Breaking the Law

Written by cycleguy on January 3rd, 2011

Late Sunday afternoon I left the church office to head home for some time playing the Wii with my bride.  She wasn’t quite ready to play so I went  back into my ManCave and eventually settled in to watch Les Miserables featuring Liam Neeson and others.  I had referenced it in my recent Wild at Heart class and decided to watch it again after getting it  back from loaning it to someone.  Les Miz is a classic story by Victor Hugo that must be at least 2000 pages long (okay so maybe not that long but it sure looks like it).   Long story short: it is a story of redemption working in the life of Jean ValJean, the main character.  I could spend several blogs just talking about the story but there is one rather poignant scene in the movie that struck me when I watched it.

Inspector Javert is Jean ValJean’s major “thorn-in-the-flesh.”  He was a guard in the quarries where ValJean was sentenced for 20 years for stealing bread for hungry relatives.   When assigned to Vigau as police inspector, he recognized ValJean, who was the mayor at that time.  He had come a long way to get his life straightened around and make something of himself (fulfilling a wish of a priest he had robbed earlier in his life).  Javert was a stickler for the law (although it didn’t stop him from stooping to cover up mistreatment of Fantine, a hooker falsely accused of violence).  The movie interplays Javert’s attempts to get to ValJean until at the end he finally arrests him.  To make Javert even more miserable was the fact that Valjean actually spared his life and showed him grace and forgiveness.  I will not ruin the ending for you except to share something Javert says to ValJean after he arrests him.  While Jean showed grace and forgiveness, those were foreign concepts to Javert.  He even says so in so many words. But the telling words are when he says, “I have always tried to live according to the law and keep everyone of them.”  (End of Les Miz reference so I don’t ruin it for you).

Sadly, there are many people who are trying to do just that in their spiritual lives and their walk with God.  Keeping the Law.  Even though it is an impossibility (Paul says so in Romans 7 and Galatians), there are still those “law-keepers” who walk around like spiritual police, brandishing their Bibles like billy-clubs, using it as a weapon to bully people into subjection.  There are several other blogs that do a much better effort at confronting legalism than I am able to do in this short post.  (I would draw your attention to Julie here and Jonathan here for a better glimpse into the world of legalism.   Julie’s has been around awhile and I have recommended hers before.  Jonathan’s is relatively new.)  My legalism was not the same as theirs.  Theirs was more akin to what clothes to wear, what music to listen to, what books to read, the real “you-can’t-do-this” type of legalism. Mine was more a doctrinal legalism i.e. unless you do things a certain way and are baptized with a certain formula you were lost;  unless you go to church Sunday morning/evening and Wednesday you can’t say you are a committed Christian (if you were one at all), etc (I’m sure you get the drill).  Ad infinitum, ad nauseum.   I found out that not only was my faith dying and needed resuscitated but I am pretty sure very sure my approach didn’t help anyone grow closer to Jesus and make a life change.  Guilt is a terrible motivator.

Several verses of Scripture come to mind as I write this-  “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” [I Cor.3:6] and “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” [I Cor.3:17]-  to name a few.  We are all law breakers.  The Scripture is pretty plain when it says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”  We are incapable of keeping the law and yet, what fries me, are those who continually try to put a yoke upon believers that has no business being put on us.  Do you remember the incident in Acts 15 that brought about the letter from the apostles  that specifically said, “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?  But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”  (emphasis mine).  Salvation would not come by the Law or living trying to live according to the Law.  Salvation would could only come through grace.

Why do I say this?  Well…at the beginning of every new year people will make laws resolutions they will try to live by.  As always they will soon find out it is impossible to do so.  But there will be those who will lay the guilt down, condemn and write-a-person-off spiritually because they failed or fell.  I reckon I am encouraging you to live in freedom.  Live life with abandon (within God’s boundaries obviously).  Don’t allow the “keepers of the law” to steal your freedom!!

Have any thoughts you would like to share?  Please feel free to join in the conversation.

 

33 Comments so far ↓

  1. jasonS says:

    When I allow grace to work in me, I am much more resolute than if I try to accomplish change on my own. It’s the only way I’ve experienced true lasting change without constant striving. Great thoughts as usual, Bill. Thank you.

