Hard Verses: Free from the Law?

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law." (Rom. 7:6 NIV)

Many Christians celebrate that they are "free from the law," based on Paul's teaching in Romans 7. Now, I do believe that I am free from the law, but, what does "law" refer to in this verse? If you believe it is the "Old Testament Law," or the "Law of Moses," or anything like that, I want to urge you to reconsider. I am not free from that law, and neither are you, and that's a really good thing!

Consider a few verses for context. The Bible teaches that it is the Word of God. Paul himself says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV) He is not only including, but focusing on the Old Testament in this passage because the New Testament was only beginning to be recognized as Scripture at this point.

What does the Old Testament say about the laws that are found there?:

"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Jos. 1:8 NIV)

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers. (Ps. 1:1-3 NIV)

"Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD." (Ps. 119:1 NIV)

Verses that speak highly of the law and the blessings it brings are abundant in the Old Testament. I simply chose three examples above. The same is true in the New Testament.

James wrote, "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-- not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-- they will be blessed in what they do." (Jas. 1:25 NIV)

Paul himself added, "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. (Rom. 7:12 NIV)

Now, John did say, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (Jn. 1:17 NIV) Christians often quote this verse to say, "See, we used to have to follow the law, but now we are under grace." However, look at what John said in the previous verse: "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given." (Jn. 1:17 NIV) John was saying that "grace and truth" came through Jesus Christ in addition to the "grace already given," meaning the law given through Moses.

Jesus unequivocally said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:17 NIV)

So what was Paul saying in Romans 7?

Let's trace the whole line of his argument, starting in the beginning of Romans:

1. Romans 1:18-3:20: Jews and Gentiles alike are guilty of sin and are condemned by "The Law," even if they don't know specifically about the Law of Moses:

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." (Rom. 3:19-20 NIV)

2. Romans 3:21-4:25: Both Jews and Gentiles are made righteous through faith and not by keeping all of the commandments of the law. The idea of salvation through faith was always in place, both before and after the Law of Moses was given. In fact, the Law itself teaches this:

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." (Rom. 3:21 NIV)

"For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." (Rom. 3:28 NIV)

"It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." (Rom. 4:13 NIV)

3. Then, in Romans 6 Paul teaches that we "have died to sin," (Rom. 6:2 NIV) "our old self was crucified," (Rom. 6:6 NIV) and "sin shall no longer be your master." (Rom. 6:14 NIV) He never implies that the law has died or that the law is no longer a guide for believers who want to enjoy the blessings of following the law, or that any part of the law has been replaced by a different law.

In Romans 7, Paul uses an illustration to explain more. He says that a married woman cannot marry another man while her husband is still living. If she did, she would break the law, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." But if her husband dies, she is now free to marry another man without breaking that law. Paul concludes,

"So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God." (Rom. 7:4 NIV) He goes on to say that we have been "released from the law." (Rom. 7:6 NIV)

Now, in this illustration, note that the law itself does not die, only the woman's relationship to it. It was still a sin to commit adultery both before and after her husband died. Paul is talking about being bound to the law in a way that leads us to condemnation (see Rom. 3:19-20 above). As long as we pursue righteousness through works of the law, we cannot pursue it through faith in Jesus Christ. When we die with Christ, we are released from our slavery to works-based righteousness that produced death in us, and we can now pursue it through faith in Christ, resulting in obedience to the commands under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (See Romans 8)

What "died" is not the Old Testament Law, but "another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." (Rom. 7:23) We are now set free from "the law of sin and death," (Rom. 8:2) not the "holy, righteous and good" commandments of God. 

The closest the Bible comes to saying that any commands have been done away with is in Hebrews 8:

"By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." (Heb. 8:13 NIV)

"Obsolete" should probably be translated "old" here, which is how the word is used earlier in Hebrews and the author is using it to contrast with "new" in this verse. Here, the author is specifically talking about the Old Testament sacrificial system. He identifies that the problem was not with the system, but with the people themselves. The New Covenant is a better covenant, so the Old Covenant system is no longer as important as it was before. Eventually, it will no longer serve any purpose. But note that even here the author says it will "soon disappear." He recognizes that a role (albeit a diminished one) still exists for the Old Testament sacrificial system. He is saying nothing at all about the other commands in the Old Testament.

Does this mean that all Christians need to keep all the commands in the Old Testament, including strict restrictions on Sabbath day activities and dietary laws? For more on this, see my post, "Hard Verses: Be Perfect??"

In short, because we have died to the "law of sin and death" we are now free to "delight in God's law" (meaning all the commands in the whole Bible) (Rom. 8:2, 7:22). 

Trust the Bible's purpose is to grow your confidence that the Bible is true and the ultimate resource for life." You can join the Facebook group by clicking here. Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. Listen to previous programs online: www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html

Hard Verses: Be Perfect??

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48 NIV)

The church today emphasizes that we can come to Jesus, "Just As I Am," and that the church is full of "imperfect people" who need God's grace. I believe it is right to say this, but then why does Jesus tell us to "Be perfect"? In our culture, we look down on being a perfectionist because it indicates an unhealthy obsession with achievement or conformity. What did Jesus mean?

