On the subject of the law and grace. Part 1

Part of an investigation subtitled: : Should a follower of Christ ever get a tattoo? - an investigation for the Christian alternative.

This article was orginally released under the Adullam Limited document numbering system as Document #49. It was distributed to a few trusted friends and family for thier feed back which by and large was extreamly positive. As such I want to share this with a wider audience now.

I have recently had reason to read that an article that argued that it was OK to get a tattoo as the old law didn’t count any more. While the conclusions were not wrong as such they didn’t ring true for me somehow.

The arguments used were as old as the hills and yet never really very satisfying. This caused me to examine the issue for myself.

I will in these articles examine these issues for myself starting with the words of Jesus on the subject and I will examine the issue of “should a follower of Christ get a tattoo?” and the wider issues of how the old testament law applies to us today.

Jesus said to him, “‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
--Matthew 22: 37-40

Now here we have the key to understanding the entire Old Testament and it’s law. Jesus showed us that it is not the letter of the law which is exacting and specific but the spirit of the law are what is important.

What does it mean to say “the spirit of the law”?

Suppose there was a problem with people walking in the gardens of the homes of elderly people. A law would be passed saying “no one shall walk on the lawn of the homes of those aged over 50, those that do shall pay a heavy fine.”

The next day some young scallywags would probably be caught in the garden of an old peoples home and taken before the court. Their legal council will argue that as they were in the flowerbeds and not on the grass they are free needing to pay the fine.

At the same time young Jimmy is also taken to the judge as he was sitting in his mothers back garden on her 50th birthday. His legal council will argue that the law does not apply to him as it was his mothers garden and the law was made to stop people using gardens as shortcuts.

The first speaker has spoken of the letter of the law which demands a fine from those that walk on the grass yet the second speaker has argued from the spirit of the law which sought to protect the elderly from damaged gardens.

So we see that the law of the bible is divided into two parts: The Spirit of the Law and The Letter of the Law. If someone becomes over obsessed with observing The Letter of the Law we often describe them by calling the “legalistic” which generally means that they are not nice to spend time with as they demand perfection and can not tolerate failure.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment and mercy and faith.”
--Matthew 23: 23

In Matthew 23 we see that Jesus was greatly upset that those who made the greatest show of completing The Letter of the Law failed to meet The Spirit of the Law.

The Spirit of the Law seems to be at odds with it’s interpretation and that’s why Jesus is angry. The law was given to set apart the Jews from everyone else. They were to be Holy (separate) and different. They were to be the priesthood for the nations.

The law gave them customs that were astoundingly different to those of the time and much of the law set a standard for justice, hygiene and ceremony. It also described everything a human would have to do without failing in order to please God.

Yet we know “without faith it is impossible to please God”. Quite a dilemma I’d say.

What really upset Jesus, (it seems to me), was that the keepers of the law (the leaders) had used it to oppress the people and had missed the whole point of justice.

He said to them at one point (quoting Hosea):

“I desire mercy and not sacrifice”
--(Matthew 9: 13)

There are many examples throughout the first four books of the New Testament that detail ways in which Jesus spoke of the difference between The Spirit of the Law and the letter thereof.

For example he tells people that not only if you kill a person are you guilty of murder but if you harbour hate then you are also as guilty.

He also said:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
-Matthew 5: 17

We see here Jesus himself saying that the entire Law of the old testament is not void but valid today. Now it would be easy to stop there and conclude that we should all be circumcised, observe the Sabbath and make endless sacrifices. Clearly if it still applies all of it applies.

But we don’t sacrifice sheep these days so clearly there is an apparent gap to examine.

In Part 2 I will look at this difference.