· Exodus 20:1-17
· Psalm 19 (8)
· 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
· John 2:13-22
One thing I like about being a Lutheran is that I don't have to agree with everything Martin Luther said. And in particular, I disagree about the Law vs. Gospel thing. As far as I'm concerned, it's specious, unnecessary, and contrary to the Scripture.
Supposedly, there is so much Law and we're so incapable of complying with it, that it will simply drive us to despair and away from God. Or in Paul's weird reasoning, which I've never understood, much less agreed with, the law somehow causes us to sin. It's much like the popular slogan that "if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."
In reality, there is not very much law, it is not particularly onerous, and most importantly, we are not damned for every violation. There are over 600 commandments in the Old Testament. That's supposed to be an excuse? Really? There are 849 numbered sections in the Criminal Code, and each of them is a lot longer than an Old Testament commandment. Most of them have several paragraphs and subparagraphs. And yet I've never been convicted, accused, or even suspected, as far as I know, of any violation of the Criminal Code.
The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, coincidentally, also has 849 sections with paragraphs and subparagraphs. Then there is the Income Tax Act, which is considerably bigger than these two put together, and of course the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Pension Plan Act, and I've gone through reviews under some of those acts and never been found to have done anything wrong, either. There is the Canadian Charter of Rights, the Highways Act, the Employment Standards Act, the Residential Tenancies Act, the National Building Code, the CPPI Professional Petroleum Driver's Manual and local bylaws. That's just the laws I can comply with in daily life and work, most of them without the least conscious effort. To say nothing of the Guiding Law, the instructions on my medication, good manners and my own moral standards.
In our society, we are right now subject to tens of thousands of lines of written law and a considerable amount of "unwritten rules." And we follow the immense majority of them without even thinking. Even people who are in jail for life generally have broken only a small percentage of laws. And even they are usually eligible for parole after 25 years.
Of course it was a bit different in Luther's day. There was less law, but you could be tortured and killed for breaking it, or being accused of breaking it, or just being disliked. Maybe in Luther's day, there was so little law that 600 rules seemed like a lot, but obviously he was wrong. And even in Jesus's day, we already knew that it was quite possible to follow God's laws. That's what the Pharisees were about.
As for any claim that we can't follow the Ten Commandments specifically, it is utterly preposterous. Let's see:
1. "You shall have no other gods before me." I'm good on that one.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol." K, didn't do that either.
3. "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord." Check. As far as I know, I haven't made any wrongful claims involving the name of the Lord.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." Check. I have not worked a single Sunday since I became a Christian. Although I might have to do it under the conditions of some jobs in the future, I do not wilfully disregard the Sabbath.
5. "Honour your father and mother." Er... Well, ok, I've been disobedient and critical of my parents from time to time. But at this time, for their sake and mine as well as for the love of God, I am making every effort to be kind and respectful to them.
6. "You shall not murder." Right. I haven't murdered anyone and don't foresee any occasion for it.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." Check. Never did that.
8. "You shall not steal." Ok, I've stolen in the past. I shoplifted as a kid. I'm pretty sure I've stolen since, but I don't remember specific instances. I remember that I've been tempted to steal, and I refrained specifically because it is wrong.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." Damn right! Pardon my language, but I fucking hate gossip and lies.
10. "You shall not covet." Well, I'm borderline on coveting. I have my eye on a young man who is with someone else; but then again, I haven't tried to get him away from her. I've been given to understand that it's not really "coveting" unless you act on it.
There you go. I'm clear on all Ten Commandments, and I don't even have to work at it. It's really not difficult, okay?
Not only that, but God's law always had a "not intending to sin" provision. The main example in the Bible is that if a sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, it is legal to pull it out. The Quran has many more example where it clearly explains that if a person finds himself in circumstances where it is not possible to follow the law, though he does not intend to sin, he can make some other sign of his obedience to God and proceed, and not be condemned. Modern Jews do this as well. I went to university with a knowledgeable Jew, and we used to have many conversations about this. He explained that if, for example, you do laundry on Friday and dump it on your bed, and then go do something else and don't return until after sunset, it is lawful to move the laundry aside quickly and without folding it, so that you can lie down and sleep, even though it is a form of work. Or if you were to bump a light switch and turn a lamp on inadvertently, it is lawful to turn it off again by doing it in some unusual way, such as behind your back, so as to acknowledge that you are remembering the Sabbath.
The point of God's laws is not to get us in trouble, or to "drive us toward Christ". Most of it is simply to let us live together in harmony, with basic needs and justice for all. A few of the laws are specifically to give glory to God. The Sabbath, while beneficial to all, is most of all a show of respect to the Lord. And throughout the Old Testament, what we see over and over is not condemnation, but forgiveness for even the greatest offences. The small ones are not even mentioned. It takes a massive amount of wilful disobedience and disrespect of the Lord before he will punish anyone, and even so he forgives. What's more, God is not shown to punish individuals for individual offences. God punishes Israel. The assembly, not the individual. But that, maybe, is a topic for another sermon.
Don't make excuses for breaking the law; whether man's law or the Old Testament law. Jesus did not repeal any laws. The only law from the Old Testament that seems to be repealed on good authority is about what we can and can't eat. Christ did not die to excuse us from the laws, but to demonstrate God's forgiveness.
Praise be to God, the Judge, the Equitable, the Forbearing.
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