Hammer on Anvil '

We see it all the time.  Christians use Old Testament verses in an attempt to point out the misdeeds of others while non-Christians spout verses right back that serve to prove the hypocrisy of the Christians.  This never happens more frequently than with the issue of homosexuality.  I myself have shared Leviticus 18:22 in my post about gay marriage, so I am not without blame.

I find this picture to be funny in its irony, but it also cuts straight to the heart of an issue that many Christians struggle with.   How much of the law do we believe?  How much should we follow?  Surely you’ve noticed that there are many laws that just don’t fit with our culture any more.  What material is your shirt made of?  Hopefully it’s not a blend of more than one material, because that would violate Leviticus 19:19.  And how do you like to have your steak prepared?  Hopefully well done, because Leviticus 19:26 tells us not to eat any meat with the blood still in it.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course there are also the laws that address behavior that can be almost universally agreed upon as “bad.”  Do not steal.  Do not lie.  Do not murder.

So what are we, as Christians, to believe?

Take your pick: all, some, or none.  If you choose all, why are you not striving to follow even those parts you do not like or understand?  If you choose some, how do you justify which parts should stay and which should go?  If you choose none, why have you rejected God’s commands?

Not an easy choice is it?  But you’re not alone if you have trouble expressing your beliefs on this issue.  The choice that is most founded in the Bible is both all and none.  Allow me to explain.

All.  As Christians, we believe that all of God’s law must be followed perfectly and to the letter in order for us to earn our way to Heaven on our own merit.  But we have to be absolutely perfect at all times or it won’t work.  “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  -- James 2:10

When the Law is presented in love rather than hate, it demonstrates that we are ALL incapable of living up to God’s perfect standards (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23) and it leads us to the only method capable of making up for our shortcomings, Jesus Christ (“and [we] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” – Romans 3:24).  We must always remember that Jesus didn’t come to die for “religious” people; He came to die for sinners.  “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  -- Romans 5:8

None.  This is how much of the law Christians have to follow.  None.  The law was the Old Covenant and Jesus Christ is the New Covenant.  By proclaiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we choose to live under the New Covenant.  It’s a pretty good deal considering everyone falls short under the Old Covenant.  But it’s also not a free ticket to sin.  “What shall we say then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” – Romans 6:1-2

In many ways, being under the New Covenant is actually MORE difficult.  We no longer have a set of rules to follow.  We have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and we need an actual relationship with God in order to learn to interpret and follow the Spirit’s lead.