The Law of Perfect Freedom
Intro
I would probably never have the guts to do it, but I love to watch skydiving – especially when they are in free fall – before they open their parachutes. It just looks so fun and so amazing – and yes, kind of terrifying – to see human beings literally flying thousands of feet above the earth with nothing holding them up but the wind. Can you imagine it? What a feeling of freedom there must be in that – seeming to defy even the Law of Gravity.
But what if some guy decides he doesn’t want to use a parachute? “I just want to fly freely!” he says. “I don’t want to be bound to something that’s just going to slow me down!”
Well, for the first 30 seconds or so, he is free. He’s free falling and seems suspended in air. But of course, he’s not perfectly suspended. He may imagine that he’s free from the parachute, but he’s still subject to gravity and it won’t be long before he crashes.
Freedom is a funny thing. People define it in all kinds of ways. Often, we claim that we’re free if we can do whatever we want to do – when there are no restrictions.
But think about the skydiver for a minute: is he freer WITH the parachute, or without it? Initially, it seems he’s freer without it, but in reality, without the parachute, he has no choice but to obey the Law of Gravity – and suffer the consequences of ignoring it.
Iraq
How about something a little closer to home – or a little closer to earth, anyway! Think about what has gone on in Iraq in the last few weeks. The Iraqi government brutally oppressed its people. But when the coalition forces marched in, suddenly there was no government! So then the people were FREE, right? Not really. They didn’t think so. Why not? Because there was so much looting and violence – there was NO order, NO police, NO rule of law. Everyone did whatever they wanted and there was no one to stop them.
But that is not freedom, and the Iraqis begged the U.S. to bring ORDER. Ironically, the people of Iraq can’t be FREE until there is LAW that is enforced.
In the passage we read this morning, James urges his readers to: "look closely into the perfect law that sets people free"
That “perfect law” is, of course, God’s Law.
During this quarter of Sunday School, our young people are being challenged to memorize the 10 Commandments.
In recent years, there have been numerous lawsuits regarding the posting of the 10 Commandments in public places.
Many Christians have spoken out strongly about the value of having the 10 Commandments posted in schools or in halls of justice. But I’ve often wondered how many of us ADULTS could name all 10 Commandments.
So, as the young people work on memorizing them, I thought it would be of benefit to all of us to get a refresher course on them. So over the next several weeks (like probably 10 weeks) I will be preaching on the 10 Commandments.
But before I actually started in on the Commandments themselves, I thought it would be valuable to take a look at why we would study this small part of the Old Testament Law. After all, we don’t obey the parts of the law that talk about sacrificing animals or all kinds of other laws. What parts of the Old Testament Laws are still applicable to us today? And why those and not others? I’d be willing to bet that none of you would be really excited about returning to that set of Laws, but it makes sense to ask, “If we really believe the Bible is the word of God, then why DON’T we follow ALL the Laws of the Old Testament?”
Here, I hope, is some kind of an answer.
There are three types of Laws contained in what we call “The Books of the Law” (first 5 books of the Bible, also called “The Books of Moses” or the Pentateuch)
There is Ceremonial law, Civil law, Moral law
They are not introduced as such when you read them in the Bible, but they can be identified as we read them.
Ceremonial Law had to do with those things which related directly to the Jewish religion, which was based on the sacrificial system.
That is, in order to atone, or pay for their sins, the people would have to sacrifice an animal.
A great deal of the worship of Israel was based on these sacrifices.
All the Laws about the Ark and later the Temple –
All the Laws about the priests –
– all were based on offering sacrifices to God.
So what happened when Christ came and died on the cross? He was the perfect sacrifice.
He paid the price not just for your sins or just for my sins he paid for the sins of ALL people of ALL nations throughout ALL ages.
So what purpose would there be for ceremonial law any more?
If we did something bad and decided we were going to sacrifice a goat so God would forgive us, what would we be saying about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
We’d be saying that Jesus’ blood on Calvary wasn’t enough to atone for my sins. "I need Jesus AND A GOAT"
Which is ridiculous. There is no sin that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross cannot cover. So what reason do we have to continue with the Ceremonial Laws? There is no reason. These laws were just a shadow, just a picture of what was to come. So that, when Jesus DID come to earth and shed His blood for sin, people would UNDERSTAND what it meant.
That’s the first kind of Law – the Ceremonial Law – and we no longer obey those Laws because Jesus fulfilled those Laws in Himself.
Another type of Law in the Old Testament is Civil Law.
Civil Laws provide for the day-to-day government of a nation. The civil laws were those that told you what to do if my cow kicks down your fence, or your goat injures my servant. They often have to do with personal injury or property damage. Often the civil laws in the OT set down a certain punishment for a civil offense.
Why shouldn’t we try to have these Laws as a part of our nation’s Laws? The reason is similar to, but more complex than the reasons for the Ceremonial Law.
In order to understand, we have to look at the unique role Israel played in history, and the unique relationship God had with the nation of Israel.
The nation of Israel was chosen by God to be set apart from all the other nations, so that God’s character would be revealed through them in several ways
The coming of Jesus was the ultimate revelation of God
And of course, being Jewish, Jesus came out of nation of Israel
But God also revealed Himself in other ways before Jesus’ birth:
through the writings of the prophets,
through the very history of Israel
especially important was when God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt
In countless ways throughout Israel’s history, even though she was often unfaithful to Him, God revealed Himself through her.
