PUSHING THE LIMITS OF THE LAW
By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
© God’s Breath Publications

 

“For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”
Romans 2:13

 

In high school I took a class called “Sim-Soc.” It was basically a social science class that was a study of society. The name “Sim-Soc” stood for “Simulated Society.” In the class we were to choose a career that had specific goals. You were graded in the class on your participation with other members of the simulated society and how well you achieved the goals assigned to your particular career. I was in a quandary as to what career to choose. I finally settled on being a judge whose goal was to obtain power in the society. The class was fun because you had to form relationships with your classmates and deal with issues that your society faced. Once in a while the teacher would declare a famine or a war on the society and we would have to pool our resources to survive. Needless to say money was an important part of our society. The money was made with paper that the teacher had printed off using the school’s mimeograph machine. Each of us received pay for our career based on a set pay schedule according to the rules of the class.

 

I began to examine the money that the teacher had published. It was on normal white paper and the printing was of the standard blue mimeograph ink that I was accustomed to in school. The teacher had written on the mimeograph master various denominations of bills with a variety of pictures and included the words “Sim-Soc Bucks.” Now my brain tends to be creative and I remembered that the teacher had stated that we could use any means possible to obtain our goals as long as it didn’t break any rules of our “Sim-Soc” manual. I knew that both my parents were teachers at a nearby elementary school and I had seen them making tests and homework on mimeograph masters. I thought up a great idea on how to obtain an “A” in the class through the power of money.

 

No-where in the rulebook for the class was it mentioned that you couldn’t counterfeit money. I asked my parents if I could use a couple of their mimeograph masters to print money for the class. I explained to them how I could make counterfeit money without getting into trouble. They asked the superintendent of the elementary school where they worked if I could use the machine for this purpose and he was all for it, “Anything to promote education.” He said. So off I went tracing the original “Sim-Soc” bucks onto the mimeograph masters. I ran off hundreds of bills of all denominations.

 

In class my society never had to worry about a famine or war being declared. I just reached into my school binder and pulled out hundreds of dollars and paid off the war or bought tons of food with my counterfeit riches. My goals for the class were perfect for I had power over the entire society with my limitless funds. The teacher did find out eventually and he admitted that he had to give me an “A” because I had broken no rules of the manual. Of course next semester he made it illegal in the class to counterfeit money.

 

I wonder how many people, including both you and myself; push the limits of God’s rulebook like this? Do we examine the Ten Commandments and look for loopholes in order that we might sin without guilt? Do we twist scripture verses and wise Christian counsel we receive so that we can lead our lives the way we wish? Do we compromise the gospel in our lives to achieve goals we have set? While we may not be as obvious as I was in my class, I believe each of us at one time or another attempt to justify sin in some way or another. We rationalize our sin away by convincing ourselves that it really isn’t that bad or it’s not really breaking God’s commandments and advice. Often we justify our own sins by comparing them to the “bigger” sin we see in the world of murder, rape and embezzlement.

 

While we are under God’s merciful grace we are still called to obey His word. While we are not under the law regarding our salvation, we are still expected to live according to the guidelines and ordinances that are communicated to us through Scripture.

 

Early on in scripture God spoke to His chosen people regarding obedience. In Leviticus 18:4-5 it states, “You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.” Over and over again in the Old Testament we see what happened to the nation of Israel when they disobeyed God or refused to listen to His advice and direction.

 

David in Psalms 119:44 says, “I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.” And later in verses 101-102 he says, “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.” David knew what could happen if he started drifting away from God’s guidance. He knew all too well what happens if you start justifying your behavior by your own understanding. His own sin of lust and murder brought dire consequences to his own life. He had learned the hard way that to obey God was a most high priority.

 

In the New Testament we have continued instruction as to the importance of following the guidance of God’s Word, His Spirit and the counsel of others in the faith. 2 Thessalonians states 1:8-10 states, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” In the first part of this verse there are two conditions that seem to be tied together for God’s punishment to be expected. The first condition is if a person doesn’t know God they can expect God’s righteous judgment. Secondly it is stated that if they do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus righteous judgment hangs over their head. Part of obeying Jesus Christ is accepting who He said He was and obeying His commandments. Part of the proof of our salvation in Christ is continuing to obey His Word in our lives as we live as His servant.

 

We are not seeking to obey Christ if we are constantly looking for ways to obey by appearance rather than substance. If our heart is looking for ways to bend God’s Word to fit our lifestyle and habits then we are walking down the wrong path. Hebrews 4:12-13 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God knows our motives, our attitudes and the desires of our heart. We can’t fool Him. I fooled my teacher in high school for a short while, but we can’t fool God for even one millisecond. He instantly knows where we are spiritually and what our thought life is like to the most intimate detail.

 

How we live our Christian life speaks volumes about where our heart is with our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. This is addressed in 1 John 2:3-6 where it says, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

 

This verse DOES NOT SAY, “We know that we have come to know him if it looks to everyone else that we obey his commands, as we try to look for gaps in how we follow His words so we can avoid accurately obeying them as He intended.”

 

NO, NO, NO! Heaven forbid that we ever do this. Hebrews 10:21-24 again repeats what our desire should be, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” And again in Hebrews 3:12 we are told, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”

 

Let us not try to push the limit of the law nor God’s grace by seeking to obey by appearances. Let us seek to have our heart, mind and soul transformed by the Spirit, conformed to God’s Word, and reformed by God’s grace.