Let's examine the context of the passage. It comes in the middle of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount." Earlier in the sermon, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matt. 5:17 NIV) He even adds, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:20 NIV) The disciples would have been overwhelmed. They probably asked themselves, "How can we possibly compete with the righteousness of the Pharisees, who are more faithful in following the commandments then anyone else?" As Christians, we may wonder the same things. In addition, we wonder why Jesus would say he didn't come to abolish the Law. Aren't many of the commands in the Law and the Prophets like restrictions on eating pork and shrimp done away with? 

Many Christians are troubled by these statements, especially when joined with "Be perfect." As a result, many interpret these three verses to mean that Jesus is saying something like this: Let me teach you how hard it is to follow the law. When interpreted correctly, no one can do it. No one can be perfect, no one can have the level of righteousness necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, I will do it for you. I will keep all the law, including the Old Testament laws for you (thus "fulfilling it"). That way, you don't have to keep the law. You will be righteous without worrying yourself about following all the commandments. You can be perfect only by trusting in me and letting me give you your perfect righteousness."

Now, it is true that Jesus offers to be our righteousness. The trouble is that that is not what Jesus is talking about in this sermon. According to Matthew, this sermon is an example of Jesus' regular call for repentance (Matt. 4:17). 

Jesus adds, "Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:19 NIV) Here, "these commands," refers to all the commands in the Old Testament. 

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount by saying, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matt. 7:24 NIV) "These words of mine" are his authoritative interpretation of how to follow the Old Testament commands, which he quotes from extensively in his sermon.

Jesus ends his earthly ministry by calling on his disciples to "Make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:19 NIV)

When read in context, there can be no doubt that Jesus calls on all his disciples to carefully obey everything they are commanded to do in the entire Bible. There is no hint that laws are done away with or that Jesus wants us to relax in our striving to follow the laws because he has done it for us.

So, do we have to be perfect in following every command in the Bible, having our own righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, if we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven? Not at all! We have to understand Jesus' words in the context of all Scripture.

First, Jesus was not saying we must have a certain amount of righteousness in order to be saved. He is saying that those who are saved will have this kind of righteousness. Paul explains in great detail in Romans 6-8 (I will post on this soon) that we must be saved in order to have this kind of righteousness. Jesus calls on us to follow the commands not as a means to becoming righteous, but in order to experience the joy and peace that come with following the commands.

Second, Jesus is not saying that Gentiles must follow all the commands God gave the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The Old Testament gives many commands to Jews and Gentiles, but some commands are only given to the Israelites. Even among the commands given to the Israelites, some are just for the Levites, and some are just for men, while others are just for women. No one who has ever lived was ever addressed by all 613 commandments in the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament, Paul gives some commands to men and some to women, some to parents and some to children, and so forth. God calls on us to learn from all commandments, but to live by only those commands addressed to us. While I believe Jewish followers of Jesus are still called to follow all the commands that address the Israelites, Gentile Christians are not required, and never have been required, to follow all the specific laws about dietary restriction and Sabbath day prohibitions found in the Old Testament. Context is key in determining which commands we must follow. However, none of the laws have been done away with.

Third, Jesus is not saying that we must (or even that we can) follow the laws perfectly. Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus makes the following points related to the verse about being "perfect" and having a righteousness surpassing the Pharisees:

1. The Pharisees weren't very righteous. Yes, they had an outward form of righteousness. They knew how to impress people with their prayers, Sabbath observance, and meticulous following of religious customs like washing hands. However, he proclaims that on the "inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." (Matt. 23:25) That is why he said "The tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." (Matt. 21:31) Disciples of Christ need to have more righteousness than the Pharisees in order to enter heaven, but not more than the tax collectors and prostitutes who were responding to Jesus message with repentance and faith. (I say "need" meaning that those who are saved will have the fruit of repentance in their life, not that it is necessary to be saved.)

2. Jesus was emphasizing an inner righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount. The word translated "perfect" in Matthew 5:48 can also mean "complete." Jesus had just given many examples of having hearts that follow the law completely, not just a form of external compliance. So we are not truly following the command "You shall not murder," simply by refraining from literally killing someone. We must also avoid being "angry with a brother," in our heart. (Matt. 5:22) Jesus says that it is not enough to "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." Rather, you must "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:44-45) Jesus is not changing or adding to the Law here, but telling us what the Law always taught. (The Law says to love your neighbor but does not say to hate your enemy.) 

Then Jesus adds, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This means we are to love others inwardly and outwardly, whether they are nice to us or are our enemies. We need to have complete righteousness, not merely practice what we think is the minimum outward compliance (which is what the Pharisees were doing). 

Jesus does not say that we have to do this to be saved or that those who are saved will be perfect in doing this. But he does make this the model of what all disciples of Jesus will strive for in their life because they love Jesus and trust that his commands are given in love. The commands guide us to live the kind of lives we really want to live. 

Trust the Bible's purpose is to grow your confidence that the Bible is true and the ultimate resource for life." You can join the Facebook group by clicking here. Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. Listen to previous programs online: www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html