Conversations about the relationship between Christians and the law have been ongoing, since the early church. Both Acts and Galatians reveal how the early church struggled with this question. Writing this, I’ve had countless conversations and debates regarding this question. How does the Old Testament law instruct the contemporary Christian life? These conversations have made me see the need to address it in writing. They were also the backdrop to my previous article, on delighting in the law.
Many Christians don’t consider God’s law a good thing.
As I’ve read about and wrestled with this question, one thing mostly stands out: many Christians don’t consider God’s law a good thing. They think it’s only use is exposing sin. In fact, this is the answer many provide to the question: what is the purpose of the law? So in this article, I will show that the purpose of the law is greater than exposing sin. Before doing that let me outline two reasons why we struggle to have a positive view of the law. These are from Kevin DeYoung’s Hole in Our Holiness and Peter T. Vogt’s Interpreting the Pentateuch: An Exegetical Handbook.
Two Challenges to Having a Positive View of God’s Law
Kevin DeYoung says part of the reason we struggle with understanding the relationship we have with the law is that, biblically, “the law” can refer to several things. These include “the Old Testament scriptures, the Torah, the Mosaic law, or simply what God requires his people to do.”
In most cases when we speak about the law we’re referring to the Mosaic covenant and its regulations.
This creates a big challenge for us. For in most cases when we speak about the law we’re referring to the Mosaic covenant and its regulations. And for Christians this is no longer binding, even though we affirm the Reformed categorisation of law as religious, civil, and moral. Most of the times when we speak about the law we aren’t referring to God’s moral instruction. Rather, we use the term ‘law’ as a term encompassing the entire law. This negatively affects our attitude towards the law as scripture. It keeps us from viewing the law as instructive for the Christian life, because it reveals what God desires us to do. Thus we must reclaim a better rounded view, not always collapsing ‘law’ into the Mosaic law.
The second challenge has to do with the English meaning of law, in relation to the biblical meaning. Vogt says “the word law is usually associated with the actions of legislatures and brings to mind ideas of crime, punishment, courtrooms, and litigation.” But the biblical word translated as law is best understood as a “theological centred instruction in the things necessary for the people of God to know in order to live a righteous life.” That is, contrary to the English connotation of the law, a biblical perception of the law is God’s instructions for holy living. When God gave Israel the law, he intended to set them aside, showing that they were his holy people in the way they lived. Thus it isn’t unrelated to the Christian life.
Towards a Balanced View of the Law
When we see the law simply as legal stipulations, we find it hard to see the intended purpose of the law. That purpose was, ultimately, to show God’s people how to live, in relationship with him. So the law surely still has much to teach us about the Christian life too.
The law was given to help Israel know how they can live in relationship with God.
As Vogt writes: “When the law was given later at Sinai, it was given not as the means of establishing a relationship with God (since the Israelites were already in relationship with Yahweh), but rather as a means of living out relationship with a holy God, who would be in the midst of his people.” In other words, the law was given to help Israel know how they can live in relationship with God. And today the law can help us know how we can live in relationship with God. But because we see the law as a list of things to do to avoid being in trouble, we lose sight of this purpose.
For the Christian, the law is more than the Mosaic covenant. It is God’s word. Thus it has a role to play in helping us live the Christian life. We would do well to take note that the Israelites didn’t only understood law as rules and regulations. It meant instruction, teaching, and direction. More than that, it involved loving God and neighbour (Matthew 22:36-40). This is why the psalmists spoke of loving the law, more than gold (Psalm 119:72); why Paul says it’s beneficial for Christians (2 Timothy 3:16).
Reap the Benefits of God’s Law
Yes, the law is beneficial for us. It reveals God’s will for how we are to live as his people. This was the case, in the very beginning. Consider Genesis 2, which frames our entire existence and all of human life. We are creatures, with limits firmly established by God. Thus we must turn to our Creator, in order to know how best to live. God as our Creator is the one we should look to to know how this gift of life should be lived. We need law, instruction, guidance, and rules.
A recurrent theme in the law is God’s holiness. Related to that, is the exhortation that his people pursue holiness (Exodus 19:6; Leviticus 19:2; Number 5:8, Deuteronomy 7:6). This intention is also emphasised in the New Testament (1 Peter 1:15; 2:15-16). In fact, God says that without holiness we cannot see him (Hebrew 12:14). The purpose of the law, therefore, is to show God’s people how to be holy, like God. Today when read in light of our covenant relationship in Christ, it can accomplish the same. The law is for the Christian life.
Our adherence to God’s law reflects our love for God.
In closing, the law is instrumental in showing us how to love God. If there is one thing Christians agree on it is this: we are in a loving relationship with a loving God. But we disagree on how to best love him, especially when we consider how morally progressive Christianity is becoming. Even though this is the case, the Bible tells us: “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3; also John 15:14). Our adherence to God’s law reflects our love for God.
