UNDER
ALL, SOME, OR NONE OF THE LAW
Discussions
of the law can be both frustrating and confusing. I was once asked a question
by an atheist that went something like this: “Why do you pick and choose which
biblical laws you obey? Why do you believe that homosexuality is a sin, but you
wear mixed fabrics[1]
and eat shrimp?”[2]
When I first began pondering questions such as this, I was dumbfounded and had
inadequate responses, which, in my mind, legitimized the questions. Attempting
to move beyond embedded theology into deliberative theology, I had to ask
myself why indeed I obey some laws but not others. I heard many explanations
from very intelligent people, but nothing was satisfactory. The ultimate
question then is, “Are we, as Christians, under some, all, or none of the law?”[3] To answer this ultimate
question, I have three thoughts to give clarity to the issue.
The Threefold Division of the Law
A
significant view held regarding the law is the threefold division of the law,
i.e. old covenant laws include the moral law, the civil law, and the ceremonial
law. Those who hold to this view will likely assert that the civil law and the
ceremonial law were only applicable to Israel; we, therefore, are no longer
bound by them. An example of such a law is Leviticus 19:28, which reads, “You
shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am
the LORD.” (ESV) This is a law that applied only to Israel before entering the
Promised Land. If it applied to us today, we should not only assume that tattoos
are sinful, but many of us are also sinning by disobeying the law just prior to
it, which commands not to trim the edges of one’s beard. The context then makes
it apparent that this is not a moral law but a civil law. Those who hold to the
threefold division of the law perspective would likely argue that moral laws
are still common in the New Testament.
I
see two primary problems with this view. First, there is no explicit biblical
foundation to support a threefold view, i.e. the threefold division of the law,
while it makes sense, is something human minds have devised. Nowhere in
Scripture is such a division presented. Secondly, even if there is a threefold
division of the law, it is often difficult to determine which laws belong to
which category. The truth is that the law is the law no matter which division
it may be in so disobedience to it is disobedience to God. We can try to
compartmentalize laws, but we still find ourselves utterly failing at keeping
them. While the threefold division of the law might make sense for a good
argument, it is explicitly unfounded.
Christ Fulfilled the Law
Christ
said that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). When
considering our obligation to the law, Jesus’ words make the most sense to me,
as they should. According to Jesus himself, he fulfilled every part of the law,
implying that we no longer must; therefore, we are no longer under the law at
all. We are not under all of it or some of it because it has been fulfilled. Even
though we are no longer under the law, however, we should not assume that it is
futile to obey God. Fulfillment of the law does not negate conformity to the
image of Christ, i.e. Christians cannot live however they want. The law has no
transforming power, but Jesus Christ does. Therefore, because of his atoning
death on the cross and because he has fulfilled the law, our lives are changed.
We Conform to God’s Transcendent Character, Not a Law
How
do we reconcile obedience with Scripture then? We conform to the image of
Christ. The reason it may seem we obey certain biblical commands is because
they are transcendent and timeless as a part of God’s character, i.e. we do not
obey laws, but we obey God. There are certainly commonalities in both the New
Testament and Old Testament; these commonalities exist, however, because they
deal with God’s character, not because the laws in and of themselves are still relevant.
We do not murder because it is in the Ten Commandments, for we are no longer
under the Ten Commandments; we do not murder because God is not a murderer.
This is why we seem to pick and choose. We pick and choose God’s character as
our point of obedience, which is often evidenced in New Testament and Old
Testament scriptures. Let me challenge all of us to live by the transforming power
of Jesus Christ rather than conformity to a powerless law. Christ has fulfilled
the law so we do not have to (because we never could anyway). Now we are changed
by Jesus Christ so our obedience is in conformity with his character. We are no
longer under the law but under the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
