Is Law the Problem?

The satanic wolf has once again dawned the cloak of sheepskin and invaded the ranks of Christendom. In an effort to dilute the Creator's system, he has launched a campaign to demonize law. Sadly, he has convinced the masses that grace and law are enemies. His devilish approach involves three steps. 

First, he targets those who have been bruised and battered by legalism. Their weariness and legitimate disdain for the self-righteous pursuits of modern-day Pharisees leaves them desperate for another approach. Instead of responding with balance, they often fall into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Satan wins!

Second, he exploits the desperation which clouds their judgement. He convinces them that God's dismissal of the Old Testament Law is equivalent to God dismissing all other laws as well. Even the new law is dismissed as not really a law at all. (James 1:25, 2:12) In order to support their "grace will cover it" approach, they take many references to the Old Testament Law out of context. They build a law against law and, in the process, they become guilty of their own brand of legalism. Satan wins!

Thirdly, he entices them into defining grace as a gift that is so "free" it cannot even be accepted (a perverted view of predestination). Without free will, personal responsibility is also challenged. Compromise becomes tantalizing and the justification of casual obedience becomes the result. (Consider three examples listed below.) Satan wins!

Three Examples of Compromise

1. Compromisers say, "Baptism for the remission of sins isn't really necessary," even though its necessity is clearly taught in Acts 2:38. Satan's PR campaign takes over. We compromise, legitimize, then justify baptism for whatever reason man decides is acceptable.
   
   
2. Compromisers say, "Homosexuality isn't really as bad as some prudish Christians say it is," even though its perversion is clearly condemned in Romans 1:18-32. Satan's PR campaign takes over. We compromise, legitimize, then justify the desecration of the temple of the Holy Spirit.
   
   
3. Compromisers say, "Limited roles of women in the church are really just out-dated, cultural regulations that no longer apply," even though God has had those teachings in place since the Garden of Eden and He was sure to re-emphasize them when He established the church, Ephesians 5:22-33. Satan's PR campaign takes over. We compromise, legitimize, then justify women preachers, etc….

Law is not the enemy! Even the Old Law was good for the purpose God gave it. To assume that grace precludes our responsibility to obey a law is to miss God's nature. God is love and when His nature becomes the law, love becomes the reason we submit. But please hear me! The law of love leads to far more than just obedience. The law of love leads Christians to submit to the Master in both action and in purpose.

The Law of Love

Return to the three examples above. 

1. The law of love leads lovers to do more than just obey the command to be baptized, it leads them to be baptized for the purpose God designed (i.e. for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38). 
   
   
2. The law of love leads lovers to do more than just resist homosexual temptation, it leads them to promote marriage between a man and woman because that honors the Creator's purpose. 
   
   
3. The law of love leads lovers to do more than just submit to gender-specific roles within the church, it leads them to thrive within their role and it leads them to challenge all those who would demean God's standards by reducing them to a battle of the sexes.
   
   
   The law of love puts God's intentions above our own. It places His directives above our needs, even the need to understand why. Is law the problem? Not at all!

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