New Life

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22

"In freedom from sin and freedom from law they were empowered by love to rejoice in the right, to bear all things, to be patient and kind. Out of the inner fountains of the spirit of Christ there would flow forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Not as lawgiver of a new Christian culture but as the mediator of a new principle of life—a life of peace with God—Christ did and does this mighty work on the creation of a new kind of humanity".  Richard Niebuhr

As I drive around northwest Georgia, I drive by a lot of churches.  I have noticed over the years that many of those churches, regardless of their denominational affiliation, have the words "New Life" in their name. The "New Life Fellowship" seems to be a favorite.  I hope that is the case. I hope that the members of that church have experienced a new life in Jesus and have become a flock of happy pilgrims filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

However, I know by experience that many Christian churches offer their members new rules, new expectations and new doctrine instead of new life.

The Apostle Paul in  his letter to the church at Galatia detailed his struggles with those who substituted "new life" with "new rules and doctrine." The same spirit of Phariseeism permeated the early Christian  culture just as the scribes and Pharisees were a constant thorn in the flesh to Jesus Himself. The dictionary definition of Phariseeism includes "a hypocritical observance of the letter of religious or moral law without regard for the spirit of the law."

What I think Paul was offering, which is stated again by Richard Niebuhr, is a community of no religion, a community of basic goodness.  John Lennon sang "Imagine nothing to kill or die for or no religion too" not to say "Be an atheist; don't believe in anything" but to say to live in way that is not bound my definition and doctrine. Simply live together in peace. 

I was the choral director of a local high school for several years. One semester we rehearsed "Imagine" and performed it in our spring concert.  The song bothered more than a few of my students, but all but one accepted my explanation and sang it anyway. While we sang, she sat. They could deal with "no heaven", "no hell", "no countries", "no possessions", but they couldn't get past that "no  religion" part.  And I certainly understand. However, I explained, just like Paul explained to the first century church, that there are powerful and wonderful things that transcend any particular doctrine and religious boundaries. I explained that a non-Christian who exudes goodness and kindness is better than a professing Christian who embodies hate and exclusion.  Paul must have exploded with joy as he wrote those nine God-given attributes of "new life", against which  no religion of his day had laws.

Neibuhr suggests that if we will practice this new doctrine of peace there will result  "the creation of a new kind a humanity." People may say that he's a dreamer, but he's not the only one. "New life" is not a new idea, nor is it only a Christian idea. In 1864 at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln said "That from these honored dead we take increased devotion ...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom".  There it is again "new birth", "new life". 

In the marvelous movie Resurrection about a faith-healer who struggled with her gift and her own faith, at a very low point in her life she stopped on a lonely highway to fill up with gas. Posted in the window of the very old and very remote filling station were the words "God is love and vissa verssa." On a self-help tape series years ago I  heard, "If you want to transform your life and your relationships, change 'do the right thing' to 'do the loving thing'. "  Need to find new life in your own  heart and your relationships?  Practice love and new life will be close behind.