Month: March 2024

Christ Our Life

Losing a loved one, a friend, a job, or our health can be destabilizing, even a slight change in our routine can be challenging. What does it take to disorient us and send us into a tailspin? When our world begins to collapse do we become fearful, lost? Do we lose our faith in God? in Life itself?

To the degree we draw our sense of well-being from this world, the more losing it will cripple us. Trying to draw life from non-life-giving sources is a dead end.

The truth is, even now we don’t have any of these temporal things we think we have; our possessions, relationships, health, occupation, our whole world is passing away. (1Jn 2:17) We came into this world with nothing, and we won’t take any of it with us when we leave. (1Ti 6:7) What we have the moment after we die is all we really have now.

This is troubling if we’re looking for life and love like most everyone else, minding earthly things (Php 3:18-19), defining life in the context of earthly experience … building houses on the sand. (Mt 7:26-27)

When Christ becomes our Life (Co 3:4) our sense of well-being is grounded in Him; our foundation doesn’t collapse when our temporal world falls apart because we’ve built our house on the Rock. (Mt 7:24-25) Our life down here is a vapor (Ja 4:14); our treasure isn’t here, it’s in Him. (Mt 6:19-21)

In this world we will have tribulation, and that’s OK. (Jn 16:33) We who are already dead in Christ, our life is hid with Him in God (Co 3:1), and we will live with Him. (2Ti 2:11) Our lives are living sacrifices for Him to do with as He pleases. (Ro 12:1) To live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Php 1:21)

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One of These Least

Theologians claim to be able to divide Torah into parts which apply differently to different groups of people: [1] Moral laws for all Mankind (e.g. Le 19:18), [2] Civil laws only for Jews (e.g. De 20:1-4), and [3] Ceremonial laws for priests. (e.g. De 18:6-8) This is commonly used to teach that only Moral laws are relevant today.

The problem is this hermeneutic is not found in Scripture; while certain laws are explicitly directed toward specific groups, Scripture never limits the relevance of Torah on any other grounds.

Clearly, if a command is directed toward a group to which we don’t belong, we cannot break it because the command is not to us. However, if we disregard a command which we’re able to obey then we’re actually breaking it, unless we can show from Scripture we’re exempt.

Though Torah was given to Israelites on Mount Sinai thousands of years ago, Christ Himself says whosoever (Jew or Gentile, man or woman, adult or child) disregards one of these least commands will be counted least in His kingdom. (Mt 5:19a) Kingdom greatness is reflected by respecting even the most insignificant laws of Torah. (19b) This aligns with Torah itself. (Ps 119:4-6)

So, Christ is effectively teaching us we should all be keeping every law in Torah which we’re able to keep: any law not specifically addressed to someone else.

And since Christ’s nature within us delights in Torah (Ro 7:22) as a reflection of Jehovah’s majesty, holiness and character, one of the primary ways He’s revealed Himself, the godly aren’t looking for loopholes; we’re looking for every opportunity to honor God’s Way as well as we can.

So, as we’re working through passages which appear to teach otherwise (and there are a few) think of Torah wholistically (Ja 2:10-11), don’t pick out one of these least commandments; consider whether Paul could be saying we don’t need to love God with all our heart (De 6:4-5) or our neighbors as ourselves. (Le 19:18) On these two hang all the rest (Mt 22:40): we can’t separate them.

As we expose our cognitive bias to the light of Torah and square ourselves with the fact that every single one of God’s Laws is precious and good (Ro 7:12), we invariably find better ways to understand each text and reconcile it will all of Scripture.

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Make a Battlement

When we build a new house, God says to make a battlement for the roof so we’ll not be guilty of manslaughter if someone falls from the rooftop and dies. (De 22:8) This certainly makes sense in the context in which it was first given, where houses were generally constructed with a flat roof which was used as a living space; in such cases providing a barrier around the edge to keep people from harm is consistent with charity.

Yet how do we respond to such a law for steep rooftops, upon which only trained professionals are ever allowed? Do we violate this law because we think we understand its context and spirit, presuming it’s not applicable or obsolete in our case? or do we build completely useless barriers around rooftops which serve to protect no one?

If sin is the transgression or violation of the law (1Jn 3:4), in either the letter or the spirit, it seems we should not ignore the law, or violate it at any level for any reason. Yet it also seems inappropriate to build useless fences around our rooftops – making us appear foolish to the world and positioning Torah itself as ridiculous and burdensome. Neither approach seems reasonable.

If we look at the text carefully, it says to build a parapet, or a barrier or wall for our roof; the barrier need not be above or even upon the roof, just for the roof. To serve the intended function this battlement must be between the edge of the rooftop and those occupying our residence to prevent anyone from ever accidentally falling off.

For houses with steeply pitched roofs the exterior wall of the home itself serves as this battlement or barrier: when there is no rooftop access from within the home, if one must go to considerable trouble to climb up and over the exterior wall to access the roof, it seems this law in Torah is being respected both in spirit and in letter, in truth at every level.

However, for any home which provides convenient access to the rooftop, surrounding the accessible portion of the roof with a sturdy, waist-high fence to prevent anyone from accidental injury is clearly the Law of Love. (Ro 13:10)

This principle shows us we should make reasonable efforts to promote the safety and well-being of others at all times, taking steps to prevent accidental injury of any kind.

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