Freedom

I read somewhere that the iconic theologian JI Packer once said that "any Christian worth his salt read the whole Bible, every year." Whether this is an actual quote of his or something just accredited to him doesn't matter because the thought in itself makes sense. And it is in this concept that I embarked on a reading of Bible from cover-to-cover in 2010.

One thing that hit me with such great importance from my reading of the first few books of the Bible is that we have incredible freedom. After God calls the Israelites out of Egypt and declares to them 'Be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.' (Lev. 19:2) God then goes on to show this new nation how to do so. He gives them Laws and procedures to follow. Everything from food production, to clothes to wear, to renewing cleanliness (necessary to be a part of the community) has a law governing how it is to be done.

Often times I have heard Christians talk about how much they wish God would just give them a list of things to do, a proper way to handle problems, or generally just make life easier. It became very apparent to me through the early books of the Bible (the Torah to Jews) is filled with just that and I am glad that we are not governed fully by those Laws anymore.

Jesus remarks, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Mt. 5:17-18) Thus nothing has changed, but rather our interaction with the Law has changed. For instance, sacrifices to atone for sin is no longer needed because Jesus is that sacrifice. And many other things have been made permissible to those that are members of the family of Jesus Christ.

I am reminded of Acts 10 where God, in a prelude to his saving act of the centurion Cornelius, shares with Peter that it is wrong to call unclean what God has called clean. Peter here is given the freedom to eat anything (disavowing the Jewish food laws) and to go into the house of a gentile (also against Jewish law) to complete what God has called him to do.

All of this is to say that I am very happy and excited to live in blood of Jesus Christ. Certain things, like having clothing made of different cloth (against Jewish law) aren't thought about much but are definitely permissible to us now. And who doesn't like a good poly/cotton blend? I also love my steaks medium-rare (against Jewish law) and the ability to use the bathroom in my house (Jewish law dictates that you have to leave the communal areas for such purposes). I am glad that we have freedom. But there is a restriction to those freedoms, and that will be reserved until next week.