Thursday, August 20, 2009


The Truth in Love

Aslan (the Christ figure in the Chronicles of Narnia), has just raised up from the dead. Lucy and Susan are asking him how that is possible. He states that though the Witch who killed him knew that that law (magic) said a traitor's life must be paid by death, the deep law (magic) said that when one who is innocent of any sin dies for the life of a traitor even death itself is overturned. That's what Jesus did! He overturned the Laws of Sin by the deeper law of Love.
We sometimes argue scriptures as if the Old Testament laws (those we choose to follow) are the deepest foundations of our theological truth... The Old Testament is not the deepest foundation. It certainly is a foundation, full of the stories of humanities struggle to find God and be a people of God. But every theologian knows that the deeper truth, and deeper foundation is the very existence of God who is first and foremost united in LOVE. Paul states that you can be holy, prophecy like an prophet, speak with the language of angels, cast out demons...but it is nothing .... absolutely NOTHING without LOVE. Jesus said that all the commandments of the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in LOVE, and against LOVE there is no law.
So why is that so many times we argue out of a lesser truth of Law and ignore the greater truth of Love? The Old and New Testaments are filled with laws and rules we haphazardly and inconsistently follow (if at all). Too often we beat each other over the heads for the ones we think others should still follow. In some cases we get on our soap boxes and preach hell and damnation to those who don't agree with our "truths." We might feel that the "truth" is in danger if we don't proclaim it, or qualify our "love." We are angry, self righteous and divisive--we are hurtful. We kill in the name of love, and Aslan's blood is shed again. At that point perhaps we have forgotten the deeper truth of Love. The litmus test of our communication one with another is "is what I am saying of the deeper LOVE?" if it is not of the deeper Love... perhaps it's best unsaid and should be overturned in your thoughts.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well said, Todd. I'm tired of seeing Aslan laying on the stone table.