Following the 'Spirit' of the Law (to quote Dominic Cummings)

I firstly have to say for this my latest blog I have used the above title in an attempt to get your attention NOT to make a political statement and/or to give my own personal view as to the recent actions of Dominic Cummings . I also must stress my heart goes out to those who are both grieving and angry , I have read and been informed through social media of many cases where people have not seen loved ones up to and at the time of death or even attended their loved ones funerals because they kept to the regulations on social distancing. Many of these people may, rightly so, be aggrieved that they have suffered deeply emotionally as a result only to discover one of the rule makers travelled nearly three hundred miles while his family displayed symptoms of COVID 19.

However, one question we all need to ask, which sadly seems to be overlooked by some, is:

Was there a significant risk of serious illness or even more worryingly loss of life to a four-year-old girl had a journey NOT taken place? (this is not justifying or trying to support the initial or subsequent journeys to and from Durham). In other words what actually is the ‘Spirit’ of the Law relating to COVID 19, in short it is to preserve life. Many, not all, have focused on rule breaking and others have highlighted how they have kept the rules.

Sadly, this focus on rules and at times by some (I am talking about reporters and some politicians here) self-righteousness is an incorrect focus.

I often see such focuses in Church, and I must confess on reflection I see them at times in my own mind and heart. For example, thoughts such as, I am a lot more kind, loving and Christlike (in my opinion) than that other person but their Ministry appears to be more fruitful. Maybe this is because all of us are guilty at times of measuring our standing before God based on our obedience to Law and performance for him, for which we feel we deserve merit. However, God the Father sees us as right with him only because of Jesus – see Philippians 1:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. Our focus should be on Jesus NOT on how much we keep the Law because one of the primary purposes of Jesus coming into this broken world was to give eternal life (John 6:51). Similarly, our focus should not just be on obeying the COVID laws but on the ‘Spirit’ of the COVID laws i.e. to preserve life.

Jesus following his resurrection had to go away so the ‘helper’ i.e. THE HOLY SPIRIT could be sent (John 16:7). The Spirit gives hope that people will turn to Jesus and have eternal life (John 16:8-11).

Therefore, should we as Christians focus more on being led by the Spirit than following the Law?

To answer this question effectively we need to understand

1. Why the Holy Spirit is given to believers?

2. Why was the ‘Law’ given?

3. Are we under the ‘Law’ now ?

Why is the Holy Spirit given to believers?

In Acts 1:8 ( following Jesus’ command to wait in Jerusalem – Luke 24:49) the original disciples are told they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

In other words, one of the purposes of God giving the Holy Spirit to believers is to enable them to effectively tell others about him so they can come to know him too and experience eternal life. This promise was reiterated for all believers by Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2:17-21 (esp. v21). We should also note that this promise of ‘empowerment for witness’ is for all who call on the name of the Lord (2:39), not just for the early Church.

So, one of the purposes of giving this wonderful gift to all believers is to ‘empower them for witness’.

In other words, the Spirit is given for God to work through us, by his Spirit, to enable more people to come to know Christ as their saviour and have eternal life, which begins now. The full benefits of which are fully realised following the return of Jesus.

As an analogy The Spirit gives eternal life, the ‘Spirit’ of the COVID laws is to protect life.

Why was the ‘Law’ given?

When I talk about Biblical Law, I am only in this blog referring to what theologians call the Mosaic Law, with a particular focus on the ten commandments as given to Moses (Exodus 20:1-17).

The Law was given to show man that they are in sin i.e. that we all have an innate tendency to do things our way NOT God’s way. God’s way is the best way because it brings us into safety, security, fullness of life and peace in our hearts. When God gave the ten commandments he said to his people ‘walk in the way that God has commanded you that you may live, and it may go well with you. and that you may live long……….. (Deuteronomy 5:33).

As an analogy God’s laws if obeyed brought life, COVID 19 laws if obeyed help to protect life.

So, in the Old Testament God’s laws were given to

• Show things need to change for fullness of life and things to go well for his people, just as COVID laws were made to highlight that the way society operates needed to change to ensure life is preserved.

• God’s laws were also given in the Old testament so that his people could reflect God’s glory to a broken world, for more about God’s desire for the knowledge of his glory to be displayed to the world see my previous blog God’s exit strategy - https://www.guywillcock.co.uk/single-post/2020/05/02/Gods-Exit-Strategy

Are we under the ‘Law’ now?

Paul the Apostle wrote that we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14), sadly within Christian circles this is sometimes used as an excuse to ignore the ten commandments. Some people say that they no longer apply today, this is not the case all of the commandments are reiterated either specifically or in more general terms within the New testament ( in terms of keeping the Sabbath I would argue the principle is to keep one day a week free of work and other distractions for our own good and to focus on corporate worship that honours God, this may not necessarily be a Sunday). Jesus, in the New testament, as well as affirming or extending several of the commandments summarised them into two categories:

The First and Greatest (Matthew 22:37-38) to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (this generically covers the first four of the ten commandments)

The second (Matthew 22:39) is to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (this covers the last five of the commandments and flows from having hearts that Love God first).

The fifth commandment to “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” was reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 15:4 and then the Apostle Paul himself echoed this commandment in Ephesians 6:1-3.

Was Paul therefore contradicting himself, NO he was not if we look closely at Romans 6:14 Paul started the sentence by saying sin is no longer our master, as Paul said himself focusing on the Law causes us to have increased awareness of our sin (Romans 5:20) and then focusing on our old sinful nature potentially causes us to sin more i.e. it becomes our master (Romans 7:7-8).

God in his grace gives us the power (through his Spirit) to overcome our temptations to sin and to obey the Law. The same grace that enabled the worst of sinners Paul (who previously persecuted the early Christians) to become one of the greatest evangelists that ever lived and endure great persecution himself is available to all believers. Therefore, our focus should not be on the Law and our old sinful nature BUT on the grace of God (the availability of the power of God within us).

So, in the New testament we see that the Law, in terms of the ten commandments, is not obsolete but was given to us to make us realise our need for God’s power to overcome sin. Grace does not abolish the Law but enables us to keep the Law (ten commandments).

We cannot keep the Law in our own strength so need the Holy Spirit to help us keep the Law. This gift of the Spirit is given by God freely to his people.

Conclusion

As we overcome sin, by the grace of God, we mirror more of Christ to the world thus allowing the Holy Spirit to work powerfully through us in bringing more to eternal life.

Therefore, we can say that being led by the Spirit of God helps bring eternal life and the ‘Spirit of the Law’ is to bring us into a realisation that loving God first and loving others as ourselves helps bring eternal life. We could also say that the ‘Spirit’ of the COVID 19 laws is to preserve life. Therefore, we should want to keep these laws, regardless of whether an official has broken them or not, NOT because we are told to do so but because they help to preserve life.

Dominic Cummings may or may NOT be telling the truth that he felt he acted within the ‘Spirit’ of the Law, at the end of the day only he and God know the truth, however what we should all learn from this is two things:

• The ‘Spirit’ of the COVID 19 laws are to preserve life and each of us should do all we can to minimise the risk of loss of life.

• The ‘Spirit’ of the laws of God are to protect us and to help him, by his Spirit working through us, to maximise the potential of eternal life for all.

I don’t know about you but as for me I want to be led by the Holy Spirit and follow the ‘Spirit’ of the Law..