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From the Church on the Hill by D. Eric Williams Pastor, Cottonwood Community Church pastor@CottCommChurch.com
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [Galatians 6:15]. When I first began to think about the five spiritual laws, I had some trouble deciding how to describe the center point - spiritual law number three. If you have read some of my other articles or listened to my teachings, you may recognize the five spiritual laws parallel the five points of the covenant. The third point of the covenant - the center point - is often labeled ethics. However, nearly 65 years ago Meredith Kline recognized the enter of the covenant as “Covenant Life.” Surely covenant life is lived according to God’s will. Yet, over the years I have concluded the center of the covenant sequence is not about behavior but Spirit; not ethics but ethos. You see, ethics is about principles and laws concerning duty. It is about rules and behavior, how a person acts, about right or wrong. Ethics are important to the Christian life but they are not the center. As I thought about the central point of the covenant model [the center point of the five spiritual laws] it became clear the most important aspect was the state of being giving rise to Christlike behavior. Thus, the reality, the ethos is new creation. The Greek term ethos is used twelve times in the New Testament and is defined as “custom, usage prescribed by law, institute, prescription, rite.” The old Webster’s Dictionary’s English definition of ethos says, in part, “the character of a community . . .considered as a natural endowment; the spirit which actuates manners and customs.” This is what I wish to convey when using the term “ethos.” This is the thrust of Luke 11:3-4a where we read, Give us day by day our daily bread, forgive us our sins. This is not about behavior, but about the quality of a community. It is about the natural endowment and the spirit which actuates the manners and customs of the Christian community. As I mentioned in last week’s article, this ethos gives rise to certain behaviors but the emphasis must be on the “natural endowment.” Or, more accurately, the emphasis should be on the supernatural endowment of the Holy Spirit. New creation is characterized by forgiveness and provision. It is not dependent upon law nor behavior. It is the grace infused actuality of life in Jesus Christ. New creation is to live at peace with God, cleansed from sin and confident of his care. It is the reality of new creation that produces kingdom fruit. We will return to a discussion of the Five Spiritual Laws in a couple weeks. |
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