“I want to live perfectly above the law, and make it my servant instead of my master. “ Brigham Young
The law is a set of rules that govern human interaction and behaviour. Broadly speaking, it sets the standards by which everyone in society is to be judged. In fact there is a maxim or a legal principle which states that one cannot be punished for doing something that is not prohibited by law.
The Scriptures have this concept of operating in such a way that one is living above the law. Paul teaches that if we possess some particular virtues, there would be no law against us. He writes in Galatians 5:22 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” More on this later where Paul zeroes in on the virtue of love that encompasses all law.
The systems of law have evolved in the sense to govern how people interact with each other and also how sovereign nations interact with each other too. As an example I was reading a story about approximately 6000 residents of Ottawa being effectively above the law. See these are people with diplomatic immunity who reside in that city but are representatives of other countries. These people with diplomatic immunity are essentially in every country and the idea is if they were to do any unlawful act, while in that foreign country, they would be handed over to their own country’s authorities to be dealt with accordingly. So in this instance, the story talks of a vehicle that was being driven dangerously down the highway in Ottawa. As many as nine Police vehicles gave chase and apprehended the driver who was visibly drunk. The driver flashed his badge to show that he had diplomatic immunity, he was then driven to his embassy and police contacted the Foreign Affairs Department. If he was not a diplomat, the consequences would have been different, his license would be suspended and if convicted he would face a steep fine. I suppose there are many similar cases around the world.
I think one of the most interesting conversations between Jesus and his disciples is the conversation he had with Peter about taxes. The conversation had an interesting look at the requirement to pay taxes. In Matthew 17:24-27 we find the following story:
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
So in essence Jesus who is essentially the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of all there is, is revealing to Peter that he is literally exempt from paying taxes. However, because of the context in which they were operating, he instructs Peter to go ahead and pay the taxes anyway. And according to this passage and others, he would pay the taxes that were required in his day.
There is this article from the List.com that listed some laws that the British Royal Family is exempt from. In particular, it indicated that the Queen is exempt from paying taxes. However, they wrote how she has voluntarily paid them since 1992. It is interesting how the tax practices of Kings centuries ago when Jesus walked the earth are in many respects seemingly still the same.
The effects of the law on us as human beings are quite interesting. The law has the intention of directing our behaviour. It works in many respects but again as human nature is, some get overwhelmingly compelled to do the very opposite of what the law said. I read the following story told by Theologian H.A. Ironside of a Navajo young man from Arizona who had unusually keen intelligence. One Sunday evening, the youngman went with Ironside to the young people’s meeting. They were talking about the epistle to the Galatians, and the special subject was law and grace. They were not very clear about it, and finally one turned to the Navajo young man and asked him if he had anything to say about the topic they were discussing.
He rose to his feet and said, “Well, my friends, I have been listening very carefully, because I am here to learn all I can in order to take it back to my people. I do not understand all that you are talking about, and I do not think you do yourselves. But concerning this law and grace business, let me see if I can make it clear. I think it is like this. When Mr. Ironside brought me from my home we took the longest railroad journey I ever took. We got out at Barstow, and there I saw the most beautiful railroad station and hotel I have ever seen. I walked all around and saw at one end a sign, ‘Do not spit here.’ I looked at that sign and then looked down at the ground and saw many had spitted there, and before I think what I am doing I have spitted myself. Isn’t that strange when the sign say, ‘Do not spit here’?
“I come to Oakland and go to the home of the lady who invited me to dinner today and I am in the nicest home I have been in. Such beautiful furniture and carpets, I hate to step on them. I sank into a comfortable chair, and the lady said, ‘Now, John, you sit there while I go out and see whether the maid has dinner ready.’ I look around at the beautiful pictures, at the grand piano, and I walk all around those rooms. I am looking for a sign; and the sign I am looking for is, ‘Do not spit here,’ but I look around those two beautiful drawing rooms, and cannot find a sign like this. I think ‘What a pity when this is such a beautiful home to have people spitting all over it — too bad they don’t put up a sign!’ So I look all over that carpet, but cannot find that anybody have spitted there. What a queer thing! Where the sign says, ‘Do not spit,’ a lot of people spitted. Where there was no sign at all, in that beautiful home, nobody spitted. Now I understand! That sign is law, but inside the home it is grace. They love their beautiful home, and they want to keep it clean. They do not need a sign to tell them so. I think that explains the law and grace business.”
As he sat down, a murmur of approval went round the room and the leader exclaimed, “I think that is the best illustration of law and grace I have ever heard.”
So it appears that where there is love for something or someone, then there is no need for a law to remind us on which way to behave ourselves. Presumably, the correct and appropriate actions follow.
So what is your perspective about the law?
For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should aspire to live not only within the law but also above the law. In so doing, we esteem higher virtues. That we stand by the law of a Higher Power such that if there is any law that is in conflict with it, we would be empowered and have the authority to go against it. There are times when some laws may be oppressive, but one operating above the law would be guided by the divine law to carry out the acts that are in harmony with the Sovereign, the Most High.
In conclusion, I suppose we should aspire towards love for it is the perfect fulfillment of all that the law requires. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:8-10
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
