The Place and Purpose of Law in the Kingdom of God
The church is
tasked with the goal of preaching and teaching about The Kingdom of
God. It is a multi-faceted message, almost every verse in the bible
can be tied back to the simple reality of the rule of God coming to
earth.
The message of the Kingdom of God includes…
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A warning – our proclamation and explanation of establishment of the rule of God is a message that has consequences for those who hear and reject it… and benefits for those who hear and respond positively…. REPENT…. WOE
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Prophecy—the Jesus spoke of the kingdom as not of this time but of a future time (John 18:36, Luke 13:28-29, Rev. 11:15). Likewise the KOG is spoken of as yet future by the early church as recorded in Acts and in the Epistles. Part of our taks is to describe the sequence of events leading up to the Day of the Lord and the return of Christ to rule.
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Descriptive—in teaching we explain the who, what, where, when, how of the kingdom.
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Ethical—the KOG will be a human society directly under the rule of God. With a social constitution and a code of personal behavior. Part of our teaching about the KOG is teaching what its laws will be, what its guiding spirit will be.
The Laws That Define The KOG… How the Family Of God Will Rule
When we talk
about the KOG we tend to focus on the millennial rule of Christ…
God’s rule and authority is not limited to a mere 1000 year span of
time, or a tiny speck of dust in the universe. His rule extends
throughout eternity and throughout the universe. But with the 1000
year millennial rule of Christ the government of God will be
demonstrated on earth… so that all may see it in action.
The vast majority
of humans who have ever lived will still be undecided about God and
eternity even after having been resurrected. Most of humanity will
have never been exposed to the truth… let alone been convicted by
the H.S. to do anything about the truth. Many who have heard
have often badly misunderstood it or rejected it because of bad
information.
To help the make
their decision… an informed decision… Christ and the saints who
rule with Him will demonstrate God’s rule for 1000 years… people
will be able to see its fruits… to truly wrap their mind around
what the KOG is all about.
In this way the
1000 year rule of Christ fulfills the purpose originally designated
to Israel. Israel was intended to be a model nation that would
attractively demonstrate the government of God in action. God’s
intent was that surrounding nations would see this successful, happy
society and want to copy it.
God wanted the
surrounding nations (and all of humanity) to see Israel and want
what they had… hopefully having the sense to see how the laws
of the land were what made them great… not the physical blessings
that made them great.
Rev 11:15
The KOG begins in space (earth) and time (human history) when Jesus
Christ returns to place himself in supreme authority over all human
government and to establish the rule of God on earth… as it is in
heaven.
Like any
government the KOG will have defining principles (like a constitution
and it will have LAWS.
Why Do We Even Need Laws in the KOG?
Why do we need
law/laws in the KOG… won’t all the people in the kingdom of God
be perfect?... So, if everyone is perfect why would we even need
laws?
Yes, those who
have been redeemed by Christ, perfected by discipline and suffering
in life, will be resurrected with Christ at His return. They will be
part of the ruling family of God, the government of Ged established
on earth… but if only the saints were in the KOG who then would
they rule?
By Christ’s own
words the days of tribulation at the end will be cut short so that
some people will be left alive… Bible prophecies tell us Christ
takes over before all human life destroys itself… So, some people
in the flesh will survive the Day of the Lord and make it into
the new age of Christ’s rule… still flesh… still unredeemed
sinners.
Without law/laws
how would or could these people be… ruled?
Rev 19:13-15
the sharp sword is the word of law… the rod of iron is the rule of
law that does not bend and does not waver… does not show respect
for persons.
The Message of The KOG is a Message Governance and Therefore of Laws
Right now we are
ambassadors and representatives of the government of God that will
come to earth at Christ’s return. Not only do we tell people that
its coming (Prophecy/warning)… we are to teach what it will be like
(ethics/description)… what will its laws be like…
Plus, we learn
the law ourselves (not just by knowing… but by doing it and living
it). We are to learn what the KOG will be like so that we (and others
who may join us) may be more fully prepared for our future roles in
the government of God on earth.
Let’s take an
overview of the laws of God… to serve as an introduction to some
more specific messages on the Law of God.
Hierarchy of Biblical Law: Three Levels of Specificity
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Royal Law – 2 fundamental guidelines: practice love towards God and love towards neighbor. This love is the primary motive or spirit that moves forward the actual doing of God’s laws and requirements
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Commandments – 10 broad stroke principles of behavior that expand upon the Royal Law and serve as an outline for life and society… the commandments break down love into practical actions we can apply in our daily lives.
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Laws, Statutes and Judgments - 610 (I have never counted them) case studies, decrees and rulings that address how the commandments can be applied in a variety of challenging situations.
