Law Abiding: Does That Mean Loving?

We humans like rules - rules to govern behavior, rules to govern relationships, rules to govern society, rules to govern business and economics, rules to govern worship, rules to govern our meetings, rules to govern our sports - you get the picture. Rules come in various forms - morals, societal expectations, commandments, laws, tradition, ritual, policy - but they all serve one purpose: to govern what we do.

We use rules as a means of dealing with our default human nature. We have learned through the centuries that rules and laws are needed to curb our self-serving nature. We don't trust our "yes" to be "yes," as Jesus taught. We don't trust the other to do what is right or fair for all. And for good reason! We find a way around the rules for our own advantage - just look at national politics. And we write rules (laws) that are advantageous to us but not to all (think congress). In a nation founded on the principle that "all men are created equal," we still struggle to create a society in which all are, in fact, equal. So we create rules and write laws.

I see a number of problems with our rules. Yes, I agree: we need rules and laws. But they still have limitations. Until we recognize and acknowledge the limitations, we will naively depend on rules and laws without regard to their fairness to all.

The first limitation I identify: rules and laws are about behavior. They cannot change the heart. In fact, rules and laws often harden the heart. All of the civil rights legislation, dating back to the 60's, have not eliminated racism. At best, it only made racism go underground and strengthened it. Consider today's political climate or the mass shootings targeting Hispanics, immigrants, blacks, Jews, Muslims.

Which leads to a second limitation: rules inherently stir resistance. We don't like someone else telling us what to do. Remember the outcry among Evangelical Christians at the Supreme Court ruling regarding gay marriage. (Aside: how does Rob and Don's marriage diminish Etta's and my marriage?)

Rules and laws often foster a false sense of superiority. We use the rules to gauge how good we are and how "bad" others are because they don't follow the rules. This attitude is expressed in the term "law abiding."  Religious folks are especially prone to this kind of thinking. For example, consider how we in The UMC view those who take a different position on LGBTQ issues. People on both sides of the issue are equally guilty of viewing the "other" as wrong and, thereby, "less than."

Then, we use the rules to justify our own position and attack the others' position. People on both sides of the LGBTQ issue say "the Bible says!"

Rules and laws are often used to impose "my" position on others. The rule targets "them," not me.

Each of these limitations (and there are others) has to do with the ego. The ego is about "me" - what I want, what I think, what is in my best interest, what is to my advantage. The ego looks at life through "us-them" lens, identifying those who are different as "other." The ego lives out of  fear of the other. The ego lives out of a scarcity mentality that does not think there is enough for everyone. So, the ego wants to ensure I get my share ... and more! Others are viewed as a threat that will keep me from getting "what is rightfully mine." The ego uses power against the other for personal advantage.

What is needed is a radical change of our basic, self-serving nature, i.e., the ego-based self, what the Bible calls the heart.

How we view and treat others is a reflection of what is on the inside - what is in the heart. We do not need more rules to tell us what to do. The rules can tell us what to do, but cannot give us the power to do it. (Paul makes this point in Romans 8:2-3.) What we need is the Spirit to transform what is deep within us. As this transformation occurs, we will understand and embrace Jesus's position about the Law. He identified the greatest commandment as love: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus' summary of the Law: love God, love neighbor. Paul echoed Jesus in Galatians 5:14 - "For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" I've heard this truth expressed today in these words: if you have to choose between obeying a law and loving another, choose to love. You are never "in the wrong" when you choose to love.

What we need is love ... and that requires a radical change of heart. No rule or law can make me love, but the Spirit can empower me to do so.

May it be so for those of us who follow Jesus!