The Law of Christ - Traveling in Freedom

This short paper was written as a follow up to the previous post titled "The Treasure Hunt".
Hopefully it helps us understand the difference between living under the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.

The Law of Christ – Traveling in Freedom

A practical illustration for us, as believers, to help us understand the Law of Christ in relationship to the Law of Moses, is to see ourselves as travelers on roadways with traffic laws
(i.e., the Law of Moses), yet always traveling in conscious awareness of “loving our neighbor as ourselves.” (i.e., The Law of Christ) (Lev.19:18; Matt.5:43)

This translates into our exhibiting, by the grace of God working within us, the fruit of the Spirit
(Gal.5:22-23) to our fellow travelers in ways that, if our intent was merely to obey the traffic laws, we would not experience the joy of loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Traffic laws are observable. There are signs and regulations that are readily seen. But the Law of Christ is not observable in the sense that we can point to signs posted along the way and be
satisfied we have met, or are meeting, the requirements of these laws.

As an example - a sign saying, “Do not stop on shoulder of road” might justify us from helping a fellow traveler who has inadvertently driven into a ditch on the side of the road. Some might continue driving on, because, as their argument might go, they have kept their obligation to the posted law. The Law of Christ however, would enable us to see beyond the “letter” of the law (which was to prevent thoughtless parking on the side of the road) and give us liberty to help out our fellow traveler.

In another instance, obeying the posted 10 mile an hour speed limit in a subdivision where we observe children are playing may not get you a ticket, but may still endanger a child who runs unawares into the street. The Law of Christ, not the posted speed limit, will cause us to slow down even more, and to be watchful for one of these “little ones”.

But believers coexist with an unbelieving world. There is a good purpose for traffic laws. There is a reason for the Law of Moses also. Both laws attempt to keep the disobedient orderly (1 Tim.1:8-11). Without laws, the unbeliever would have no self-justifying reason or obligation to refrain from doing as they please.

Traffic laws hold people accountable, under threat of punishment, and protect us from careless or purposeful lawlessness. In the same way, The Law of Moses holds even those who profess they keep that law accountable. At best, those laws create order. At their worst, no one can claim to have kept them perfectly (Romans 3:19-20).

The freedoms we believers have in traveling in a world of laws, yet set free to ultimately obey the Law of Christ, are expressed by our concern for the well being of our fellow travelers. There is no limitation to the amount of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control (the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5) we might display to
others while traveling. This is why Galatians 5:23 ends with, “against such there is no law.”

Imagine traveling the country on roads where there is no traffic laws to be enforced, yet everyone is looking out for each other!

While we need laws to protect ourselves from those who desire to live recklessly, what laws would be needed to restrict us from loving and serving each other?

Merely obeying traffic laws, or the Law of Moses, can result in a joyless, loveless journey. The freedom to do more than the law requires, as the Law of Christ enables us to, makes every
detour, hill, valley, and encounter with others, only another opportunity to express the love of Christ.

For believers, the Law of Christ is written on our hearts and cannot be taught,
only revealed to us as an act of God in salvation. As we read the Word of God and contemplate
the example of Jesus Christ, we will see more clearly how to manifest the Law of Christ in our lives.