. Therefore, law and theological doctrine is impotent and weak when it comes to motivating good and moral human behaviour. In the first place, laws are designed to inspire good behaviour. But, without compassionate hearts, the law can only deliver the mere minimum of such ideals; so too is religious doctrine.
Lawful conduct is not always righteousness.
Jesus made that point in the following encounter:
(Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30).
“Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
It appears that Jesus’ reference to the commandments included all of Jewish Law:
Social and civil expectation
Religious or theological dogma
Legal obligation
““Which ones?” the man asked.
Jesus answered, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself.” “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.”
His heart was not willing to perform the intended purpose of the law, love. The fact that this man asks for the criteria for salvation, implies that some change was necessary to inherit salvation, to be perfect or to enter the heavenly kingdom. And Jesus is demanding that he demonstrate love as a requirement for perfection, something that goes beyond the mere rituals of the law. Jesus is now testing this young man, not in adherence to the law, but submission to the objectives of the law. Love is a demonstration of that righteousness or perfection of which Jesus is speaking.
Love is superior to law.
In order to submit to the objectives of the law, a remake of the heart is critical: remove this heart of stone and replace with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). The heart has to show love versus mere ritualistic performance for that completion or perfecting to transpire – a heart that generates love not mere obedience to an obligation:
Love is proactive not reactive.
It inspires morality and kindness, does not need a command to be human.
Love demands personal sacrifice; law is forced obedience.
Love gives, law takes.
Love is a result of conversion, law a tool of Judgement and condemnation.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit is the genesis of love.
Law is obsolete when love is in action.
Misguided transformation through law.
Human society, government and even the church engages in transformation through the law rather than love. Some believe that if the US had the Ten Commandments as binding law, this country would become moral, fair, and less promiscuous. Well, Israel had the 613 laws, including the Ten commandments for more than 2000 years, and that country was still blasphemous, idolatrous, and wicked. Their leaders slept with harlots – they even established male prostitution in the house of God.
Yet the biggest block of Christians in the USA expects that these unsanctified, apathetic, heartless politicians in Washington DC, and a country that has spilled the blood of the innocent through slavery, and stole the land and heritage of Native Americans while killing them off in the process, and justifying it all through scripture, will somehow champion the cause of God here on earth if the Commandments were ratified as law in the great United States. Keep dreaming.
Our political positions, even as Christians, are influenced by law and not love, by our political persuasion not charity or kindness. We vote for people to enact laws and social policy that force moral conduct. Since when did obligation become the way to a changed heart, or generate moral conduct, or inspire kindness or charity.
The same party that champions the Ten Commandments and installing prayer in school, is the same party that advocates for holding migrant children in cages in subhuman conditions and treating them as less than animals; the same ones that advocate for the commandments as law.
The Genesis of righteousness is not law.
We forget that the demonstration of love through the inner working of the Holy Spirit is what inspires conversion and the transformation of the human heart, and not adherence to any type of law or theological doctrines. We try to legislate morality, decency, and love, but that has never worked. We try first to change people and then bring them to Jesus. The correct process: lead people to Christ and let his spirit lead the change.
Titus 3:4-7, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, (5) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit ….
Romans 13:10: Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
We can never change a country by legalistic obligation. We can never change people into Christians by dogmatic or theological doctrines. We must lead them in love to the spirit and let him change them.