The Law Killeth, The Spirit Giveth Life

Psalm 72 • Psalm 119:73-96
Ecclus. 43:23-33 • Rev. 16:1-11 • Luke 13:10-17

These words form the backdrop behind the altar of a small Unity Church on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas. My friend, David Cromer, invited me to accompany him to church one Sunday morning in the 1980s. When we entered the sanctuary I saw those words prominently displayed, and I wanted to shout, "Amen and Amen!" I have always had difficulty when the letter of the law is emphasized at the expense of the spirit. Do you think I might be harboring some letter-of-the-law stuff in my unconscious?

Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The law killeth — the spirit giveth life. And yet, Jesus also said that he came not to destroy but to fulfill the law. So which is it, Jesus — how are we to view and respond to the law? What about unjust laws? 

Richard Rohr, a prophetic Franciscan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says we must know the law in order to break it properly. Don't you love it when a Roman Catholic priest challenges us to break a law! It reminds me of John Lewis saying we need to look for "good trouble."

Could it be that when we confront the law, one of those paradoxes that seem to appear frequently on the spiritual journey is encountered? We need to make room in our consciousness for these seeming contradictions. Rohr calls it "holding the opposites" or the "both/and." He goes on to say that if we encounter something on our spiritual journey that is not paradoxical we should be suspicious of its veracity.

It seems the voices in our country who see things as black or white (make that mostly white), either/or, all or nothing — have much bigger followings than those who view the world as more nuanced. Their demand is for something to believe in with seeming certainty. The letter of the law is much easier to state unequivocally — our country, right or wrong, love it or leave it—sometimes wrong but never in doubt. 

What is the way out of this paralyzing polarization? A beginning would be to stop demonizing those who disagree with us. This task is made more difficult by our elected leaders pouring gasoline on the flames of political differences. What would Jesus say or do about our country at this time in history? Can we learn to listen to that still small Voice...and to each other? May God help us do both. Cowabunga!

Written by Nicholas Cole

...who is glad to be surrendering to the Holy Spirit...on the good days!