God's Law

What is God doing in the world? As we go through these days of division that have reached the point of violence or threatened violence against the foundations of our society, we may be wondering “Where is God in this?” and “What is God calling us do and be right now?”

This is a paralyzing question in the midst of the anxiety and fear and anger we may feeling. But perhaps some guidance directly from God Word (Law and Gospel) may be helpful in naming one of the most important ways God is showing up right now as you wrestle with how God is calling you to live into this time and place.

So I offer you this reminder in less than 2+  pages of what God’s Law states to us. Note that this comes from Scripture, Luther’s Small and Large Catechism, some familiar words from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and bit of my own work in Christian Ethics. It’s longer than usual so you may want to read on a computer or print it out rather than trying to read on your phone.
 
God’s Law - The Great Commandments – the two commandments upon which ALL of God’s Law is based. (Mt 22:40)

1. Love God with your whole self -- your heart, spirit, body, and mind. In your viewpoints, opinions, politics, and social actions. In everything you are and everything you do, everything you think and everything you feel, Love God.
   
2. Love your neighbor as yourself –your neighbor, ALL your neighbors including those you refuse to define as neighbor. Love: seek the well-being, the best life, the safe and secure world, the hope-filled, peace-filled, joy-filled world for your neighbor. As yourself – know yourself through God’s loving eyes and heart, as a human being created in the image of God, as a beloved child of God and sibling in the body of Christ. Then love your neighbor in and through God’s love for you.

 
God’s Law - The Golden Rule – the governing rule that can be found in every major world religion and philosophy, including that of democracy.

1. In everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else. “For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38)

 
God’s Law - The Ten Commandments – the laws that so many people want front and center in their communities yet refuse to follow as God wills. These emerge from the Great Commandments.

• The first Table of Commandments – our relationship with God.
  1. Where we are to fear, love and trust God above ALL things, including success, power, wealth, political figures, social ideologies, and addictions; including our angers, fears, memories of past hurts; including our self-righteous desire to condemn others and be like God.
  2. Where we are to never take God’s name in vain by using it disrespectfully or dishonorably in any way, especially to support and defend violence, hate, rage, malice (hate with the intent to hate and harm), wickedness, evil, covetousness, envy, murder, deceit, craftiness, slander, etc. or applaud anyone who does these things. (See Rm 1:29-32)
  3. Where we are to worship only God and do so regularly, to open our minds, hearts, and ears to the Word of Gospel that saves the world through the life, death and resurrection of the Son, Jesus Christ rather than condemning it. (John 3:16-17) God is love itself, filling us with love so that we can share God’s love with everyone.
• The second Table of Commandments – concerning our relationship with our neighbor.
  1. Where we are to respect and obey those in authority who would serve us and seek to establish justice for ALL, ensure domestic tranquility for ALL, provide for the common defense (against those who would do us violence), promote the general welfare for ALL, and secure the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ALL.
  2. Where we do not endanger or harm others’ lives but instead protect, support, and help them in all of life’s needs.
  3. Where we would seek to live in promise-centered intimate relationships and keep those promises.
  4. Where we would not take or destroy others’ property but help them keep, improve, and protect their property.
  5. Where we would use kind, loving, encouraging and empowering words to lift up others rather than condemning, hate-filled fear-filled words to tear them down or rip them apart.
  6. Where we would not covet or envy anything that others have.

 
God’s Law – “God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

1. Where God calls us to do justice to all – to share; to give each and every person their due, which is respect, dignity, worth, and the necessities and blessings of life as human beings who like you are all created in God’s image; who like you are beloved children of God with whom we are called to share the blessings we’ve received from God.
2. Where God calls us to be kind and full of love, sharing the Spirit’s fruit with our neighbors through “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” (Gal 5:22-23)
3. Where God calls us to walk humbly with God, and not with self-centered, boastful, deceit-filled arrogance and self-righteousness, remembering always, every moment of every day, that none of us are God, that only God is God, thank God!

 
God’s Law
If you’re hearing God’s Law as presented as a tool that you can use to bash other people over the head to justify yourself, then you’re doing it wrong. If God’s Law too easily becomes a weapon in your hands to shoot, maim or shatter other lives, then you’ve missed the point. For God’s Law was and still is intended as an earthly gift and blessing so as to order and guide our lives in the way of Christ as we relate to each other and God under the power of sin. If we all followed this law to the best of our ability even in the midst of our sin, the world would be a better place.
But the world would not be saved, for in the end the law, not even God’s Law can save. In the end, it accuses, convicts and kills anything that would destroy, hate, and tear down God’s creation. It is as a mirror that we first hear God’s Law. “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged…You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Mt 7:1-5)

Only when we’ve applied God’s Law to ourselves, been humbled and convicted that we can use the Law of God to direct others. Only then will we hear, receive, and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the world. For only in Christ are you forgiven, saved, healed, and made whole. That’s the Gospel message: that Christ loves you, welcomes you, accepts you, blesses you and fills your whole self with faith, hope, and joy no matter who you are, which political party you support, or in which identity group you place yourself. Through Jesus’ life, Jesus’ teachings and ministry, Jesus’ suffering and death on a cross and Jesus’ resurrection you receive new life, shalom life, blessed life, the truly great life. Never, in any political ideology will you receive these things.

So live out your salvation in Christ, empowered by the Spirit to love God and neighbor and encouraged to fulfill God’s Law the best that you can. “Blessed are those…who walk in the law of the Lord.” (Ps 119:1)