We’re continuing our summary of William Law’s A Practical Treatise on Christian Perfection. It would be best if you read part 1 first HERE, if you haven’t done so already. In this post, we’re focused entirely on chapter two, as it presents a clear foundation of Law’s thinking. It might sound shocking, but Law says we must learn to hate in order to truly love. To me, it’s a brilliant take.
Chapter 2
Christianity Requires a Change of Nature: A New Life Perfectly Devoted to God
Christianity isn’t a school of moral virtue; according to Law, it is “an entire change of life, a dedication of ourselves, our souls and bodies unto God.” It is marked by a true death and separation from worldly tempers, vain indulgences and unnecessary cares. We must therefore renounce the “pomps and vanities of the world” before we can be received into Christian communion. Law calls us to the rejection of all worldly opinions, fleshly cares and earthly projects. Since “he that is born of God overcometh the world” Law believes that the Christian life is lived in opposition to the world. In Pure Pleasure I make the distinction that we can “enjoy the earth without loving the world” but I suspect William Law might disagree with me on that point.
Life in Christ, Law says, makes us “utterly hate and labor to avoid all sin.” Most moderns would agree with the “hate” part. We’re not as accepting of the “labor to avoid all sin” part. But in this, the best classics (and more importantly, Scripture) agree that in order to put sin to death (I’m not speaking of forgiveness of sins here, but being free from experiential sin), a cooperative labor on our part is essential.
The reason we are called to hate is because we are called to love. Hate makes love possible. Being lukewarm about hate inevitably makes us lukewarm about love.
Law insists that we are called to love like God, who loves with a “universal love and benevolence,” which means we are called to love everyone, close relations, friends, and enemies alike. “It is impossible therefore to be a true Christian and an enemy at the same time. Mankind has no enemy but the Devil…there is perhaps no duty of religion that is so contrary to flesh and blood as this.”
This is where Law challenges me so much. He is not a negatively focused, “don’t do this” kind of teacher who stops at piety for the sake of piety. On the surface it may sound like this because he certainly has a lot of negative don’ts (just wait until we get into his writings about the theater, jewelry, and dress). But these “don’ts” are merely jumping off points for Law to get to what matters most: the call to positively love. Sin is dangerous not just because it might damn us (for believers, that’s not relevant). Sin is dangerous because it keeps us from love, which is everything.
Here’s where hatred of the world and love of God come together: if we remove the love of earthly good and evils, we undercut all hatred and malice, for hatred and malice are caused by our base tempers and wanton desires. Thus we must become absolutely “dead” to the world, all its desires and all its enjoyments. “The Savior of the world has purchased mankind with his blood, not to live in the ease and pleasurable enjoyments, not to spend their time in softness and luxury, in the gratifications of pride, idleness, and vanity, but to drink of his cup, to be baptized with the baptism that he was baptized with, to make war with their corrupt natures, humble themselves, mortify the desires of the flesh, and like him be made perfect through sufferings.” It is only through being conformed to Christ’s death that we can expect to enjoy his resurrection.
“It is a miserable error to be content with ourselves, because we are less vain, or covetous, more sober, and decent in our behavior, than we used to be…They who thus measure themselves by themselves are not wise.” Don’t be satisfied with mere improvement; Christ is the measure, which is why we must press on toward perfection (see part 1 of this series for how “perfection” is defined).
To some this may sound like legalism. To me, it sounds like an inspirational call to love people like I’ve never loved before. I want to be a person who loves with the love of Christ. I am so far from that, and one of the reasons is no doubt because I don’t hate the world enough. I must learn to hate in order to truly love. Hate the sin, that is, so that I can love the people—all people. Life apart from Christ is the opposite—loving sin and hating people.
I once wrote a post about how viewing porn tends to breed anger toward one’s spouse, How Porn Creates Angry Men. I must hate lust to love my wife. Pride will make me attack people instead of seek their best. I must hate pride to encourage. Greed will tempt me to cheat or oppress people instead of bless and serve people, so I must hate greed in order to love generously. Malice will seek to build relationships via gossip, so I must hate gossip to enjoy loving fellowship. Hate is, indeed, the doorway to love.
The Christian life could thus be defined as: Hate sin and love people.
Life apart from Christ could be defined as: Love sin and hate people. If you love sin, and someone attacks your sin, you will hate them instead of the sin.
I want to hate sin and love people. Law reminds me that hating sin is a prerequisite to Christlike love. I never would have arrived here on my own. I may not agree with all of Law’s conclusions in this book, but I love this premise and believe it has enriched my outlook and understanding of the Christian life.
Wow! Keep writing! We need these challenges. I have only one disagreement with what you wrote here, but it is not small. You wrote that sin will not keep Christians out of heaven. What if it can? What if our love for Christ can be overcome and/or replaced by a love for the sin we will not abandon? Anyway, thank you for your writings. You are a source of light and hope for a church that finds itself sleeping.
Gwen, this goes back to the theological question: “If someone persists in sin that damns them, were they ever a Christian in the first place?” It’s a fair question, and ones theologians have debated for two thousand years. So it’s fair for you to ask it.
I love this. It cuts to the core of who we should be in Christ. It makes things simple… which in this world of information overload is something we so desperately need.