Why The Law?
Why doesn't the direct approach work? Let’s take a look. First, let’s point out the two basic alternatives addressed here. One: putting a major emphasis on directly trying to change our behavior, often with the focus on love. Two: putting the emphasis on taking time to connect with God’s love and care, by faith. This in turn produces the fruit of peace, joy and love. In one, love is the goal we strive for with some sort of help from God. In the other, love is the fruit of an inner experience with God that changes the way we see things.
Focusing on personal change creates the problems of either being proud of the fact that we are doing the right thing, or guilt and frustration when we keep falling short of the mark. Jesus constantly ran into problems with those who saw themselves as righteous. It was those who failed enough to see their need for God’s grace who responded to Him. It was the latter who experienced the pedagogue effect of the law – showing us that an emphasis on doing right fails to produce healthy change (Rm 7).
Self-righteousness is the product of a dishonest self-appraisal /self-deception. It often involves looking at those we feel are not measuring up as a reference that allows us to feel superior. It should be obvious that if we spend time looking at ourselves and our performance our focus is not on that which truly inspires positive change. Self-consciousness and a preoccupation with our choices create the opposite of what is intended, legalism and religious bigotry.
The indirect approach deals with the issues that create sin in our lives: failing to trust God with our needs and concerns, and trying to fill the void created by being disconnected from God’s love with other things. In dealing with these issues we deal with the source of our problematic behavior. However, when we focus on ourselves we actually break the connection we need to have with God’s love. When we focus on God’s love and care, our spirit is inspired and our life bears fruit.
“Why then the law?” Why such an emphasis on right and wrong and doing right if the real source of change is through abiding in God’s love and care? As I stated above, self-righteousness is a dishonest self-appraisal. We have a great need to feel good about ourselves and feel worthwhile. Our minds go to great lengths to create a façade that we try to sell to ourselves and others. These are the fig leaves of Eden. When we are not secure in the love of God, we create a garment of “fig leaves” to cover our spiritual nakedness. The problem is that it doesn’t fix the problem. We are still self-centered and selfish. Even the good we do is mingled with our trying to look good to ourselves and others. I’m not saying we don’t want to do good, I’m saying we are constantly swimming upstream against our preeminent motive of self-interest (self-interest becomes selfishness without trust in God).
God uses the law to bring us insight into the fact of this selfishness and the fact that the direct approach to change doesn’t work (Rm 7). The best thing you can do to shut up a boasting phony is to ask them to show you they can do what they say. The law has many functions but one of the main ones is to tell us to “put up or shut up”. Paul said “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Rm 7:9). Romans 7 is all about insight into our inability to “put up”, culminating in the pitiful cry, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” When we finally gain insight into the fact that we can’t “put up”, we are ready for the indirect approach. Until then, you think you can actually do it.
All that law, right and wrong, in the Bible is still important. It simply can’t change our heart (Gal 3:21). It can, however, provide guidance that is then acted on by a changed heart. We simply need to get the horse, experiencing the grace of God, in front of the cart, our choice to do right.
Copyright, 2014, Patrick Fagenstrom
Why doesn't the direct approach work? Let’s take a look. First, let’s point out the two basic alternatives addressed here. One: putting a major emphasis on directly trying to change our behavior, often with the focus on love. Two: putting the emphasis on taking time to connect with God’s love and care, by faith. This in turn produces the fruit of peace, joy and love. In one, love is the goal we strive for with some sort of help from God. In the other, love is the fruit of an inner experience with God that changes the way we see things.
Focusing on personal change creates the problems of either being proud of the fact that we are doing the right thing, or guilt and frustration when we keep falling short of the mark. Jesus constantly ran into problems with those who saw themselves as righteous. It was those who failed enough to see their need for God’s grace who responded to Him. It was the latter who experienced the pedagogue effect of the law – showing us that an emphasis on doing right fails to produce healthy change (Rm 7).
Self-righteousness is the product of a dishonest self-appraisal /self-deception. It often involves looking at those we feel are not measuring up as a reference that allows us to feel superior. It should be obvious that if we spend time looking at ourselves and our performance our focus is not on that which truly inspires positive change. Self-consciousness and a preoccupation with our choices create the opposite of what is intended, legalism and religious bigotry.
The indirect approach deals with the issues that create sin in our lives: failing to trust God with our needs and concerns, and trying to fill the void created by being disconnected from God’s love with other things. In dealing with these issues we deal with the source of our problematic behavior. However, when we focus on ourselves we actually break the connection we need to have with God’s love. When we focus on God’s love and care, our spirit is inspired and our life bears fruit.
“Why then the law?” Why such an emphasis on right and wrong and doing right if the real source of change is through abiding in God’s love and care? As I stated above, self-righteousness is a dishonest self-appraisal. We have a great need to feel good about ourselves and feel worthwhile. Our minds go to great lengths to create a façade that we try to sell to ourselves and others. These are the fig leaves of Eden. When we are not secure in the love of God, we create a garment of “fig leaves” to cover our spiritual nakedness. The problem is that it doesn’t fix the problem. We are still self-centered and selfish. Even the good we do is mingled with our trying to look good to ourselves and others. I’m not saying we don’t want to do good, I’m saying we are constantly swimming upstream against our preeminent motive of self-interest (self-interest becomes selfishness without trust in God).
God uses the law to bring us insight into the fact of this selfishness and the fact that the direct approach to change doesn’t work (Rm 7). The best thing you can do to shut up a boasting phony is to ask them to show you they can do what they say. The law has many functions but one of the main ones is to tell us to “put up or shut up”. Paul said “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Rm 7:9). Romans 7 is all about insight into our inability to “put up”, culminating in the pitiful cry, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” When we finally gain insight into the fact that we can’t “put up”, we are ready for the indirect approach. Until then, you think you can actually do it.
All that law, right and wrong, in the Bible is still important. It simply can’t change our heart (Gal 3:21). It can, however, provide guidance that is then acted on by a changed heart. We simply need to get the horse, experiencing the grace of God, in front of the cart, our choice to do right.
Copyright, 2014, Patrick Fagenstrom