3rd Sunday of Lent, 2021 - Authentic Spirituality

It's an age-old issue that, seemingly, each generation and each individual has to resolve. It seems to me some never resolve it and, thus, get stuck. 

Today's lectionary readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent raise the issue once again, inviting us to work through the issue in our own minds. It is a valid exercise for the Lenten journey.  

The issue is the role of the law in the spiritual life.  

The Old Testament reading is Exodus 20:1-17, what is commonly called the Ten Commandments. Many like to proclaim they live by them as the gold standard for behavior. Such "boasting" fails to understand the commandments. 

The commandments were given to the people of Israel after generations as slaves in Egypt. The were foundational guidelines for how to live together in covenant community. They were a starting place, not the end goal. They dealt with behavior - specifically, what not to do. Eight of the ten are stated negatively - you shall not. Don't do this. 

We would do well to follow Jesus in our view of the Ten Commandments. In his interaction with one we call the rich young ruler, we see that one can keep the commandments and still be lacking (Mark 10:17-22). In other words, the commandments are not the final objective. Keeping them will not bring a sense of inner wholeness. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus specifically referenced these commandments when he said, "You have heard it said ... but I say to you" (Matthew 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). His teaching pushed beyond a focus on behavior to the principle upon which the commandment was built. He taught we could keep the commandment (behavior) and yet violate the principle. Our attitude about and toward another, for example, could be a form of murder. Jesus identified a single law that displaced the law of Moses: love God by loving neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40). At its core, the law is not about behavior. It is about how we live in relationship with others. Which means, it is about what is in our hearts.

Paul taught the law was for the early stages of our spiritual development. It was like a disciplinarian teaching us something more than behavior (Galatians 3:19-29). It's purpose was to move us beyond a focus on behavior to the inner condition of our hearts. It was to help us recognize Sin (with a capital S). Sin (with a capital S) is the heart (pardon the pun) of the problem. Our sins (little s, plural - behavior) are the result of Sin. They are the symptoms of an underlying disease, Sin. They are the fruit; Sin is the root. Paul said the law helps us recognize we are slaves to Sin. The law with its regulations about behavior was designed to teach us about Sin, that is, the condition of our hearts (Romans 7:7-25). 

The psalmist seemed to have understood this role of the law, as well. Psalm 19 celebrates the law by piling up statements that proclaim its benefits (Psalm 19:7-11). They seemingly have no down side: "who can detect their errors?" (Psalm 19:12a). But then the psalmist voiced a simple prayer that is easily overlooked: "Clear me from hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12b). Hidden faults - those things I do not see - those things about myself that I don't want to see - those things that are in my heart - those inner attitudes and spirit by which I murder another without ever taking their physical life. 

The psalm ends with the prayer that is often parroted by preachers as they stand to preach: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). There it is again - the meditation of my heart! What's on the inside. 

The spiritual life is about what's on the inside - the transformation of the heart. And only the Spirit can transform the heart (Romans 8:1-17). 

We church people are prone to laws. We frequently deal in standards of right and wrong, what is acceptable versus what is not. In doing so, we think we are being spiritual, but, in reality, we are avoiding authentic spirituality. Focusing on law keeps our focus on behavior - externals. Authentic spirituality is about the transformation of the heart - the internal. 

We like law, rules, standards, morals. We use them to measure ourselves and how we are doing. We use them to judge others and how they fail to measure up. Our focus on laws and rules feeds our sense of being O.K. by letting us feel we are better than those who fail to measure up. We like law, rules, standards, and morals because they focus on behavior - what we do. We have the power to change our behavior. We can stop doing something that is considered wrong or start doing something that is considered right. Focusing on behavior keeps us in control. Focusing on behavior helps us avoid looking at what is in our hearts. It keeps us from seeing what we don't want to see about ourselves. 

Law, rules, standards, and morals are dimensions of merit-based thinking. They appeal to self-reliance and self-effort. They are the life-blood of the ego-based self. (See again last week's blog: 2nd Sunday of Lent, 2021 - Dying to Self - February 28, 2021.) 

Law, rules, standards, and morals are not the way of grace or faith. As long as we build our religious life around law, rules, standards, and morals, we seek to earn God's favor by measuring up to the demands of the law. We live out of a deserving-mentality. We have not discovered the path of authentic spirituality - the way of grace that leads to the transformation of the heart. At best, we are stuck in an early stage of spiritual development in which we are blind to ourselves - self-deceived. We live out of a religious ego-based identity constructed by conforming to the law, rules, standards, and morals of our religious group. 

Some kind of failure - or repeated failure - is needed to move us beyond our focus on externals. The pain of trying and failing leads us to ask, "What is wrong with me? Why can't I do this?" Such questions position us to see what is in our hearts. There, dealing honestly with what is in our hearts, we encounter God. There, we discover we are accepted just as we are. There, we learn we are freely forgiven. There, we experience love that is unconditional. There, we discover grace. 

We church people like to sing and talk about grace, yet we often live out of the law. As we walk this Lenten journey, perhaps we would do well to join the psalmist in praying: "clear me from hidden faults." 

As we walk this Lenten journey, may the Spirit who transforms our hearts and minds help us see those things about ourselves that we don't want to see so that we might experience the grace that produces authentic spirituality.