    • cycleguy says:

      you are absolutely right Jason. True lasting change will only happen when grace rules and not law or self. Thanks for the comment. 🙂

  2. Zee says:

    I *LOVE* that Les Miserables movie version… it was the only time in my life (so far, anyway) when a movie made me read the book (usually it’s the other way around) and I fell in love with Hugo… re-read Les Mis several times and read his other books too…

    Oh, and the story of Javert… so sad, yet there were so many times when I was seriously about to kill the man with my own bare hands (I guess the only person I hated in that book more than Javert was Marius for the way he treated Jean Val-Jean (the fact that he didn’t know it was Jean who saved his neck doesn’t really save him…)…

    But I digress… I agree that living 100% according to the Law is impossible (and this is where Adidas motto doesn’t apply)… If we could do it, we wouldn’t need perfect Christ to die for our sins. Just the other day I was listening to Romans 7 where Paul talks about the Law. Law itself is not bad – but the extremes are dangerous, as always. Too much Law and you become a legalist; too little – and you become uncontrollable…

    • cycleguy says:

      Zee: I had seen that over 8 years ago but just purchased it several months ago. I had forgotten how good it was. So much good stuff. I have not read Hugo’s version but have listened to Radio Theatre (excellent) and the book it was based on. Fantastic! The lesson of redemption & forgiveness was powerful. I certainly agree with your last paragraph. We do need to strike a balance between law & license. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      • Zee says:

        oooooooh, you should read the book… it’s AWESOME (well, I have to admit that I skipped some detailed Paris geography details) – but the depth of Hugo’s descriptions of emotional and spiritual lives of the characters is stunning. That is probably THE thing I love about his books – he knows how to make the reader FEEL the anguish or joy or the rest of the ocean of emotions. I was talking and arguing out loud when I was reading the book (I guess that’s when I started talking to myself when reading books…). I want to check out that Radio Theater – sounds good.

  3. jeff says:

    I am with you on this one. Interactions with others requires you to “Let your light SHINE” Legalists have a very dim light in my opinion. They are not a “thorn in the flesh”. They are a “pain in the ass.”

  4. Tony Alicea says:

    “Guilt is a terrible motivator”

    SO true! I think some people forget that the Gospel means “good news”. 🙂

  5. Jason says:

    Ah, Les Miserables. The book is fantastic. 🙂 And let me give away the ending! At the end…….

    …is the last page.

    Sorry to ruin it for you. 🙂

    As for what you wrote, no law is stealing my freedom!

  6. Legalistic, Bible-thumping, hate-spewing, judgmental, God’s Police Force….

    Sounds like folks who suffer from deep-seated self-loathing, to me. Since I have finally, FINALLY!, gotten it into my spirit to ‘love myself as my neighbor’, I feel a great swell of pity for these people. I know how it feels to be a slave to such a ruthless and jealous taskmaster.

    It sucks.

  7. Mercy withholds the knife from the heart of Isaac.
    Grace provides a ram in the thicket.

    Mercy runs to forgive the prodigal.
    Grace throws a party with a robe, a ring, and a fatted calf.

    Mercy hears the cry of the thief on the cross.
    Grace promises paradise that very day.

    Mercy converts Paul on the road to Damascus.
    Grace calls him to be the great apostle.

    Mercy closes the door to hell.
    Grace opens the door to heaven.

    Mercy withholds what you deserve.
    Grace gives you what you do not deserve.

    I owe my life to my new just discovered companions..grace and mercy.
    Thank you for your life giving words Bill, they are precious and powerful.

    • cycleguy says:

      Julie: you’re welcome but I have much to be grateful for with my friends also. And I am grateful our paths have crossed. You have taught me so much. thanks for the comment.

    • Zee says:

      wow, this is great, Julie! i love this.

      Mercy withholds what you deserve.
      Grace gives you what you do not deserve.
      – so true and amazing!

  8. Ike says:

    “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” Colossians 2:6.

    Christian living goes by the same ground rules as Christian conversion. Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone apart from all our works — that’s how we enter, that’s how we live. We never advance beyond grace. We never graduate to “deeper things.” Sanctification gets traction from the positive energy of justification.

    When you came into Christ, the whole flow of your life reversed. You crossed the Continental Divide from self-justification, with all its painful complications, to grace-justification, with all its happy freedom. Don’t cross back. The whole flow of your life is grace. Enjoy it, moment by moment.

    • cycleguy says:

      Love what you say here Ike. That last paragraph is a keeper! Hope you and Carol are doing well. thanks for taking the time to come by.

  9. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    We don’t need to break the Law we are already free of the Law through Christ. We fulfill the requirements of the old Law through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Romans chp 8? some of my thoughts.

    Abiding in Christ gives us a much higher calling and much higher depth of holiness and much greater ability for holy living than we could ever have in our flesh by keeping the Law of the 10 commandments. Even if we could keep it 100% of the time.

