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.

Homosexuals and Christianity

For a long time I have had it in my mind to write down my thoughts about a very touchy subject – homosexuals. Not specifically about those who claim to be homosexual, but for those who claim Christ as our Saviour & Lord.

Can homosexual men and women be a Believer in Christ? Can they enter in to Heaven? Can they be saved? How do we approach them when talking about Christ? How do we approach them when it comes to our Churches?

These are questions that come up in conversations every time this subject is brought up. Here is typically how a conversation goes when an ‘average Christian’ decides that they are going to ‘confront’ someone who they think is a homosexual person:

C – “Are you gay?”
H – “Yes I am. Why?”
C – “God tells us that being gay is a sin and unless you repent from your sin, you cannot enter into Heaven and you will spend forever in hell”
H – “I think you are a homophobe and a bigot”
C – “You need to give up your sick lifestyle and turn to Christ or you will burn in hell”
H – “Well, you can go to …. “

And the conversation continues to escalate from there … if it continues at all.

Where does this anger come from? Where does this disgust come from? Because it cannot come from God. Someone might say to this question, “Love the sinner, but hate the sin”, but somehow the ‘hate the sin’ turned into ‘hating the sinner as long as he is still sinning’. It is as if we think that somehow anyone can give up ANY sin just by will power, and unless they do, they will not and cannot enter into Heaven. This is NOT a biblical approach at all.

Here is some Biblical truth. Christ came to redeem the World! Christ came to take away the sins of the world. Christ came to give life to the dead and give life to them more abundant!

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

The only way anyone can have Life – eternal life and Life Himself (Christ) is by believing and trusting in His finished work on the Cross and in His resurrection.

Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation … 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There are places that talk about ‘repentance’ in the New Testament. So it is a real word and it is something we must do. But what is repentance? Repentance is a change (turning) of mind – a believing and a trusting in something that you did not believe in or trust in before. Before becoming a Believer (A Christian) we believed and trusted in ourselves, in religion or in nothing. We must repent of that thought and understand that Christ died for us to redeem the world and came back to life (was resurrected) to give us Life and salvation!

So the truth is this – if you are heterosexual, homosexual or something in between … and you have not believed and trusted in Christ for eternal life – you will spend eternity separated from God (hell). Your sexual preference is not really the issue, everyone is a sinner … everyone is born dead in our sins … we do not need to change our actions, change our sexual orientation, or our religion – we need Life! We need Christ.

So, can homosexual men and women be a Believer in Christ? Can they enter in to Heaven? Can they be saved? YES! If they truly believe and trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection for their salvation!

And how do we approach them when talking about Christ? Like anyone else. If they are dead – they need Life – They need Christ like ANYONE who is lost. Focus on Christ and His redemption and grace for all who do not believe. If needed, I sometimes use the law to show a need for anyone to know Christ for salvation. But since the issue isn’t what sin – the issue is they are dead in ANY sin – use one that doesn’t put the ‘gospel wall’ up. Start with lying, stealing or even pride. Lead them to a place where they see a need for Christ and what He has already done with EVERY sin and what He will do for them – give them Life and life more abundant.

How do we approach them when it comes to our Churches? INVITE them! Why wouldn’t we want them to enter into our buildings and worship our creator God with us? Why wouldn’t we want them to see the wonderful community that Christ has built and brought together on Sunday to worship and celebrate Life!

This should be our heart and attitude for every person who does not know Christ – let them see HIM in you … not you!

I will end with one last thought on same-sex marriage. For 100’s of years the ‘Christian World’ has tried to legislate morality and have tried to keep those who do not know Christ as their Saviour to follow any rule they deem necessary. For example: no purchases on Sunday, no drinking alcohol, and ‘sodomy’ laws (including same sex marriages). I think it had been wrong and is still wrong for us to legislate anyone else’s morality. If anyone desires to live any different lifestyle than me – they should be able to do it … with ONE exception – it does not interfere with my lifestyle (beliefs) or anyone else who cannot defend themselves. If everyone in our country could allow others to say what they want, think what they want and act like they want (as long it does not interfere with other’s life) then we would have a different world! Obviously not every scenario can be discussed in this article, but I will address same-sex marriage. If two people of the same sex want to marry each other – go ahead; however, I have the right to say I do not like it, I have the right, as a pastor, to not perform the marriage, and I have the right not to participate in that wedding if I do not want to. And that should be okay and not be offensive to anyone. If anyone claims to be offended by that (or anything else in this article), then they are not giving me the same right I am giving others. This has nothing to do with salvation, Christ, heaven, redemption or grace – this is just common courtesy among fellow humans.

Let others see Christ in your life – let them see Christ’s Life!

Separation in the Bible

The other day, a friend of mine asked three interesting questions and another friend answered each of those questions. I began to do some research and thinking and decided to use these questions and answers to form the basis of an answer of my own concerning an issue that is set before us in scripture and in churches all over the world.

The Bible tells us to be separate. But what does that mean?

