Law and Order, Discipline and Freedom

God's divine order is revealed in the natural
God's divine order is revealed in the natural realm

All realities are governed by set rules or laws and a lower reality subject to a higher reality. It takes something supernatural to enable a lower entity to enter into and enjoy the power and privilege of a higher reality. Because of the mystical nature of the spiritual reality and because of the unhealthy, evil desires of man trying to master spiritual means for selfish gain, the pure and practical principles of the Laws of Kingdom are often ignored, if not twisted and marred.

In our modern day, we have witnessed a flood of new age spiritualism, witchcraft and mediums carelessly practiced and used for personal ambitions, while the reality of the Kingdom of God and the good-will of the Creator are pushed aside. This is one of the greatest tragedies of mankind and a grievous sin in God’s sight.

Law and order are needed in any Kingdom, as we discussed in the last chapter. It needs to be stressed that moral and social laws as given in the Law of Moses are not the only set of laws that God established concerning human life. Even the Laws under the Old Covenant, which are based on the discipline and work of the flesh, were fulfilled and replaced by the Law of the Spirit as given in the New Covenant. As disciples of Christ Jesus, we must be very clear that we are no longer under the Law of Moses, yet are still under the Law of the Spirit in terms of life and death in the Kingdom of God.

These facts, however, still do not make us completely immune to or exempt from the two sets of laws in the two realities engaging us in what some might call a dual existence.

Being born as the son of man, we are subject to the natural reality as a natural man. We have to eat or we will go hungry and eventually die. We just don’t go fasting day after day without permission and provision from the Lord; nor will we jump off a cliff and expect an angel would catch us. Actually, these natural laws were set in place, so that we can learn about God through them:

Psm 19:1-4a (NIV)

1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

Rom 1:20 [NASB95]

20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

David and Paul, through experience and revelation, learned God speaks to mankind through natural ordinances and orders.

When we are born from above by the Spirit of Sonship, another reality is unveiled to us: the spiritual reality – one with a backdrop of a spiritual conflict that involves the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness. We become acquainted with such a reality when the Spirit teaches us and the enemy lies, distorts and schemes.

Paul addressed this in various places throughout his epistles:

Col 2:8 [NIV]

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

2 Cor 10:2-4 [NIV]

2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

It is evident that Paul not only admonished believers who would seek only a natural reality, but advised them to enter by faith the higher reality to find freedom.

However, he did not tell us to break the law and order in the natural, but rather to enjoy a higher position in the Lord and learn the wisdom from the Kingdom of God, which will have us rise up all powers, rules and authority in heavenly places.

The path to real freedom is not to violate set law and order that is innately part of the existence of a reality, but to learn to fully be disciplined by them and be elevated above them by faith in the Son of God.

Put into context, according to God’s grand vision, all realities are given to teach and discipline us, so that we can eventually be tutored and trained in His wisdom and be conformed fully into His Being and His Glory.

This post is _Part 2_ in the series Natural Laws and Spiritual Laws. To continue with this series, click on Pt 3.  To use this as a growth tool to better understand your own calling, you might start by reading the explanation of this series and Pt 1.

Photo credit: krittergirl

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