Thought for Today
Exodus 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction."
Jeremiah 7:23 But this command I gave them, "Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you."
Matthew 22:37 He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
“Social science . . . is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology . . . It now encompasses a wide array of additional academic discipline, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, linguistics . . . “ (en.wikipedia.org)
All of those scientific disciplines suggest to me that one of the requisite elements of any functioning society is the existence of a group of agreed upon laws, rules and regulations. Early examples of such would include the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon and, of course, the 10 Commandments. Most of those ancient laws, rules and regulations share common elements, e.g., some prohibition against the taking of life and/or the required elements of restitution to avoid the society’s descending into an endless cycle of feuds and anarchy.
Our early ancestors-in-the-faith understood their own legal corpus as God-given and as defining their relationship with their Creator God. Obedience to and observance of those laws, rules and regulations became synonymous with being in a right relationship with God. I am not a student of ancient societies and cannot say whether that linking of societal laws with religious practices is common to all those ancient codes. I do know that Jesus was almost continuously in conflict with the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, primarily in terms of Jesus’ own understanding of the Mosaic Law.
Our own society is in step with all other societies in terms of having a vast, wide array of laws, rules and regulations enacted. We do not have that link connecting our civil laws with our religious faith(s). In fact, our Founding Fathers deliberately created a system of government designed to isolate those 2 spheres of our society.
As Christians, as people of faith, how are we to understand our responsibilities in those 2 spheres? Can we even separate our responsibilities? The words of James offer me a clue, “2:18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” I am confident that if I live my life as a Christian I will not come into conflict with the laws of our society.
I also know that as a Christian, I am not bound by strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Some of those laws seem not applicable to modern life, e.g., “Leviticus 19:19 You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a garment made of two different materials.” I don’t believe God is offended if some of my clothing is made of a cotton polyester blend. I don’t believe my place in eternity is jeopardized if I plant tomatoes and peppers in the same garden.
I know the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” And, I know Jesus’ words, “Matthew 15:11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." I believe Jesus was telling us that our relationship with God is not damaged by our obedience to any dietary laws or any details about clothing, etc. What causes us problems are the words we speak and the actions we take or do not take.
How far are we to take this as faithful Christians? Does this mean I should not roll a stop sign? Can I not drive above the speed limit? If I do either, I am justly subject to a traffic ticket. If I “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with my God,” (Micah 3:8) my place in eternity is secure.
Stay safe, walk with God, trust God,
Pastor Ray