Copyright © 2006 Ron Schwartz
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The Laws Of Big And Little Things

March 4, 2006

Ron Schwartz  

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“What goes up must come down.”  Isn’t that how it goes?  Yes, since childhood we have all heard of “the laws of nature.”  They are both simple and fundamental.  These laws teach us that gravity causes objects to fall or to revolve around one another.  These laws apply to everything we do.  We call them Newtonian Laws of Physics after the man (Isaac Newton) who first defined them.  We have also come to understand that God created these laws to teach us that, just as there are natural laws that govern His physical universe, there are also spiritual laws that govern His spiritual kingdom. 

Centuries ago, when mankind first began to understand these Newtonian laws, they seemed rather obvious and straightforward.  Then, over the course of time, we have discovered that these laws are far more intricate than we first thought.  For instance, we have learned that the basic Newtonian laws of physics do not work with very small objects like atoms.  Instead a new branch of physics was created to define the laws that apply to these very small particles.  We have called it “Quantum Physics.”   Additionally, we have learned that the general Newtonian physics do not work with very large objects like stars, black holes, and galaxies.  Another branch of physics was created to define the laws that apply to these objects.  We call it “(The Theory of) Relativity.”

Why is any of this significant?  I believe that God established these seemingly conflicting physical laws to demonstrate to us that, just as God created different laws to govern the different characteristics of His physical universe, so too has He created different laws for His spiritual universe.  As in the natural universe, which laws apply depends on our spiritual position.  In God’s spiritual kingdom, there are laws that pertain to those who are without and laws pertaining to those who are within. 

Newtonian Laws And The Natural Man

1 Timothy 1:9 KJV

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers

Galatians 3:23-25 KJV

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

We learn from these scriptures and other writings in the New Testament that “the law” was made for the natural man.  Like the Newtonian laws that are so apparent to us all, so is the law of God.  The laws of virtually every society are based in large part on this law.  The idea of respecting the boundaries of others is basic to every society.  We find God’s law to be fundamental.  But there is more to the purpose of “the law” than to provide social order.  God designed it to show mankind both his failure to meet with God’s approval and his inability to be like God.  Consequently, just like with Newtonian laws that apply to the natural world, the law was designed to apply to the natural man, people who are on the outside of God’s Kingdom.  God established a different law for those who have entered into His Kingdom.

Romans 8:1-2 KJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Once we enter into the Kingdom of God, we come under a different law.  The old law no longer applies.  We are made free by “the law of the Spirit.”  It can sometimes be a difficult transition for us to go from one law to another.  We know from the New Testament writings that perhaps the most difficult problem the first generation Christians faced was the transition from the law of the Old Testament to the law of the Spirit.  If it was a very difficult issue for them, why would we think that it would be any easier for us?  The truth is that most Christians have not figured it out but are continually faced with this issue without ever knowing it.

“The law” is something we obey in the natural.  It is part of our ethics.  It is part of our social order and the laws of our society.  Those who fail to comply with this law often find themselves in jail or involved in lawsuits.  Because the law remains forever connected to us in our natural lives, it becomes difficult to understand how we as Christians can ever be free from it.  It is this paradox that creates problems.

“The law of the Spirit” is as different from “the law” as Quantum Physics is from Newtonian Physics.  It applies to our lives in ways that the law cannot even begin to define.  “The law of the Spirit” “made me free” from sin.  Keeping the law can keep us from sin but it cannot make us free from it.  The Emancipation Proclamation set free the slaves, but most slaves continued to live as slaves for the remainder of their lives because they were born as slaves and it was the only life they knew.  When we are “made free,” we are born again.  It is as if we were born free from sin.   We are not merely set free and condemned to live as slaves to sin for the remainder of our lives.  It is much more.  It is as though a new law is working in our lives, one that makes us free.  Christians understand that their lives are to be “made free,” but rather than allow “the law of the Spirit” to work, they try to help the process along by reintroducing the law on one another.

Legalism

Legalism is a term used to define strict conformity to the letter of the law without much regard to the spirit of it.  In Christianity, it describes those who blindly adhere to the literal definition of law and religious principles without allowing for dynamic, spontaneous, or the flexibility of God’s Spirit to operate.  It is akin to being dogmatic or fundamentalist.

To understand the effects of legalism, let’s consider the Bill Gothard seminars.  The roots of his teaching began during his years in school.  He disciplined himself through the use of scripture memorization.  As a result, his grades rose until his success caught the attention of the staff.  He eventually taught a course of best practices to help youths handle their conflicts.  However, for all the good it achieved, what followed is what often happens when people attempt to order their lives through rules and laws.

