I am a law-abiding citizen. Well, most of the time. I do drive too fast once in a while. Society needs laws and rules that organize and control behavior. Without them, of course there is anarchy…..survival of the fittest. Sadly, that also describes the economic view of this country, free enterprise works for those who have money and opportunity. Our society works on an idea of getting more is always better. And the laws? Well, many obey when convenient but get upset when the laws don’t work to their advantage.
So what about religious laws? Those are okay aren’t they? The answer is no, they are not okay. Jesus came to do away with the law, to fulfill the law. If you read scripture you begin to notice that not only Jesus, but Paul and even the Old Testament describe a world of faith, not law. I grew up in an Evangelical world that taught me that I was a sinner, had to get and stay right with God, and it was dependent upon me being good, doing good and repenting daily.
Enter Brennan Manning. He was a priest, a husband, and a ragamuffin. He wrote great books, led a difficult life (at times) and was forgiven. But, if you want to know the great Abba of the universe, read Brennan’s books! In those books you discover that you only need to accept the forgiveness that is already there, once and for all time. You discover Grace. It is not about laws, it is about Love.
I am a Christian mystic, which means that I am obsessed with the Eternal’s love for me. I cannot explain it, I surely don’t deserve it, and I want it! Richard Rohr writes about the two parts of the spiritual life. In Falling Upward, Rohr says that the second part of the spiritual life is one filled with love, grace, forgiveness and mercy. The things I was taught in the past are restrictive, controlling, and impossible to follow.
In Galatians, Paul talks about taking Peter to task for hanging out with Gentiles and then, when the Jews heard about it, he changed and wanted the Gentiles to follow the laws. Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like many churches these days, do it our way and you will have Heaven. Paul was right, it is grace and love, not law that makes it possible. A quick greek lesson: logos is the Word. Christ was the Logos, or the word. He came to be the word, but more than that, he came to show that it is the intent of the law, not the letter of the law that matters.
Think of the sermon on the Mount. That is the point, you want it to be about the rules, about the letter of the law, but you don’t really want to be that kind of person, who lives a real life. Christ embodied the idea that words (or letters) don’t matter, what does matter is Love, inclusion, acceptance without judgement. That is the law of love. That is part two of spiritual life. Forget the law, throw out the rules and just live. Love all you can, be who you are, be Abba’s child.
TMM