… why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
Summary: Understanding Paul’s writings often requires an understanding of the world Paul is writing about. We call this “context,” but even that concept has limits. Because God’s thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9) we have to stretch our minds to try and understand God’s.
Reading this passage without context is dangerous! It is very easy to look at Paul’s words and come away with the idea that Christians don’t have to follow any rules. Like most words in the English language, the word “rule” has many applications.
Paul is not talking about the “rules of the road.” Christians don’t get a free pass to ignore speed limits or drive toward oncoming traffic. We don’t get a “pass” when we go the wrong way on a “one way street.” Christians, like everyone else in the world, still have to follow the traffic rules.
Another kind of “rule” that we should not ignore is safety rules. Have you ever been told not to touch a hot stove? Well, that rule is a good one! Hot surfaces burn skin, and burned skin hurts! Not touching something hot is a good rule to follow.
So what kinds of “rules” is Paul talking about?
Paul is talking about the kinds of rules that belong to the “world.” Yes, that is another nuanced term that requires some context to understand.
Paul’s context is always about our relationship with God. He occasionally delves into other topics, like how to behave in church, but almost everything he writes is about God and how his Son, Jesus Christ, changed everything.
The “world,” for Paul, is a word that describes a way of looking at God. Perhaps the best way to understand Paul’s use of the word is to think of it as referring to the “world before Jesus Christ.”
Before Jesus, the people of the world struggled to understand their relationship with God. The Jews had the law and the prophets, which gave them a leg up on understanding God. The Gentiles latched onto all kinds of stories that described God’s characteristics without knowing the real God behind their “gods.”
Both the Jews and the Gentiles had rules for their religions. By doing this or not doing that, people could stay on the good side of God. When Jesus came, he showed the world a different way.
What was that way?
When the rules said, “Do not touch!” (2 Corinthians 6:17), Jesus touched the lepers and healed them of their disease (Matthew 8:3). When the law said to avoid certain people, Jesus reached out to them (John 4:1-26). If the rules kept people from handling unclean animals, Jesus made the animals clean (Acts 10: 9-23).
There are “rules,” and then there are “rules.” In a way, Paul is explaining to us the “rules about rules.”
Application: Read the Bible every day to develop an understanding of context.
Food for Thought: How should we apply Paul’s warning about rules in today’s world?
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