Law and Relations

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19

“The law of the spirit of life has made me free from the law of sin and death.” St. Paul

Having discussed the nature of the soul’s relations a few weeks back, it is now possible to clarify the nature of law: natural, moral, and political. Because law itself is a kind of relation; and its purpose is to govern the common relations of life.

Everything is governed by law in some way. This is part of what it means for the universe to be ruled by God. In his authority and wisdom he has established certain relationships between things and persons. Angels, men, animals, plants, and matter in general have there own particular relations; and in particular each has a relation to God.

Natural law then is the relations that material objects have among themselves. These relations are established by persons; God above all but to some extent by men and angels. A “miracle” consists of a higher law being invoked by a person for the sake of good or evil. I think that there are many persons involved in the government of galaxies and planets: each establishing his or her rule by law. Thus the angels are ruled by God; God and the angels rule man; and God, angels and man rule the physical and psychical universe. In normal conditions, the person (or Person) behind the natural law is present and acting through his or her command. This is true of the universe as a whole and also of specific physical acts like a ball hitting a baseball bat or an engine burning fuel.

It is the consistency and harmony of such physical relations that makes it possible for human beings and animals to act in the physical world. A bear can stick his paw in a stream and find a fish; a pilot can exploit the relation of speed, shape, and the atmosphere to fly great distances across the earth.

As was said earlier, it was originally God’s intention that mankind would be fully in charge of the animal kingdom. This mostly meant that we would establish and uphold proper relations between men and women, and among the animals and plants of the earth.

Moral and political law consists of the proper relations of persons living under God and with one another. A commandment is higher or lower depending on the importance of the relation that it rules. As everyone knows, the relations of human beings and angels amongst themselves and between them and God are very often not what they should be. God’s law and political law are attempts to rectify the situation by making available a proper relation: one that we often cannot see on our own, because of our ignorant and twisted condition.

The greatest men in history then are the Lawgivers: those who knew how things among people should be related and who made those possible relations available to individuals, group, and nations. This is why the law profession has such dignity and power; while the actual practice is often rife with corruption. This is what Moses, the prophets, Jesus and the apostles knew best. They knew how things should be related in order for human beings to be happy.

But the many great political law givers should be included in the list also: Hammurabi, Solon, Plato, the early Roman Senate, up to our great founding Fathers, and the subsequent lawgivers in our dear American history.

It is this understanding of law that led people in past generations to think of a good law as a discovery, and not an invention. There are possible relations between free beings (and including their possessions) which are good or evil. To find a good law is to know the mind of God and to get at the true nature of human life. A bad law consists of an improper relation being prescribed by someone in authority. Of course, depending on the severity of the evil it is proper to sometimes submit to, and to sometimes resist a bad law. If the person who made the law is genuinely in authority one should try to change his or her mind, and if this fails, be willing to submit to punishment for breaking the law, appealing to God “for the rectitude of [one's] intentions.” (But here I digress to the nature of authority; Perhaps that would be a good post at some point.)

Thus there is an easy way to characterize evil: it is breach of the Law– moral or political. “Sin is lawlessness,” St. John said. And it is precisely the disrespect of law which most threatens Modern life. This comes unfortunately from our religious, intellectual, and political histories. Man is a spiritual and social being; he must live in relation to others under good law or else be alienated and destroyed.

The special relation that law has to the soul should also be mentioned. As the human soul is made primarily of qualities and relations, good law restores proper order to the soul. This strengthens it and enlivens it. In fact, the soul thrives upon good law– and withers under bad.

The greatness of God’s Law as given in the Old Testament and through Jesus and the apostles consists of its power to bring human beings into proper relation to God and to each other. The greatness of American law (at least up until very recently…) is what makes knowledge of political law and love for it so basic to a proper secular education. As Lincoln saw long ago, if the laws are good and the people love and keep them, all goes well for a nation.

When thinking of what we can do to make our lives and the lives of those around us better, we can confidently assert that knowing, keeping, loving and doing God’s Law is one of the first and foremost things that we should consider.

From a practical standpoint one should mention that Law generally does not have its impact on the soul immediately; one must dwell in God’s Law through his or her thoughts for an extended period of time. Over weeks and months its sweetness and power will seep into our soul, in a way that we will certainly notice, and certainly enjoy.