Israel was a THEOCRACY: that is they were RULED BY GOD
God Himself served as their king.
that’s why for many years God refused to allow them to appoint a king, like all the other nations around them had done.
“BUT,” you may say, “God is the King of ALL kings, right? So, God IS our king, too!” And yes, He is our King! He is the Ruler of the Universe.
But he is not our King in the same sense that he was Israel’s king.
The Jewish people often use the term, “The Chosen People” to refer to themselves – and rightly so.
Their nation was CHOSEN by God to be His own.
“You will be my people and I will be your God.”
But when Jesus came, He made it possible for Gentiles to be included as GOD’S people
How do we become “GOD’S people”?
By putting our faith in Christ.
God no longer counts as his people only those of a certain geographical area or a certain race.
Rather, God’s people are those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
God’s people are spread throughout every tribe and every tongue and every nation on earth.
So why don’t we obey the Old Testament Civil Laws anymore?
Well, we probably obey more of them than you think!
If not the actual letter of the law, then the principles behind them.
I was chatting with a friend of mine who practiced law for a number of years. She told me that a good deal of what we call “tort law” really IS based on Old Testament Law
According to my trusty World Book:
A tort is a violation of civil law, which deals with the rights and obligations people have in their relations with one another.
BUT, the unique relationship that Israel had with God during the time before Jesus’ birth was for a specific people during a specific time.
Just like the sacrificial laws were a shadow of what was to come through Christ, the Kingship of God in Israel was a shadow of what was to come through Christ as the King
But for now, as Jesus said to Pilate, His Kingdom is not of this world
That is, as Christians, we acknowledge Jesus as our King, but God no longer has that special relationship with one earthly nation where he acts as the ruler of that nation.
Some Christians have mistakenly thought that the United States is sort of a “replacement” for the nation of Israel, but that’s not the biblical teaching.
It can no longer be said that God’s people live in a certain nation or are of a certain nationality. God’s people are those who trust Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We’ve talked about the Ceremonial Law and the Civil Law
That leaves one kind of Law: the Moral Law
The Moral Law is summarized in the 10 Commandments.
Unlike the Ceremonial and Civil Laws, the Moral Law was not given to foreshadow the work of Christ as Savior or the role of Christ as King.
The moral law is intended for all people at all times.
When Christ died, he paid the price for our sin, but he didn’t say, “Well, go ahead, lie, cheat and steal! Go ahead, commit adultery! Murder! And if you’re too chicken for that, just sit home and covet!”
Obviously not! But why not?
What basis do we have for saying that Christ wanted us to maintain the moral law? His own words!
Think about the Sermon on the Mount.
Much of it was teaching on the Commandments
NIV Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
And where had they “heard it said”? In the 10 Commandments
NIV Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, ’Do not commit adultery.’ And where had they “heard it said”? In the 10 Commandments
When he talked to the rich young ruler, he affirmed the value of the 10 Commandments.
There are other places we could look at in the NT, but time constrains us to move on. So if you don’t believe me, make an appointment and we’ll talk!
So even though we are not required by God to obey the Ceremonial and the Civil Laws in the Old Testament, we ARE required to obey the Moral Law. That was a LONG way around – thanks for your patience!
The New Testament has a lot to say about “The Law”
And much of what it says is that we are FREE from the Law. So why do we have to dust off the 10 Commandments?
Why can’t we just be free to do what we want and let God forgive us later?
We ARE free from the Law in this sense: We do not have to perfectly obey God’s Law in order to be saved.
We do not have to perfectly obey God’s Law in order to receive God’s favor, His love, His grace, His mercy.
We do not have to perfectly obey God’s Law in order to be in relationship with God.
Because Jesus made it possible for sinners to be forgiven
So He made it possible for sinners, like me, to experience the love of God every day of my life.
We know that when we ask Jesus to forgive us, when we trust Him as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our heart.
And we begin to have new desires we never had before.
Suddenly we WANT to live to please God
We never wanted to do that before.
We just wanted to please ourselves.
But when the Holy Spirit gets working on us, and if we let Him, we WANT to live a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ Jesus - the call to be His son or His daughter. And THAT’s where the LAW comes in.
No longer is the Law something we have to DO in order to stay out of trouble.
The Law is a guide so we can understand God’s will for us.
Rev. Richard D. Phillips, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia said this:
The law is not over us, to condemn us, but under our feet, to be a guide for our path. In saying that, it is the moral law, as reflected in the Ten Commandments, to which I refer, which we have the pleasure of obeying to the glory of God and out of gratitude for our salvation.
Conclusion
If the Spirit of God lives in you, than you will live to please God. It will be the desire of your heart to please Him. You don’t do it out of guilt or fear, but because you know His love for you and out of gratitude and love for Him, you want to do what He wants you to do. You want to obey Him because you have learned that He is a good and loving God and that He wants the BEST for you, and so you see His laws as being like the maintenance manual for your car.
If you want the best performance from your car – and the least amount of problems, you do what the manufacturer tells you to do.
And if you obey the Law of the Owner’s Manual, you will experience the freedom of trouble free driving (hopefully!!)
The same is true of a Christian.
When we obey the Law of the One who created us, we will experience not bondage, but a more trouble-free and joy-filled life.
God’s Laws are not a burden for us to carry.
And our periodic failure to obey them is not a sure-fire route to condemnation.
We know that before we even start, because we know that Christ has already paid the price for our sins – even the ones we haven’t committed.
But in God’s Law, we find His Will for our lives.
We find out how to live according to The Law that Sets People Free.
