The Law of Christ

     In Galatians we see a phrase that continues to stump many believers.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

     The phrase “The law of Christ” is said to have an uncertain meaning and is found only in this verse. Some have stated that it is related to –

1 Corinthians 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

     But under further examination we see that this verse is not connected to “The Law Of Christ” at all. It is dealing with a completely different aspect of our freedom in Christ – it states “the law to Christ” not “the law of Christ’.

     Here is how the discussion of Galatians 6:2 breaks down. Since God has created natural laws to govern His universe, then there must be a standard of conduct for His children to follow. If not, chaos and anarchy would follow. God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). In the Old Testament God gave Moses laws for the Nation of Israel to follow. Following these laws did not grant them citizenship – that was not the purpose of law. The Law of Moses was simply a guide for people to follow to ensure unity, agreement, and peace in civil and personal relationships. And if they could follow the Law of Moses perfectly, then they would also have a right relationship with God. Without a standard, enforced by God and His called men, everyone would act according to his own desire, and nothing good would be found. God’s Kingdom will be peaceful and orderly because everyone will voluntarily submit themselves to the law of God. Under the New Testament, most Christians would agree that Christ either ‘replaced’, ‘completed’ or ‘fulfilled’ the previous Law of Moses. There are many New Testament verses that state that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law, bringing it to completion and conclusion. And many believers would also say those born under the New Covenant would now have to follow “The Law of Christ”. To ensure that chaos and anarchy does not arise in our Churches or in the lives of the Believer.

     But what exactly is the “Law of Christ”, and how is it fulfilled by carrying each other’s burdens? The Bible does not specifically define what exactly is the “Law of Christ”. Most Bible teachers would say that the “Law of Christ” encompasses what Christ stated were the greatest commandments in –

Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

     And they would continue on to state that the “Law of Christ” is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In place of the Old Testament Law, Christians are to obey the “Law of Christ”. Rather than trying to remember the over 600 individual commandments in the Old Testament Law, Christians are simply to focus on loving God and loving others. If Christians would obey those two commands with their whole heart, we would be fulfilling everything that God requires of us. Many bible scholars would continue the teaching of the “Law Of Christ” by saying that

some use the fact that we are not under the Old Testament Law as an excuse to sin. The apostle Paul addresses this very issue in Romans 6:15. In the Believer’s life, the avoidance of sin will be accomplished out of love for God and love for others. When we recognize the value of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, our response is to be obedience. When we understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us and others, our response is to be to follow His example in expressing love to others. Our motivation for overcoming sin should be love, not a desire to legalistically obey a series of commandments. We are to obey the law of Christ because we love Him, not so that we can check off a list of commands that we successfully obeyed.

     Here in is the dilemma: how has that worked for us so far? How good have we been at loving others as God loved them? I do not know about you, but I can’t! I can’t love those who hurt me, hurt my family and hurt my Church family – as Christ loved them! And to add to that, if I can’t ‘obey’ the law of Moses, how can I ‘obey’ the “Law of Christ”? I can’t! In fact, I do not think God actually tells us to ‘obey’ it. He says this:

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

     When you bear one another’s burdens – you will fulfill the law of Christ! I have also realized that since Love is an action word – I cannot love and I cannot bear another’s burdens either. I am awful at that! Oh I try to be nice to people, and I try to be kind, and I try to make them feel better about their terrible situation, but I am awful at really bearing their burden! Isn’t that what James is saying in James 2?

James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

     If you can do all of the royal law (The Levitical Laws – The Laws of Moses) great! You do well! But you will not be able to, so … you are not so well I guess. Because if you break one part of the law of Moses, you are breaking the whole thing. So if you break one part of the “Law of Christ” you are breaking the whole thing. I cannot say I love God and not love others and I cannot say I love others and not love God. It is an all or nothing kind of law.

1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I have also learned that since I cannot do it – I must allow Christ to do it through me.

Galatians 2:20:21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

      So here is my conclusion, since I cannot in my own ability love others as I should and I cannot in my own ability love God as I should, then the “Law of Christ” is not a ‘command’ type law, but a natural law. Natural law, or the law of nature, is determined by nature, therefore it is universal. Some call this scientific law. In that we can observe nature through repeated experimental observations that describe some aspect of nature. A natural law or scientific law always is true under the same conditions, and implies that there is a causal relationship involving its elements (they are connected to each other through cause and effect).

     We can see examples of this in the four laws of thermodynamics. These laws define physical qualities that characterize thermodynamic systems. We can also see an example of natural law in Newton’s law of universal gravitation which states that –

any two bodies in the universe attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

     This is a law derived from experimental observations by Isaac Newton. These natural laws are a constant and cannot be changed. They were created by God to keep order in the universe. They are real, measurable and predictable. And just as gravity and thermodynamics are a natural law of the characteristics of nature. God is love … Christ is God … Christ is love. The characteristics or “law” of love is Christ. When Christ is allowed to live in you and through you – the “law of Christ” or the “Character of Christ” is shown. When we bear another’s burden then Christ is shown — His law is fulfilled just like when an apple falls from the tree it fulfills the law of gravity.

      We also see Paul saying the same thing in –

Romans 7:21-25 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

     The law of sin is the natural law that our flesh naturally desires things that feed its needs. The Law of God is the same as the “Law of Christ” – the natural law that I follow when I follow the Spirit and allow Him to live in and through me.

Galatians 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

     So go and do all you do to show people you love Christ on your own strength. But one day you will become weak and the world will think to themselves “you do not love Christ anymore” – or – allow Christ to live through you in His strength as you live everyday and the world will see Christ — so fulfill the law of Christ.