By the 1980’s, Gothard’s teaching had grown into an almost week-long seminar with volumes of material that set rules on literally every facet of a person’s life.  There was a complete set of rules concerning when married people could be intimate, how to select makeup, the types of acceptable music, how a service should be performed, and how to worship.  There were rules for wills, rules at work, rules for preparing shopping lists, rules for dental care, and other rules for every conceivable part of one’s life.  Bill Gothard’s promise was that every aspect of a person’s life could be made harmonious if they would follow his rules for living.

To demonstrate the biblical foundation for each law, the Gothard teaching uses ample scripture to support them.  But the real issue is not whether or not there is biblical support for the law but whether this type of man-imposed law is what is meant by “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”  Is the law of the Spirit a super set of laws that transcend the Old Testament law with an expanded set of like laws that are defined to the nth degree?  Is the law of the Spirit volumes of laws that we should use to structure and order our lives?  Of course not.

This is not to say that Gothard seminars are not profitable.  Many people have been helped as a result of his teaching – at least some of it.  I believe that Bill Gothard’s teaching is valuable to children who need structure and families in crisis.  It provides structure where it is lacking and good instruction and principles for life.  For some Christians who were raised without good role models or without moral values, it provides the structure they should have learned simply by complying with social order and rule.   But what about people and families that are not in crisis and who are serving God?  What about where harmony already exists?  Is it necessary for them to comply with the structure that these seminars teach?  No.

For those who are in Christ Jesus, the scripture is clear that a new law applies.  Unlike the Old Testament law that was rigid and unchangeable, this is a spiritual law written in our very hearts.  As such, the law is alive, dynamic, and spontaneous.  It is as different from the Old Testament law as Quantum Physics is from Relativity.  This law allows God to direct and order people in individual and unique ways.  It allows His people to adapt to changing environments and different cultures.  It allows God to customize and adapt His law at both an individual and cultural level.

Think of it this way: what can be better than perfection?  Imagine looking at a tree and thinking: trees would be perfect if they were balanced on every side with the same amount to limbs and leaves, so I am going to construct one the correct way out of Lego blocks, and all trees should be exactly like that one.  That would be ridiculous, right?  We know that all trees are different.  We know that we could never produce a tree as well as God does in nature, even if we had direction on how to create one.

It is the same way for those who have entered the Kingdom of God.  What makes us think that we can create rules to govern other people’s lives better than the rule of the Holy Spirit?  In God’s Kingdom, we are not meant to have every facet of our lives governed by rules.  When this happens, rules take the place in our lives that the Spirit was meant to have.   Jesus said, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).”  In the Kingdom, we are meant to live by “the law of the Spirit of life.”  This is what was meant when God said, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:33-34).”

Christians who suffer under legalism can become very judgmental and critical of other Christians.  To them, the measure of their spiritual depth and relationship with God is equal to the degree of compliance to law.  They do not measure other Christians by the depth of their relationships with God but by how compliant they are to the law as they understand it.

Another problem that then arises for those who are entangled in the bonds of legalism has to do with “weight.”  That is, how much weight is placed on certain rules and laws?  Or, which laws are more important?   Some people place more weight on which day is the correct day to worship, in which place to assemble, or which name of God to use.  Others place a greater weight on outward appearance, such as clothing or home décor.  The differences that exist in legalism span every facet of our lives and include every thing imaginable, and each group believes that they are the one that is right.  Some groups become so preoccupied by a certain law that they eventually end up in what would be considered a cult.  But consider this: anyone who is engaged in legalism is a cult just waiting to happen.  What exists today are thousands of Christian groups who are unable or unwilling to ever fellowship because they have deified their rules and laws.  Unless other Christians are willing to worship their law, there can be no fellowship.

Universal Constants and Spiritual Growth

In physics, a universal constant is something that is the same at all places and at all times.  Both gravity and the speed of light are thought to be universal constants.   When we examine nature, these constants are not always obvious.  We see a vast assortment of stars, galaxies, and nebulae with no apparent rhythm.  The constant is usually an undertone that exists apart from what remains apparent.

Just as there are natural constants, there are also spiritual constants.   One such spiritual constant is that our spiritual depth and the degree of our revelation are equal to the depth of our relationship with God.  What this means is that neither our educational nor our financial status make any difference to our spiritual depth or our relationship with God.  Most Christians will readily acknowledge this.  But if we truly believe this, then why do most Christians naturally assume that all third world nations are spiritually inferior to the wealthier western nations, and therefore they are naturally in need of missionaries?  Why is it that when we see pictures of Christians in countries like Africa meeting in crude churches without doors and windows, we naturally assume them to be in need of our ministries?  Christians routinely talk about sending missionaries to places like this.  Rarely do Christians even consider how spiritually rich in revelation they may be!

