Rogation Fr. F. W. Burgett
Trinity Anglican Church Given 05/09/10
“Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
(St. James 1. 25)
“The Perfect Law of Liberty” is an interesting phrase. The word liberty was used many times in reference to the founding of our country. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Thomas Jefferson described, “life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as “inalienable rights given by God”. Our much unused Pledge of Allegiance speaks of “liberty and justice for all”. Our National Hymn refers to “our sweet land of liberty”. All of these are in reference to liberty as a privilege or right. None of these refer to the Law of Liberty.
One might think that the perfect Law of Liberty is the goal of our many judicial systems and decisions. It may well be the objective, but the results are certainly arguable. Most of us realize liberty cannot simply be bestowed. We understand that the right to liberty must be earned, treasured and protected. Unfortunately, we often have a tendency to define liberty from our own perspective. We actively pursue the terms of our own individual liberty. We are somewhat more passive about granting liberty to others especially if it places limitations on our actions. We learn just how precious it is when we start to lose it. Historically, we start to lose it when we try to keep it to ourselves and deny it to others.
The discussion up to this point has revolved around civil rights and political conditions. Almost all discussions of liberty refer primarily to our culture and society. We are most concerned that our culture and society do not restrict our access to liberty. However, this “Perfect Law of liberty” referenced in our text is something outside our reach altogether. To understand what is meant we must return to Scripture. Liberty is a precondition of human choice. Without it, we cannot make choices between true and false, good and bad, or right and wrong. Without it we lose God’s gift of “Free Will”. Without it we can have no character. Our character is formed around choice, discipline, responsibility and obedience. These elements define our expression of our Christian ethic.
When we talk of liberty as a privilege and right, we refer to the relationship between us and our culture. We sometimes lament the seeming lack of character in the world around us. At the same time, we seldom show our standards and practices of choice, responsibility and obedience. We do that to protect them from outside influences. While this might protect them from outside influences and prevent others from second-guessing our choices, it hides our standards from their scrutiny. If we wonder why we seem to be so different from everyone else, it may be because we don’t share our standards with others. If we fail to share our Christian ethics with those around us, we are ignoring our responsibility to the culture. Our culture is really the sum of the character of our individual citizens. If our culture does not reflect our views, perhaps we are not doing enough to make our standards obvious to others. Perhaps we are holding back our unique contribution to the character of our society.
St. Paul says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” This means we can choose to be set free from the bonds of sin. We can choose to be under the discipline of God’s Law and possess the guidance of the Spirit. I’m sure, no one will say so aloud, but someone out there is thinking, “The discipline of God’s law is not my idea of liberty.” But that is what Paul means by liberty. Some say, God’s law actually restricts my choices. If I choose to follow God, I must restrict my choices to the true, good and right. It may appear that the choices are indeed limited, but that is a normal condition. If we have a goal in mind, all choices are not created equal. If we sincerely want to accomplish something, we will immediately discard those choices that take us farther from our goal. There are indeed fewer choices left, but we have not discarded a viable one. You can still choose the false, the bad and the wrong but you know those choices will not bring your goal closer.
So if you have a goal in mind, you must recognize that some choices will facilitate your efforts and some will not. St. Paul says, “Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." St. Paul says we can stand fast in the liberty of Christ or we can be bogged down with those choices that are not productive. “Free Will” is not free. Every choice we make either leads to our goal or away from it. Every decision that takes us a step away from God delays our sanctification and who can be assured that enough time remains to accomplish it. Christ’s perfect law of liberty is the description of and the prescription for the perfect man. It is not a negative limitation but a positive emancipation.
Our text today tells us to look into the perfect law of liberty and continue therein. It is an admonition to be a doer of the law and not a spokesperson only. If we are truly concerned that society and culture do not share our Christian ethic, perhaps our participation is not complete. Even if we are more than hearers of the word, we can still be locked into the position of spokesperson only. St. James says that is not enough. Talking about the right choice, the proper responsibility and the appropriate obedience is good but inadequate. We must be more if we are to be blessed in our efforts. We must be doers of the work. It is not enough to have the right answer; we must use that right answer to bring everyone into the fold of Christ’s liberty.
That is the instruction given by Christ to his disciples and we can do no less. How to accomplish the Great Commission is more difficult. We assume we can do it our way if we have unlimited options. We fear that limiting our options to be limiting our potential. But consider, there are many possible routes to the peak of Mount Everest, but only a relatively narrow path has ever been successful. Looking into the Perfect Law of Liberty requires similar limitations.
St. Augustine of Hippo said, “Love God and do as you like”. I have heard Wiccans quote this phrase as their guide to life, although they do not attribute it to St. Augustine. This approach has the appeal of indicating no limitation on our choices. It fits nicely into our desire to do it our way. A closer look at St. Augustine’s intent reveals a more restricted path. Like all instruction manuals, this quote is best taken in the proper sequence. First, we must love God and only when that step is firmly affixed in our hearts, minds, souls and character can we continue. Step two appears to free us to do as we like. However, if step one was successful, we have established a goal and that goal pre-ordains some choices to take us closer while others take us farther away. Like ascending Mount Everest, with every step taken, the remaining choices are limited.
When we love God, our desire is to bring his perfect law of liberty to everyone. That can only be done by doing what He would have us do. This first step is the critical path and the guide to all the subsequent choices. The subsequent choices will not always be obvious, but loving God will guide us not only to the best decisions but to the best work.
The perfect law of liberty referred to by St. James is obeying Christ’s law of love. This is the liberty that exists "where the Spirit of the Lord is." In Christ - and by the guiding of the Holy Ghost - our liberty can be both the sign and our means of growth into the image of God.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (St. Matthew vii. 21.)