Country Boy Style
By Charles R. Phillips
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You know that I am an old country boy with a country boy's education so please do not think of me as being critical when I say that sometimes you use language that is over my head. Perhaps you already know more about the subject I have in mind than I do. You may have talked or written about these things many times. But let's get it down in language us country boys will understand. There may be more of us than you realize.
In regard to legalism, I appreciate the things you and others have taught. I believe they are good as far as you have gone but I think you are overlooking a vital truth. As a basis for the beginning of my remarks let us consider a statement of John the Baptist. "The law was given by Moses but grace and truth were given by Jesus Christ."
Let us examine the word "law." I believe you will agree that there is law with commandments and law without commandments. Take the law of gravity, for example. Or, consider what is called Isaac Newton's law. Are we commanded to climb a tower and drop a ball? No! It is a law without commandments. Take the nations other than Israel, who did by nature the things contained in the law and became a law unto themselves. How many commandments can you find which God gave them? The only one I can locate is in Genesis 9, pertaining to the eating of blood. It was basically a law without commandments, while the law of Moses was practically all commandments. It is referred to by Paul as "a law of commandments and ordinances."
But John said that Christ brought grace and truth." Let us make a comparison of commandments and truth. The corresponding word to truth is "fact." The law of Moses said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Christ said that any one who looked at a woman in a lustful way commits adultery in his heart. The law of Moses said, "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus taught that one who hates his brother is a murderer. The statements of Moses were laws of commandment; those of Christ were laws of truth and fact.
The children of Israel obeyed the law because they were told to do so and thereby learned the effects. Christ points out the effects and we react according to that truth. Here is where many err. They confuse commandments with truths or facts. Some affirm that we are commanded to be baptized and cite Acts 2:38 as a proof text. Upon our examination of this we find people asking, "What shall we do?" Peter simply replies, "Repent and be baptized." If you were to ask me how to keep your house warm and I were to reply, "Shut the door," you would not say that I commanded you to shut the door, but that I simply told you the truth. Peter merely stated the truth in Acts 2:38.
In John 8:32, Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." As I have said, the law of Moses was basically a law of commandments, while the law of Christ was basically a law of truth. When I use the word "basically" I allow for exceptions to this rule. Let us examine what may seem to be an exception. We are commanded to love with all our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind. You may wonder what this has to do with legalism and what effect it has upon unity, but bear with me. From the legalistic side, can commandments make you love God? I cannot see how it is possible. Suppose that God declared, "If you do not keep my commandment and love me you will be cast into a lake of fire." This still could not make you love him. It might make you pretend to love him but you would not really love him. But we read in the scripture, "We love him because he first loved us." Here we see truth in action. It is easy to love God when we know the truth and have the facts about him.
Let us get a little closer to our problem. Jesus said to "love one another as I have loved you." But there are those who hate one another. What is wrong? We may say we love those who oppose us but our actions belie our words. We may say, "I must love them," speaking from a legalistic standpoint, and still not love them. I think that is what is wrong in most cases- -we are trying to love our brothers because we are commanded to do so, or from a legal standpoint, and not because of truth.
Perhaps you say that you can see how you can love God who has done so much for you and who loves you, but you cannot see what truth there is to cause you to love your brother who hates you and fights against you. I believe you can supply the truth. Logic works both ways. As I said in the beginning, I am just an old country boy and I understand country language better than any other. I'll use a country illustration. My first experience in farming on my own came when I was about twelve years old. My father pointed out a small plot of ground and told me that if I would plant it to corn and tend it properly I could have the crop for my own. As I look back through forty years I remember how I worked. I cultivated. I hoed every weed. My mother remarked that I almost slept with that patch of corn. In fact, I loved that field of corn. Why? I had put my treasure in it.
Now, let us use an illustration closer to yourself. Once upon a time your mother found she was going to become a mother to another infant. She did not love you. She may not have especially wanted you, but you were on the way. As time passed by she realized that she must prepare for the coming event. Perhaps she began by making a pair of little socks, then a cap or sweater, or a stack of three-cornered pants. She followed with a blanket or two, and the more she worked the more she longed to see how these things would help you in your life. The harder she labored the more she desired to see you in the clothes she had prepared and the older you grew and the more she did for you, the more she loved you. You may believe it is just mother's nature to love their children. I believe it is more than that. Your mother put her treasure in you. Jesus said, "Where your treasures are is where your heart will be."
You say you love your brothers because you must do so. A certain legal document commands you to do so, but that will not get it. You cannot command love. I believe you love your brethren because of the many hundreds of miles you have traveled to teach them, because of the many long hours you have labored, because of the sweat, tears and prayers freely bestowed in their behalf. In short, you love your brethren because your treasures are invested in them. I believe that what our religious world needs more than
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(Editor's Note: The above was written as a personal letter but we felt that you ought to share in it. The author is just what be claims to be, a country boy who has grown up to know hard toil. His address is 1615 West Apache Street, Farmington, New Mexico. Of course, in Christ there is neither "city boy" nor "country boy," but we are all one.)