The Curse of God's Law

Have you ever stopped to consider what the “curse” of the law really is?  Or even the "burden of the law" for that matter?  Sometimes we hear people say that Jesus came to fulfill the law.  Have we ever stopped to consider that what they are implying might not be what the scriptures are really saying?  How important would understanding these fundamental principles be to understanding the Gospel message?  How important would understanding these fundamental principles be to our Christian walk?  And how important would understanding these fundamental principles be to our relationship with God?

This blog is going to focus on what Paul was really attempting to convey in Galatians 5:1-4 when he wrote:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.  And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.  You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 

So often we hear people using this scripture or ones like it to support an argument that Paul saw the law itself as a burden.  Is that what Paul really thought or are we taking these scriptures out of context?

Using Galatians 5:1-4 as our basis of study, we are going to learn how taking scriptures out of context leaves us exposed to the evil for which it was designed to protect us from while we are distracted fighting the very thing the Gospel message was given to protect.

As we progress our way through this scripture we see that Paul sees that there is some kind of yoke that Christ came to set us free from, the yoke represents slavery, slavery is connected to circumcision, circumcision is connected to the Old Covenant Law, and engaging in this ritual renders Christ useless in our walk even to the point of severing us from Christ.  At this point it would be very easy to conclude that Paul is totally against circumcision and the other rituals of the Old Testament Law.  It kind of seems blatantly obvious doesn’t it?

Here is where taking scripture into context is so important.  We must read scripture both before and after those scriptures that we believe are so revealing.  If we keep reading we find the most important part of the entire statement.  In verse four Paul reveals the heart of those whom he is writing to.  He identifies them as those “seeking to be justified by law”.  This verse changes EVERYTHING!!

At this point in our Bible reading, and in the reading of this blog, we have a very critical decision to make.  We have a choice, and the direction we go with this choice will determine who our master really is.  The question is this; Do we keep pressing on with what we thought to be so blatantly obvious, or do we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us forward into new understandings.  The truth is, our flesh hates the law of God, our flesh wants to see it as a burden, and our pride does not want us to be God’s slave.  On the other side, the Holy Spirit wants us to love God’s law, see it as a light yoke, and come into submission to God as a willing slave (a son or daughter). 

When we allow our flesh to control our theology we end up with a double hit against our spiritual journey.  First of all, we miss the very point the scripture is attempting to make and secondly, we end up falling prey to the very thing it is given to protect us from.  Let’s put this scripture to a test using some “laws” and “rituals” we see as profitable in our walk with Christ.

Is communion a burden in our relationship with Christ?  Does it remind us of how burdensome this Christian walk is and how we have been yoked to His ways against our free will?  Does communion remind us of OUR sacrifices and how much WE gave up to be His?

How about a marriage ceremony to our relationship with our spouse?  Does celebrating our anniversary make us feel like a slave to our spouse and as such celebrating it reminds us of how we are yoked to them in slavery?  I pray that none of us view these rituals in this manner.  But do you think there are some people out there who do?

These examples should have led us to the conclusion that we have misrepresented Paul’s teachings.  To confirm this understanding we should look to other scriptures that help us understand where Paul really stands in regard to these things.

Based on Acts 16:1-3 we have no choice but to acknowledge that Paul had no issue with circumcision when prescribed with a heart attitude instead of based on the belief that it would somehow “justify” the believer before Christ

 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy…. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him

In Romans 3:25, 3:31, 7:12, 1 Timothy 1:8, and 2Timothy 3:16 we find Paul expressing a greater revelation toward circumcision and the Old Covenant Law.

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision

Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law

So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (the only thing Paul had to reference as “scripture” was the Old Testament)

There are many more scriptures that we could pull into this discussion.  One of the most revealing is found in the book of Acts.  In Numbers 6 God gives Moses the parameters of a very special vow called the Nazirite vow.  This “special vow” is a part of the law but is considered to be above, beyond, and set aside as an opportunity for a person who sought a special time with God.  The parameters of this vow called for special ceremonies, more stringent ordinances surrounding food and drink, and even added some other ordinances all together.  Certainly this “extra vow” would only be entered into by those who had a heart for the basic law, saw the basic law from the perspective from which God gave it, and who saw both the basic and the extra aspects of the law as good, not as a burden, and not as a yoke.  What would it say of Paul's perspective of the New Covenant if we saw him taking this "special vow" after coming to the full realization of the Gospel message?

In Acts 18:18 the bible tells us that Paul “had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow”.  The only vow attached to having a haircut is the Nazirite vow.  However, at this point it would be difficult to confirm that it is the Nazirite vow that this scripture is referring to.  However, Acts 21:23-24 clarifies the point.  The ceremony that Paul is encouraged to participate in along with the other four men is the ceremony that is conducted at the conclusion of the “special vow” described in Numbers 6.  This verse is specifically given to us from God so that “all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you (Paul), but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.”

You might ask me;  “Jeff, why is this so important?  Doesn’t the church embrace most of the Old Covenant moral standards?  Isn’t that what is really important?”  My response is that this really isn’t about the moral standards.

Without knowing it, we have implied that God’s laws should not be a burden to the flesh and that we should not celebrate holidays that remind us of His Lordship.  This opens up the door for each of us to define what we believe to be “a reasonable burden”.  This leads to the drawing of line that establishes what we can and cannot do based on our own flesh led perspectives.  In 2Corinthians 3:6 we are told that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  In other words, when we start scrutinizing the law based on our own flesh and our own pride the door gets opened to Satan and he will sneak in, he will kill, and he will destroy.

This leads us to the point that Paul was really making; “Don’t let anyone tell you that you are justified before God based on works”.   When context gets twisted we start defining what it is to be Christian based on our values instead of God’s and we let Satan manipulate us into imposing these views on others.  Some examples of this are the  arguments over proper procedures for baptism and communion, teachings on what is “really” ministry work, or how much we should tithe to remain in God’s will.  Tens of thousands of denominations have grown out of this mindset as each attempts to develop new theology that properly grasp what we “need to do” and how we “have to go about doing it” to ensure our salvation and remain in God’s perfect will.  This is what Paul was warning us about.

Satan uses our attachment to pride, society standards, personal preferences, our heritage, and a lack of understanding to lead us into viewing God’s laws as “the yoke”.  This very notion breeds legalism as it analyzes God’s Word based on human intuition through our personal flesh filters.  The Spirit of the law is quenched and the letter becomes the basis of our teachings.  When legalism becomes the basis of our religion God’s people become yoked, our relationship with God becomes a burden, and our religion becomes a curse upon our lives.  It is time for the Church to grow up, embrace what God has given us, grow into the teachings of the New Testament, and let Christ be our example.

Dear God, please give us the strength to let go of our religion, to break the yoke of oppression from our shoulders, and to stop seeking the wisdom of man as our guide.  Dear God, help us to understand your Word in a new way, help us to dig deep into your commandments, and to open up our hearts and minds to the Spirit.  Dear God, help us put to death our flesh filters and our analytical thought process, help us to see the wisdom in everything you have given us, help us to find Your heart, and help us to embrace everything that Your Spirit guides us toward.  Help us drop our fear of man, our fear of failure, and our desire for perfectionism.  Help us to embrace who you have called us to be dear God, and help us follow You.  Amen