Why is it that when we see large churches with lavish buildings, we naturally assume that their ministers are men of great revelation and power?  The reason is the same.  There is a general perception, however vague it may be, that these churches are rich in the truth.  We assume that there is a correlation between spiritual and natural prosperity.

What about this: have you ever seen a man with tattered clothes walk in to your church and sit in the back.  The first thoughts are usually that he must be on drugs, he’s lost in sin, and/or he’s a criminal and has come to see what he could steal or get from you.  Usually we have feelings of not wanting the man to return.  Whereas, if a well-groomed good-looking person walks through the doors wearing a thousand-dollar suit, our first thought is that he must be a preacher from a respectable church, that we would like him to continue coming and that he must have a lot to offer (spiritually).  Whether or not we admit to it, there is an unconscious assessment that “gain is godliness (1 Timothy 6:5).”

Personal gain and spiritual god-likeness are two unrelated laws.  They both have their place in our lives and in the Church, but they are not linked.  Once again, it is like trying to use Quantum Physics in a universe ordered by Relativity.  It just does not work.

The Strong Force and Unity

In physics, there is something that is called the Strong Force.  It is believed to be the force that holds the nucleus of an atom together.  We know that like charges repel, and that the nucleus of an atom contains positively charged protons (all like charged) that somehow manage to stay together.   Why is this significant?

Laws sometimes do not work the way we expect.  Sometimes a greater force is at work.  For instance, we all know people engaged in behavior of which we do not necessarily approve.  Sometimes they are engaged in things we consider completely wrong.  We expect them to be flung out into space, but instead they remain near us and just as steady as we are.

At times like this, there is a greater force at work than just our laws.  We are incapable of seeing the hearts of our brethren or understanding the unique way that God is working with them.  We see only our law.  To explain why God will sometimes set aside the law for mercy and forgiveness, Jesus told the story of the prodigal son.   Like us, his brother was angry at his father’s mercy. He wanted justice instead.  He said, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf (Luke 15:29-30).”  But his father explained by saying, “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found (Luke 15:32).”

Let’s be glad there is a Strong Force.  Let’s be glad that there exists a force so strong that it can forgive and dismiss our failures and sin.  Let’s be glad that there is a force that is stronger than our laws and the laws of others.   Let’s be glad that the law of the Spirit takes precedence over all the condemnation of the laws of our brethren.

It is the Strong Force that, if allowed to work, can bring about unity.  Regardless of our individual laws that cause us to repel one another, the Spirit of God can keep us together.  But we must allow the Spirit of God to be the bond that holds us together and not our laws.  I find it interesting that just like the example of the nucleus our laws tend to repel each other, but God’s law, the law of the Spirit, tends to bond His people together.   When churches split, when friends divide, it is usually because personal laws become more powerful than the operation of God’s Spirit.  We can see this in nature, and we can see it in the Church.

Conclusion

In the universe in which we live, there are both big things and little things.  There are big laws that pertain to big things and little laws that pertain to little things.   Since God is in control of our natural universe, these laws are always applied in the right manner.  Because of this, our natural universe is spared from being torn apart.   So what about our spiritual universe?

Unlike our physical universe, a cursory review of the Church in our more affluent nations shows (in general) a church that is tearing itself apart.  With the exception of some individual efforts by a few churches here and there, the Church overall is at war with itself.  As more and more churches spin off like protons repelling from the nucleus of an atom, the Church is slowly spiraling downward into the same abyss into which the world around it is falling.  Most often it is because laws, rules, and even doctrine have been deified as sacred artifacts.  Division and separation are the natural result.  These laws, rules, and doctrines have come to replace the strong force that, if allowed, would be able to once again restore unity to the Church.  Am I suggesting we have a Church without law?  No, I’m suggesting that the law that governs the Church be the law of the Spirit rather than our own deified rules.

A look at Christians (in general) shows people who do not understand the difference in the laws that apply to those who are within and those who are without the Kingdom of God.  Many Christians have the idea that “grace” is something that applies to sinners and “the law” is something that applies to Christians, rather than the other way around.  Christians begin to feel this way when they hold their law as a sacred relic.   Christians may say that God’s people are under grace, but they extend very little grace toward each other.  Instead, they continually destroy one another through disparaging judgment as to how well others are in compliance with their law.  When others fail to measure up to their expectations, they respond in a judgmental, critical, and cynical manner.

Christians are under grace, not the law.   Our personal laws, our legalism, and our judgment and criticism of one another is all because we have not learned from the laws of nature.  We have failed to understand the laws of big and little things.

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