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At Shavuot (Pentecost), God gave us both the Spirit and the Law. Unfortunately, many believers treat them as contradictory, not complementary. One believer sees the Law as providing structure and standards, and the Spirit as chaotic and unrestrained. Another sees the Spirit as providing freedom and guidance, and the Law as restrictive and limiting. When either the Spirit or the Law are rejected, both suffer; structure tends to legalism, and freedom tends to chaos. Both must operate together in the life of a believer for either to have its full effect. For this to occur, both must be seen with the proper attitude and understanding.
The healing of the perceived rift between the Law and the Spirit begins with the understanding of what the Law (or, rather, its observance) truly is. Without the Spirit the observance of the Law is certainly perverted. And perversion of the Law is certainly an issue. To the unbeliever, the Law brings condemnation as a standard that can never be met, but to the believer, it is God's instruction. Error occurs when the attitude of condemnation is carried into the life of the believer. At this point, we get legalism, which causes us to follow or reject the Law as a rigid set of rules. So, what does the Bible say about the Law? According to both Yeshua and Moses, the basis of the Law is to love God, and then to love others. Without a love for God, no true observance is possible. We must love and trust God, and so receive His gift of eternal life, in order to receive the Spirit. Only then can we truly obey God and love others; only then can we truly love God. The Law is not rules by which we gain God's approval. but God's instructions for how those who have received the Spirit should live. In fact, the word "Torah" really translates to "instruction", not "Law'', and unbelievers are condemned, not because they disobey the rules, but because they have failed to enter into a relationship with their author. Any failure to live up to God's standards is a symptom, not a cause, of that lack. The Spirit does little good, however, without the Law. It says in Jeremiah 31:33 that God would put the Torah - the Law- into our hearts. He uses the word we translate as "Law", not "Spirit". The Spirit provides guidance and strength, but not in isolation. Without the framework of God's instructions, we have no framework in which to place that guidance. I can drive my car to either a congregation or a brothel, but in either case, I need roads. Without a map, I drive aimlessly, and am equally likely to end up in either place, no matter what my intent. A clipper ship needs wind to travel, but without an elaborate structure of masts, ropes, and sails, it will go nowhere. If we receive the Spirit, but refuse to accept any framework, any structure, any instruction from God, there is no place to go, and no way to get there. God's instructions are not rules to condemn, but guidance for the lives of Spirit-filled believers. God's purpose is to lead us into relationship with Him by molding our lives into the pattern he created for us. He shows us who He is by the standards He upholds, and shows us who we are called to be by the instructions He gives. Indeed, Yeshua is our living Torah, and the goal of both Torah and Spirit are to reveal Him to us, to draw us closer to Him. Legalism is based on fear, but love casts out fear. Love for God and respect for His instructions, brought to life in the believer by the Spirit and combined with the trust that God's forgiveness covers all of our stumblings, is God's perfect will for our lives. This only happens when the Law and the Spirit work together. |
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