The Royal Law - Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18
These 2
fundamental guidelines are cited by Jesus as the greatest and second
greatest commandments in scripture (Matthew 22:35-40). James 2:8-11
is where we find love toward neighbor called the “royal law”.
Incredibly enough some people actually interpret this quote from
Jesus to mean we don’t have to worry about keeping any silly old
commandments… as long as we love God and love people.
But without
God’s commands humanity has no idea how to love one another!
In both
Deuteronomy and Leviticus the components of the royal law are made in
direct reference to keeping God’s commandments. The point in both
cases is to draw attention to the spirit and motive behind the doing
and teaching of the commandments. Read Deut 6:4-6… go to
Deut 10:12-13 loving God means obeying His word.
Note: my
personal opinion is that the fruits of the Holy Spirit expand on the
motive and spirit that guides obedience and doing good… but whereas
the law breaks down love into practical actions the fruits of the
spirit break down love into recognizable emotions.
The Ten Commandments – Exodus 20:1-17
Exodus 20
introduces these not as laws but says… “God spoke all these
words”. Their significance goes beyond that of law or regulations.
They are referred to as the “10 words” or “10 statements”. I
say this not to undermine their status but to elevate it.
They are perhaps
more like the U.S. constitution… legally binding and instructive on
a most fundamental level. They lead us to the more specific
regulatory laws. These regulatory laws are meant to reflect the
values found in the “10 commandments”. (for example Ex 22:5
is a variation on the 8th “do not steal”)
The Paradigmatic Nature of Biblical Law
Our modern
western view of law is that if a particular action is not expressly
forbidden it is permitted. But ancient law was not so. Ancient law
gave guiding principles and/or samples rather than exhaustive
regulations. The citizen (and if the matter went to court… the
judge) was expected to extrapolate on the principles and samples they
were given… to consider the sample and then figure out how to
rightly apply the principle to the specific case at hand. Thus, there
were not to be loopholes.
Ex 22:5
“the grain was not in his field it was in his barn, therefore I
should not be found guilty”… this would not be an acceptable
defense.
The 610 Case Studies… How To Love Your Neighbor
The case studies,
judgments and decrees are found throughout the books of the law…
the books of the law are: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. We are not going to go through all these in one session
but I would like to spend some time going through various sections of
the books of the law together as a congregation. Because it is in
these places that we learn what the bible means by love your
neighbor.
Lev 19:18
The exhortation to “Love your neighbor” does not replace God’s
commands for human interaction. Love your neighbor provides the
spirit and motivation behind your actions… which is LOVE.
Verse 1-2
these words are addressed to everyone in the community (not just the
priests). Everyone is to pursue holiness. How? By loving God and
loving neighbor. When you go through Leviticus 19 you will find all
the 10 commands either specifically mentioned, alluded to, or
expanded upon in some way.
Verses 3-8
the 3rd, 4th, and 5th commands
followed by the fellowship offering… an act of worship before God
but also a practical neighborly matter because the meat of the
offering is meant to be shared with others as a meal… (you cannot
save it you have to eat it all up… so why not share it)
Verse 9-10
providing for the poor in the land… a practical exercise in not
being greedy… the 10th command! And providing for your
less fortunate neighbors.
Verse 11 –
lying and stealing… the 8th and 9th
commandments!
Verse 12 –
and example of how we can take God’s name in vain… swearing in
God’s name to make a lie sound more convincing… 2nd
commandment.
Verse 13-16a
examples of how lying, deceit and stealing play out in a community
setting.
Verse 16b-18a
– respect for life… the 6th command. Here is an
example of applying the 6th commandment that could have
come right out of the sermon on the mount!
Verse 18b
– LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by understanding and doing all these commands!
Romans 13:9
What about
laws 1 and 7?
Verse 20 –
a case study in dealing with adultery in a sticky situation… a girl
who is promised to one man but under the authority of another… the
7th commandment
Verse 23 –
a case study in putting God first… how to handle the first fruits
on plants that don’t yield until the third or fourth year… 1st
commandment
Romans 13:9
Why Should You Want to Know and DO The Commandments?
God wants you to
live eternally as a member of His universe ruling family… He wants
you rule with Christ in the KOG. But first we must learn His law and
live His law… a law we get from the Bible that teaches us how
to live together in peace and harmony and justice… and it is
through the church of God that we learn the difficult lessons of how
to love one another! I John 3:14-15
Also as His
ambassadors and representatives… the Church proclaims and teaches
the biblical laws of God as part of the overall message of the KOG…
for they are the Laws of the Kingdom of God.
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