Law Abiding Citizen

Living as a law abiding citizen is looked upon favorably by the culture we live in. As you pass through a green traffic light we expect that others who are stopped on the intersecting road will choose to obey the laws and stop at the red light. If the oncoming driver chooses to disobey the law and runs the light, the result could be devastating for everyone involved. By obeying the laws, customs and ordinances that are prescribed by the cultural or governmental authorities we show respect to the community as a whole and we agree to do our part to make life in a community as agreeable as possible. Most people would say that they obey the law because that is what we are “supposed” to do. An argument could be made that most people do not obey for the sake of obedience, but out of the fear of being caught and punished. Speed and get a ticket, steal and go to jail, murder and be put to death. Our lives are governed by the action and reaction reasoning that laws bring to a society. We obey so that we will be accepted.

We cannot apply our human reasoning to God. The basis of God’s law is completely different from the basis of man’s laws, because the natural character of men is completely different from that of God. The punitive act and react foundation of man’s law has no place in the law of God or in application to His Church. Christ has completely and perfectly fulfilled the law of God something that we as mere men were not able to do. From the beginning of creation man has been unable to fulfill the law of God. From Adam’s first sin in the garden to the present day we have been inept in keeping the law of God and for that we deserve death.

Truly, God’s character is love, however it is also justice. God’s love and justice are in perfect marriage. In mercy and grace the Father made a way through Christ’s death and resurrection for us to be made right in regard to the law and fulfill the justice of God. If we have trusted in Christ for salvation then our debt to the law has been paid in full. Where we once would have been found guilty in sin, we are now excused because our punishment has been suffered by another, by Jesus. As Jesus died on the cross punishment was done away with in regard to the Church. Jesus took all of our sin onto Himself and completely satisfied the wrath that justice required.

Now that punishment is done away with what is the motivation of Christ Followers to obey? If we view the Christian life from the action and reaction model of the world we have freedom to do anything we want. No matter our action God’s reaction will be the same, grace. There is nothing we can do that will separate us from His love; therefore we are free to do whatever we choose. Some may wish to use this liberty in Christ as a license to sin. If we do use our liberty in Christ as a license to sin we are not appreciating the gift of grace that Christ has provided to us. We were freely given the costly gift of grace. In His death Christ paid our sin debt that we could never hope to pay.

The heart that has accepted and understood the costly gift of grace obeys because it has experienced the undeserved, unearned, unconditional love of Christ. The heart of the redeemed person longs to be in fellowship with the Redeemer and to serve Him out of the love that has been freely given. Our obedience is the natural result of unconditional love.

When asked what was the greatest commandment was Christ said, “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) If loving God and loving others completes the law then we no longer live under the legal requirements that the Law of Moses required. The Prophet Isaiah said about our state of righteousness as humans, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (Isaiah 64:6). What do we hope to gain by holding to our works under the law? No matter how pure, righteous, or Biblically correct, or well we try to live our lives the truth is we fail.

If we try to merit our salvation through works and living rather completely relying on faith we can make our attempt at Christian living an idol of our worship. We will begin to worship the practice of Godly living rather than worshiping the God who loves us as broken and contrite people who are constantly in disparate need of a savior. The Pharisees shown in the Gospels provide an example of worshiping the act of worship. They had the law memorized and the additions to the law that had been made over time. They were perfect in practice but lost the meaning behind the action of following the law. That is why they couldn’t see Christ for who He truly is, the Messiah.

If we adopt a Pharisaical posture to the practice worship we will lose sight of who Christ really is. If we cherish our own style and manner of religion over worship of Christ our religion is dead and useful to no one. The holding to practices that serve to elevate our rituals over that of another believer and brother in Christ can in reality distract other saints and those who are unsaved from hearing the true Gospel Message.

Sharing this true Gospel Message of salvation and obedience out of a heart of gratitude is why the Church was brought into existence by Christ. We are to take what we have been given and give it out to the people God puts around us. We must use our liberty as Christians to share the unconditional love of Christ with the world dying around us. We must never forget the wretched state that we were saved from and that it was Christ alone who saved us. We must be law abiding citizens of the kingdom and do as our master commanded. Love our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and love our neighbors as ourselves. In this we truly worship Christ and truly keep His command. God did not call the saved to be “good Christians” who keep our rules, He called His people to be like Him.

Calling Time Out

As I sit down after a long but great Sunday and sip my tea I have a yearning for a time-out. That phrase can make most children stop in their tracks. The thought of getting time out is one of the worst things that can happen to a six year old, being forced to sit out while those around us are busy having fun. I have grown older and somewhat wiser over my past 28 years I have come to appreciate the discipline that time out brings. The dictionary defines time-out as a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break or a short interruption in a regular period of play during which a referee or other official stops the clock so that the players may rest, deliberate, make substitutions, etc.

Recently, my appreciation taking time outs has been abstract rather than practical. I know that I need to suspend my activity so that I may rest and deliberate, but it seems for the past several weeks I have allowed my days to rule me rather than me ruling my days. I spend my time constantly running from one thing to the next, never fully involved in what I am doing. Constant activity brings the exhaustion that comes from lack of rest, neglecting the time out.

Yesterday, I spent several hours stacking firewood. The great thing about physical labor is it gives the mind time to rest. During that time I allowed my mind to wonder at will and I was able to deliberate on the happenings of the past few weeks. It seems that these weeks have been filled with very profound events that I have not given sufficient consideration. It seems easier to go along without a time out to think than to face the notion of contemplation of difficult topics. Not only have I neglected my pondering, I have also not given into the release of putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. There are some things that are just pure relief: reading the Scripture, Prayer, reading, writing, photography, meditation and conversation. It seems that I have not allowed myself much time to invest in any of these endeavors. My creative self is like a muscle that has atrophied with lack of activity.

Through good and bad I have been able to maintain my duties, those things that must be done usually for others. I go to work, pay bills, go to church, small group, Bible study and theology studies. I do what is asked of me without argument or complaint, at least vocalized complaint.
Now my heart has had enough and is not letting me go any further. As I sip my tea and deliberate my situations I am reminded that the maintenance of my mind, heart and soul is my primary task. By running from task to task without a time out I am actually cheating myself and those around by not fully participating in life. One of my most intense fears is that I will not live my life to the fullest. The worst use of my time is letting it slip by never to get it back again. I have a keen awareness that life is short and the and its specific length is unknown to all but God.

As I sit feeling the warmth of the fire and listening to the quiet of the empty house I am taking a time out, enjoying the act of expression and resting my heart before stepping out into the week ahead.