Keeping God's Law

In thinking a little more about the importance of the writings of Saint Paul for grasping what Jesus teaches us about the Law, it's good to look at another key passage from his Letter to the Galatians. The passage is found in the fifth chapter of Galatians. The passage begins with verse 13 and goes to the end of the chapter: verse 26.

Overall the passage is about the essence of Christian freedom. Hence, it begins with "For you were called for freedom... But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love" (Gal 5:13). In its essence, Christian freedom is freedom for and not freedom from. This is borne out by the number of passages in Paul's letters in which he addresses how Christians are to deal with suffering.

It is in verse 14 that Paul writes what is relevant to our relationship to the Law: "For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal 5:14). This a rare instance when the apostle seems to be quoting the words of Jesus.

Making rules is a very human tendency. It is not necessarily a bad one. After all, loving my neighbor as I love myself is kind of vague and ambiguous. On the other hand, there is no clear-cut answer that fits every situation. This is where Paul's often overlooked insistence that Christians must rely on the Holy Spirit's guidance comes into play.

It is in this very passage that Paul enumerates the gifts of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23). And so, as a Christian, in any and all situations, I am to speak and act under the influence of the Spirit. To act in Spirit-filled ways is what it means to keep God's Law because it is how I discern how to love this person in this situation, which is how I keep God's Law.