    So I guess what I’m thinking is the requirements of the Law are even greater for us who are in Christ. Not the keeping of ‘do’ and ‘don’t’ but a gift of holiness that manifests itself in our physical lives by the power of the Spirit of God.

    I am thinking that many Christians are trying to live for Christ in the flesh. They will eventually move more and more toward legalism in their lives.

    Living in the Spirit is a matter of the heart, love and devotion to Christ. Eg. If we steal, we make every effort not to steal. We ask God to help us resist the temptation to steal. We read scriptures and learn of strengths we find as we read the Bible to give us strength not to steal. We pray right there and ask God to give us strength to walk away and not steal anything.

    We use the scriptures against the power of our flesh and against the enemy of our souls (maybe by speaking these scriptures out loud in the name of Jesus) in the moment of temptation and gain the victory. Eventually or perhaps soon, we have victory over stealing in our lives and it becomes a non issue for us.

    In my thinking we have to use the word of God to get victory in our lives. We have to call upon God, and speak the name of Jesus over our sin and tempations asking God to help us get the victory over these. This is a whole lot easier than trying to resist temptation in the power of our human flesh. There is no lasting victory in the arm of flesh.
    Some of my thoughts.

    • cycleguy says:

      Linda: “living in the Spirit is a matter of the heart, love and devotion” is what serving Christ is all about. Not a “have to” but a “want to” out of deep love. thanks for bringing that to the front.

  10. Jim F. says:

    A number of thoughts have entered my mind while reading this but I think the one that sticks out the most might be slightly off topic at first but really bring around the truth of what you write. Many will fail in their resolutions – something like 90% or more of resolutions are broken and/or forgotten by the 3rd week of Jan. What is great is that we do not have to have a New Year because God’s mercies are new every morning! I love this for a couple of reasons. One is that God is always merciful and two it is an example for us to be merciful to others and ourselves.

    I hope I did not stray too much – good thoughts!

  11. Tom Raines says:

    Thanks Bill. Honesty and humbleness in the Grace of God. The love and example of Jesus was so awesome. We are all jars of clay. Thanks for the reminder of humbleness love of Jesus!

  12. Susan says:

    Les Miserábles is one of my favorite stories. I pity the Jarverts of the world. They live pinched lives in a small, dark, dank cave, and hope it will weigh in on their report card. Worse yet, they insist that everyone do likewise.

    Thank you.

    • cycleguy says:

      Susan: thanks for coming by. I see you on Julie’s site. I too pity the Javerts of the world. What they are missing is beyond measure! Thanks so much for coming by.

  13. I will take that encouragement and raise you a “go for it”. Thank Bro’…it was a blessing to read this today! (as always)

  14. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I think we have to remember the book of James in our thinking. Our gift of grace from God manifests itself in our physical lives. Our gift of grace moves into our works. Faith without works is dead James says. Faith by itself profits us nothing. It has to show up in our being and our actions.

    I think of Peter and John and the crippled man in front of the temple at Jerusalem. First of all Peter held out his hand and gave an invitation to the crippled man ‘in the name of Jesus’. That powerful, wonderful name. Then, the crippled man had to respond and take Peter’s hand. Peter had to pull the man upright onto his feet, and the crippled man had to make the effort to stand up on feet that normally gave away on him.

    Grace and faith are not passive. They’re not simply gifts to look at and admire. They require a receiving and an effort on our part. A working together with the Spirit of God.
    talk to you later.

    • Zee says:

      I am quite familiar with the passage from James you quoted, Linda, but I can’t help but wonder… is it a true faith when there are no works? I mean, can a person truly BELIEVE in our God, the One who came into our world to serve… believe and do nothing with that faith? The desire to do something is quite natural… isn’t it?

  15. lindaM says:

    Hi Zee,
    The Bible says the devils believe.
    We are told in the Bible to fight the good fight of faith.

    Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. However, the Bible goes on to say that Abraham acted on his belief that God would keep his word and his covenant when he prepared to take Isaac’s life by his own hand.

    The Bible teaches that our fleshly desires are evil. We may desire to do good but in the working out of that desire we are waring against our flesh.

    We have to be purposeful in getting the flesh under the control of our spirit. If we don’t our flesh will have it’s victory in our lives and we will experience the consequences of that.
    The flesh absolutely cannot win in our lives. If we continue to walk in the flesh we will not do well in God. We have to fight it using the name of Jesus and the word of God.

    The things of God are purposeful and intentional. Because we are believers does not mean that we will now just naturally move into everything God has for us.
    We have to receive, we have to pray and ask, we have to fight to get it.
    Not fight to get it from God, but fight our old nature, and our flesh so we can have what God wants us to have in Him.