The Heart Behind the Law

.... In our previous posting we discussed how the character of God and the righteous require- ments of the law are utterly identical. Basically, in giving the law, God was telling us what He would have done in each of those situations (Examples: Leviticus 19:9-19). Therefore, as the source, God was actually above the law, and the law was the 'paperback' reflection of His character in application, rather than the other way around, though they still matched each other perfectly and naturally in the end.

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.... However, for mankind it was not the same. In many ways the law was contrary to our sinful nature, so it was a much higher standard than we could possibly attain. Unlike God Himself, we were under the law and subject to it, and as such we were under the curse it contained. As it is written:

.... "‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.' And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!'"

(Deuteronomy 27:26)

.... But when Jesus came into the world, He would "magnify the law and make it honorable" (Isaiah 42:21). This would be done by harking back to the original intention (that is, to the reflection of God's heart that could be seen through the law), connecting with the Father on that level, and fully depending on Him there – like a loving, faith relationship:

.... "I delight to do Your will, O My God, and Your law is within My heart."

(Psalm 40:8/Hebrew 10:7)

.... Therefore Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but rather, He was the living fulfillment of the precepts that were expressed at it's very heart; and for us, the fulfillment of the law comes through abiding in Christ in a loving, faith relationship of our own, as His character begins to be formed in us (Matthew 5:17; Romans 13:10; 1 John 5:4). Therefore, and in basically the same sense, the law remains our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24).

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.... In other words, through the righteous requirements of the law we may still see God's heart in various applications, which remains a vital lesson for us all (1 Timothy 1:8). For us, those expressions of His character become the basic building blocks to properly conduct ourselves in society, especially while we are still at a young, learning stage. We can trust that God's character is revealed in all of these basic instructions, even if we don't understand the particulars at the moment. We eventually will (Galatians 4:1-2). And in the meantime we can take it by faith, as we await the fuller revelation of His character. And does that sound unfamiliar to you? Is this not how we all learn character from the instruction and example of our parents? (Proverbs 6:20-23).

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.... In itself, this brings us to a special and touchy issue. Not all parts of the law are the same, nor do we relate to them in the same way. Basically, there are three categories to consider:

the sacrificial or ceremonial law (which Paul refers to as 'the law of commandments contained in ordinances' - Ephesians 2:15);

the civil law, which pertains to criminal activity (1 Timothy 1:8-11)

and the third and most important category, which is called ‘the righteous requirements of the law'.

That third area pertains to us most directly as a new creation in Christ. (Romans 8:4). We will discuss these distinctions further in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 4