Changing Laws
"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:19-20a)
When the Apostle Paul speaks of "the law," he addresses not just a group of religious ordinances, but laws that organize and preserve public order. Food laws provided a safer way of safeguarding the community's physical health. When marriage laws were instituted, they were set to protect women without other means of survival. As the ancient world changed, the religious laws transformed. The faith community instituted other laws to cement the uniqueness of a small community of believers so they wouldn't assimilate into the larger culture and their pagan gods.
Faithful transformation is why we are called to continually review our religious laws, ordinances, and moral and ethical understandings. Laws against homosexuality, for example, were initially set up because the tiny community needed to grow to survive. Homosexuality did not meet that particular need. Assimilation was also an issue. The Greeks and Romans, for example, did not have the same level of aversion to homosexuality, so the Jewish community spoke strongly against it as a means of keeping themselves individuated. Many of the fears in the ancient world are no longer an issue today. As it relates to population, we are experiencing the opposite effects today.
The Bible remains an authoritative witness, but that does not mean we must embrace outmoded laws that are no longer culturally relevant. Many of those laws today are anathema. Anyone, or any organization, who treats the LGBTQ community disrespectfully is acting sinful and immoral. Limiting the rights of women both in houses of worship and in the community is against the will of God. Marrying outside one's ethnic group was sometimes a Biblical expectation thousands of years ago, but it is now appropriate and should be a non-issue.
These cultural transitions are why learning one's Bible and seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance to interpret your reading is so important. The Bible has been used to manipulate and injure too many times. Many of the KKK and Alt-Right people, carrying their torches and singing their anti-semitic rants, base their sick ideology on a warped Biblical justification. Misinterpretation can negatively impact the entire nation and for generations. Pray for your Biblical wisdom, then offer prayers that our world will learn to follow a Biblical interpretation of mercy, love, and peace.
This devotion was originally published in August of 2017