The Law 101 for Christians
The Law 101 for Christians
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The Moral and Civil Law
The Moral and Civil Law
The entire point of a mitzvah, is to be given the choice to be on the same team with God.
The word mitzvah in Hebrew is translated commandment. However, its deeper root meaning is taken from the word tzavta, which means to be connected or on the same team. This is fundamental and core to understanding the Spirit of the Law vs the letter of the Law. The entire point of a mitzvah, or commandment, is to choose to be on the same team with God.
Using the metaphor of team, and admittedly not a perfect example, but say we all join a soccer team and have no understanding about soccer. For us to play, we're going to have to learn about the game, what is the goal, the rules, point system, etc. If you are to play other teams, everyone needs to both know and play by the same rules -- regardless if your a good or bad player. However, once we learn the rules, it takes practice, coordination, self-control and not to mention, having a good coach helps us learn to play well with others!
This is an example of what the Individual Moral Law and Corporate Civil Law achieves in instructing both the individual and a corporate community to be on the same page with one another and have a common goal.
Once in play, we learn the joy of the game as well as we begin to realize our inability to fulfill the rules of the games perfectly. This is not to frustrate us, but to reveal and locate our inner need -- both for God and others!
The Mosaic Law was the "letter of the law" to reveal God's heart as the "truth of law!"
He is not a list of dos and don'ts, but He is The Truth!
The two greatest commandments, to love God and your neighbor as yourself, are a summary of the Ten Commandments, and the Ten Commandments are a summary of the Corporate Civil Law of which is the foundation for righteous legal systems throughout the world today, especially in Western civilization!
The Ten Commandments are based on the Nature of God. The first four commandments (four being the number of creation) deal with our relationship to our Creator, the following six commandments (six being the number of man) deal with our relationship to mankind.
Ten Commandments also illustrate an extraordinary bridge of mutual respect between Who God Is and the creation of His own Image within Mankind. By truly honoring God, we are well suited to honor one another.
God, by His own finger, inscribed the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone, five (the number of grace) on each tablet. The fifth commandment, to honor our father and mother (which by the way was the first commandment with promise) is the bridge and balance between God and man. Parenting is about modeling and revealing just how good God really is and how wonderful it is to bloom in His love. Children interpret themselves by how they experienced their parents, or caretakers, love or lack thereof. Love is the cornerstone of all wellness!
God defines what love is and what is not love. We live in a culture that says, "Love is love," meaning if you feel loved, in whatever context you feel love, then that is love. To be clear, no, it's not! That foolishness only goes as far as the ridiculousness of validating a pedophile because they feel love while perversely abusing children. Or the young girl who has been sexually abused looking for validation in all the wrong places!
However, to hunger for love is absolutely universally common to us all! Starving people are not picky about whatever crumbs they can get, and in their desperation are willing to do anything for a morsal. We all struggle in some degree with covert or overt selfishness, narcissism, various codependency's, etc, which are all control tactics to take what we want and get love, more specifically to control others to love us -- this is not love!
The Lord's desire and design is that we would be loved by Him first and by experiencing His love, we interpret ourselves as loved individuals and learn how to love others in healthy respectful ways.
The Corporate Civil Law was based on a "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" -- which means, measure for measure. We never see Jewish people in their long history poking peoples eyes out or knocking peoples teeth out -- in spite of the extreme antisemitism they have experienced. But you do see a people who taught the world of The Lord's brilliant legal system that administers justice by the motive and characteristic of behavior and justice being served and appropriated by equal measure for whatever violation endured.
This is the very measuring system we use in our court systems, insurance company's, financial institutions, and etc. Equality and justice was first given by God to all peoples, whether citizen of Israel or stranger, whether master and slave, whether male or female. ( Click here for a quick note on "biblical slavery")
This very theme of equality in justice finds its full expression in being born again in both the Individual One New Man and the Corporate One New Man, the Body of Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you [are] Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal 3:27-29
Furthermore, if we are to understand the Law as a type and shadow, then we need to try and comprehend just what has been given, not just equality to one another, but equality with Him!
The Lord promised something extraordinary in the Old Covenant, and that being that He would give Israel a New Covenant. Rather than out with old, in with the new, it is better understood as "in with that which has been and is and will always be His eternal Word!
As Christians we often miss the enormity of what God has given in New Covenant. So often we reduce the New Covenant to only our sins being paid for on the cross, and while the thought of God Incarnate bleeding and dying for every soul is magnificent beyond our comprehension, we need to understand from His perspective it was the payment price for the prize He was after -- to redeem (pay for) and then restore His Image on the inside of each one of us -- if we so choose! Christ in us the hope of glory!"
Much like buying a ticket to go see a movie -- you don't buy a ticket just to buy a ticket. You buy it as the the purchased price for seeing the movie!
Instead of the Law being external to us, such as stones, parchments and iPads, God would miraculously write His Word within our hearts! The Lord would re-internalize His heart, mentality and holy energy within us, as we were before the fall designed to host the Infinite One!
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-3
The very heart and Spirit of the Law is to love God first and foremost and your neighbor as yourself and when we practice that we find ourselves growing in wellness in both heart and mind.
That in and of itself is impressive, but Jesus gave us a new commandment, a higher commandment than the Mosaic Law of loving our neighbor as ourselves, which is to love AS HE LOVED US! It goes without saying, obeying His one new commandment fulfills ALL the Law -- which was simply a type and shadow of being married to Messiah!
It should also go without saying, unless we are born again and God writes His Law on our hearts, we will not have the will (desire, intent and motive) nor power (to act in word and deed) to love as He loved! Jesus’ commandment to love as He loved is to be as He Is – filled with a call to love as He loved!
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34
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