Paul’s Law

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.  Philippians 4:8  NASB

Right – What is “right”?  You will probably ask for clarification before you answer that one.  After all, “right” means something very different when it comes to software applications or ethical decisions.  The umbrella of meaning could cover the “right” coffee and the “right” choice of spouse (and you better not get confused about those).  Our word has just as much under one roof as Paul’s word, dikaios.  According to the TDNT, there are four separate but related meanings for this adjective:  conforming customs, fulfilled obligations, legal norms and ethical virtues.  Context tells us which one Paul has in mind.  Sometimes!  Sometimes we have to guess, since we can’t send him an email asking for clarification.  What this means is that a simple translation often doesn’t capture the subtlety of Paul’s language.  In fact, simple translations, like using one word to capture what Paul means, often steer us in the wrong direction because our language also has umbrellas of meaning that might not overlap with Paul’s.

Of course, “right” implies a standard.  “Right” isn’t whatever you want it to be.  So when Paul says dikaia, he assumes that his readers know what the standard is.  As a Pharisee and a rabbi, Paul would never suggest that you set your own standard.  Paul is no modern day liberal theologian.  He is a traditionalist, a conservative, a follower of the Way, and that means he holds the Torah, both written and oral, as the standard of all his behavior. The Greek word actually comes from a root (dike) that means “just” and therefore implies “law.”  It could hardly be clearer to his readers.  When Paul says, “whatever is right,” he means “whatever God says.”

Does that mean Paul is a rigid literalist?  No, that caricature of Judaism doesn’t fit either.  Look at the way Paul incorporates the Tanakh in his letters.  He freely modifies material from the prophets in order to adapt their statements to his arguments.  He applies Scripture to novel situations by altering the context of the Tanakh’s message.  He recognizes that the Tanakh must be adaptable to new circumstances.  Every rabbi knew this.  That’s why God’s word is a living document.  In spite of the flexibility of the Word of God in application, Paul believed that every word and every letter of the Tanakh was God-breathed.  There is an inevitable tension here.  Scripture was written for specific people at specific times in specific circumstances, but it is flexible enough to be applied to many other circumstances.  The trick is knowing how it is applied to us – and quite often that can’t be determined by simply reading the literal meaning of the text.

What is right?  Go look in the Book.  Find the foundation there.  Then avail yourself of prayer, community and commentary to see how this foundation applies to you today.

Topical Index:  right, dikaios, Torah, Philippians 4:8