1. What is the “world” we are not to conform to?

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The world here is an idolatrous worldview. The ‘therefore’ in Romans 12:1 refers to everything in the previous chapters 1-11. In chapters 1-11 Paul takes us through the past history of the Jewish faith, then presents the current view at his time of the Jews and then presents the New Covenant for the Jews and the Gentiles. The world had been led astray by satan and religion. The people of the ‘world’ all worship something other than the creator God – which is the definition of idolatry. The ‘world’ continues to focus on itself and has become its own idol. Instead of focusing on God and His desires.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

So the direction of God through Paul to not be conformed to the world in Romans 12:2 is teaching us to not think in an idolatrous manner or to be self-focused. The clue is “mind and think” – all dealing with the mind. Our focus on worldly ideas of success, self-worth, power, and control is the idea here. Pride of Life

2. What is the “world” we are not to love?

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him

This is talking about loving the things of this world more than God – idolatry. Idolatry produces a value system which is emotions (living based off of our senses rather than on truth). This value system is contrary to the one that God has given to those that are in Christ – His redeemed. Because the truth is found in His Word and He says our identity is not in those things – it is in Him. This cannot be talking about the people of the world because God loves the World (people) enough to send Christ to die for the World. Again this world is the world system of emotions based on the ideas of success, self-worth, power, and control. The clue word here is ‘love’ – idolatry in the form of an emotion – love. Lust of the Flesh

3. Who is the “them” we are told to come out from and be separate?

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive

This is dealing with idolaters or those who worship other gods/idols.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

They have bound themselves with a mixture of Jews of the circumcision, heathen idol worshipers, and true believers. The Corinthian church struggled with placing their affections on the wrong things. They wanted the ‘best’ of all three ‘religions’ that brought something for themselves to make their life better. They needed to have their ‘world’ views changed by the Gospel. Lust of the Eyes

All three of these can be summed up in one verse:

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Other verses that have been used in the discussion of separation are:

Leviticus 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1 Peter 1:15-23 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy

There is no doubt that we are to be separate. But from what and by what power I think is the real issue of the conversation. I have seen godly men debate this issue, but many times our focus is on what things we are to do or not do, wear or not wear, eat or not eat, or listen to or not listen to. I think God has clearly shown to us that actions of our flesh (do, wear, eat, listen) are not His focus. His focus primarily is on our spirit and then secondarily on our mind (soul, thoughts, heart). He desires salvation (spiritual separation) for all of His created humans. And then His focus shifts to our mind. Knowing that through our own efforts – trying harder, thinking better, trying to mentally focus on things different – we will not be able to ‘separate’, He gave us a New Nature. Our minds want to focus on God now. That is our new nature. It is unnatural for us to focus on the world just as before salvation it was unnatural to focus on Christ. But we still have the flesh – flesh patterns or habits that are already set in our flesh mind (brain, emotions, habits) and flesh body (muscles, chemicals, toxins).

Romans 7:5-6 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:14-19 For we know that the law is spiritual {some call this spiritual law, others call it moral law – no matter what you want to call it, we could agree that this is what the Spirit is leading us to do to align with the Character of God – NOT the Law of Moses}: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law {same law as in vs. 14} that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

The Spirit will lead us in our spirit, and the soul (New Man) wants to follow what is natural – but the flesh is still programmed with errors and needs to be rebooted or scrubbed free of incorrect flesh patterns.

Interesting all of these ‘worldly’ areas are found in Churches today. They have focused on the “do, wear, eat, listen” to the point that the real ‘worldly’ issues inside the Church have been covered up by ‘separation’ issues. This error of ‘flesh separation’ is found in prominent world religions – LDS, Catholic, Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism, JW’s, etc. Sadly we can even find these things in our own fundamental evangelical churches. After all, these churches are made up of men and women who are in the world. But the problem comes when godly men (pastors) also incorporate this ‘worldly’ view in their churches. The issue is not – and has never been – about what we “do, wear, eat, listen”. The issue is: “who do we belong to?” The Old Covenant said that the Jews had to have faith in the coming Messiah and continually do (daily and annually) things to show that they want to continually belong and identify with the coming Messiah. The New Covenant says that He did the ‘things’ for us and we need to have faith in what He did – and then He makes us His – our identity is in Him. It is because of Him we are now already clean (righteous), sanctified (separate / holy), and justified (redeemed)(1 Corinthians 6:11)! It is in believing this truth, putting our faith in this truth, and allowing this truth to transform our flesh life that our works will show out God and His Characteristics! It cannot be “do, wear, eat, listen” in the flesh – it has to be renewing our flesh mind to His truth through the Holy Spirit and our Natural New Man that will transform the flesh actions. And this is exactly what God tells us in 1 Peter 1. Verse 15-16 are verses used for separation debates – but read through to verse 23! In context, our separation (sanctification and justification) is in Christ:

1 Peter 1:15-23 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy 17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

One word that seems to come up during talks about separation is ‘standards’. You might hear phrases like this: “My standards are higher” or “after you are saved your standards become higher”. In a sense, those are correct statements. But many times when you hear these statements or the word ‘standards’ they are referring back to what you do, wear, eat or listen to. This is where it can become a little ‘pharisaical’ because many times we tend to begin listing off things we like or don’t like – irregardless of what God’s Word says or what is taught under His New Covenant. This is usually where discussions begin to break down. A focus on ‘do, wear, eat, and listen’ takes over instead of a discussion about Christ and His death, burial and resurrection – which is the Gospel! Every discussion about God, the Holy Spirit, the Bible – including separation – should be Christ focused and Christ centric. If it fades from that focus in any direction – it becomes ‘wordly’.