By Faith Or By Law?
The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Is it better to live according to faith or according to the law?
Is the path of wisdom one of reflection and deepening awareness, cultivating a natural habit of doing that which is right?
Is the path of wisdom instead one of scrupulously studying the law and knowing all its particulars, pursuing doggedly obedience to every jot and tittle?
Can we clear our conscience by rationalizing our behavior as conforming to the law, or does the pricking of our conscience mean our faith has already told us we have stumbled however much?
If we are to live according to the law—according to the letter of the law—then there is a detailed accounting of the law for us to follow. If we are to live according to the letter of the law then there is authority to tell us what to do in every circumstance, every possibility, every occasion.
If we are to live according to faith then the law serves by framing our thoughts, and providing context to recognize the moral from the immoral, the good from the bad, the precious metal from the dross.
If we are to live according to the law, does the law promise anything in return for obedience and fidelity to its strictures?
Certainly Leviticus 26 promises the people of Israel prosperity and abundance if they will carry out all that God commands. Yet that reward is conditioned on fulfilling all of the law. The people of Israel are charged to keep the whole of the law to enjoy God’s favor.
Leviticus 26 also promises the people of Israel suffering and despair if they reject all that God commands.
Obey all the law and we are rewarded. Reject all the law and we are punished.
This is not a hard bargain to fathom. It even makes sense. Do parents not teach their children thus—praising for obedience while punishing for obstinacy?
But what child is not obstinate at least now and again? Even as adults, who among us keeps the whole of what God commands?
I certainly will not make that claim for myself. It is equally certain the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23 points out that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
I cannot claim to have kept God’s Law. Romans teaches us that none of us have kept God’s Law. Do you claim to keep God’s Law?
If I cannot claim to have kept God’s Law, which side of the transaction am I on? How can I be on the side of obedience, the side which is rewarded, if I know that I have not kept God’s Law?
If I cannot claim to have kept God’s Law, if I admit to having now and again transgressed against God’s Law, am I condemned to the suffering and despair Leviticus 26 says is the consequence of rejecting God’s Law? If I have tried and failed to keep God’s Law, am I still thus condemned?
If I apply the letter of the law, there is no argument to be made that it should be otherwise.
Yet God can be merciful. Leviticus 26 tells us what God promises to do—what God most assuredly can do. Leviticus 26 does not bind God to do every harsh thing that he has promised. Leviticus 26 does not tell God that He must send us sudden terror, disease, and suffering upon each transgression. Leviticus 26 merely tells us that we can expect sudden terror, disease, and suffering upon each transgression.
In both reward and punishment, Leviticus 26 promises what God can do. We are told what God will do for the people of Israel in return for perfect obedience, and what what God will do to the people of Israel in return for perfect obstinacy. We are not told God has no choice but to do exactly these things and only these things. We are not told how God will respond when we are imperfect in both obedience and obstinacy.
And we are imperfect in both obedience and obstinacy. As much as we strive to do that which is right, at least sometimes we stumble and do that which is wrong. As much as we yearn for the reward that comes from obedience, we earn the punishment that comes from obstinacy.
How then, are we to live? How can we live according to God’s Law if we cannot hope to be perfect in keeping God’s Law?
Do we dare hope that God will be merciful? Do we dare hope that God will accept our repentence and our remorse when we sin and fall short of the Glory of God?
I know that is exactly what I hope. That is exactly the prayer I make every day, that God will be merciful and forgive me my faults and shortcomings.
Yet when we dare hope, is that not also having faith? Surely this must be, for hope and faith are synonymous. To hope is to have faith, and to have faith is to hope.
If we set out to live by the letter of the law, by the letter even of God’s Law, and hope that God will forgive us those moments when we fall short, is that living by the law or living by faith?
If we cannot be perfect in obedience to the law, is it even possible for us to live any way except by faith?
If we must live by faith, living by the law not being an option for us, then it follows that we should be diligent and purposeful in our faith. It follows that we should reflect, we should pray, we should meditate and deepen our awareness. If follows that we should cultivate the mindset and heart to naturally do what is right, knowing that such will conform to God’s Law because it is right.
I strive to keep God’s Law. Because I am imperfect in this, I pray daily for God’s forgiveness. In daring to hope for God’s forgiveness, I have faith in God’s Mercy.
I strive to keep God’s Law, because I have faith in God’s Mercy.
I strive to keep God’s Law, because I live by faith in God.
How do you live? How do you choose to live?
Do you keep God’s Law because you mean to live by God’s Law? Or do you strive to keep God’s Law because you choose to live by faith in God?
The divide between living by faith or by law is a question many grapple with, and your analysis offers much to ponder.
You do an excellent job of highlighting the subtle differences between faith and law, particularly in the role of conscience, reflection, and the purpose of God's law. Your points on human imperfection strike a chord, as we all struggle with being both obedient and imperfect.
The passage from Galatians 5:1 reinforces the point you made about the role of law in relation to faith:
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
This verse suggests that Christ’s death on the cross has freed us from the burden of the law and its requirement for perfection. Instead, through faith in Jesus, we find freedom and can avoid the ‘yoke of slavery’ that can come from trying to live by law alone.
Looking forward to Reformation day this year.