Grace over Law

From the beginning of human religious culture, there has been an interesting dynamic between a concentration on LAW and a practice of GRACE. It is a dynamic that lies at the core of contemporary religious conflict. 

 

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the dynamic between grace and law is first experienced in the ancient literature that forms the foundation of Torah. In the divided kingdoms of the 8th century, in the polemical kingdoms that gave rise to competing historical tales, the northern kingdom reflected in its literature a Royal Theology. The southern kingdom practiced a Covenant Theology, meaning that it defined a conditional relationship with God that was based on adherence to codes of behavior.

 

Both points of view appear in Torah, since much of The Law is derived from editing together the ancient documents of the northern and southern kingdoms. Priests retained both points of view. An oversimplification might suggest the Levitical Priests governed the law codes and the Priests of Melchizedek oversaw the application of grace.

 

When Jesus was born, the Pharisees and Sadducees ruled over the Law codes of Judaism. They placed stern demands on practitioners of Covenant Judaism. To these political and religious leaders, salvation was earned by faithful practice of the law. Salvation was neither freely given, nor easily retained. The Suzerainty relationship between God and God's people was seen as remarkably fragile. If it were broken, by individual unrighteousness, the nation would pay the corporate price for its citizens' unfaithfulness.

 

Jesus rejected this form of relationship with God. He practiced its alternative. Jesus taught and practiced grace. Grace is an unconditional acceptance of every other, based on the notion that all humankind is saved exclusively by God in Christ. Salvation is accomplished for humanity. Men and women do not and cannot earn salvation, because it is a universal human condition that God achieves in Christ Jesus.

 

Within a century of Jesus' Crucifixion/Resurrection, the Church that developed in Jesus' name had returned to a practice of law instead of grace. While the Great Reformation of the 16th century was an attempt to recover the theology of grace, it resulted only in law-based denominationalism.

 

Today, however, the Church stands at the precipice of changing culture. The culture is moving in a direction that demands diversity and universal acceptance. The Church, while lagging behind in the transition from a theology of law to one based in grace, is offered the opportunity to recover an ancient theological stream. Maybe now we can recover the theology of grace. Maybe now the Church of Jesus Christ can return to being an institution free of the restrictions of exclusivistic law to one steeped in inclusivity and universality.

 

The pendulum is swinging between the ancient dynamic of grace and law. Maybe this time we will embrace Jesus Christ.

 

See You Sunday!