Yesterday, I challenged us to think about how we define the term “ezer”. Today, I continue circling around the material discussed in Aimee Byrd’s book Why Can’t We Be Friends? by considering when and how we fence God’s commandments and what the consequences are likely to be.

One of the concerns raised about the Pence Rule* is that, if imposed on all Christians as a universal standard, it represents an extrabiblical binding of someone’s conscience. The idea here is not that the Pence Rule is necessarily bad or shouldn’t be adopted by some (or even most) people, but rather that we go too far when we apply it without exception and conclude that anyone who deviates from it is sure to end up in sexual sin. Defendants of the Pence Rule as a universal standard might reply that it is an example of good old-fashioned common sense: a bit of wisdom that ought to be obvious to anyone who doesn’t have a secondary agenda. After all, if you were standing on the top of a skyscraper with no guardrail on a windy day, would you stand as close to the edge as possible or remain in the middle?

Here we confront the subtle difference between adopting a common-sense safeguard and “fencing” a commandment. The desire to fence a commandment by imposing additional restrictions beyond those explicitly stated in scripture exists within many of us. It can seem natural and good. Who wouldn’t want to stay as far from sin as possible when the cost is so high? In the book of Proverbs, Solomon warns his son of the fate of a “young man lacking sense” who is “naïve”. (7:7) The young man takes a walk by the house of an adulteress, and it goes downhill from there.

With her many persuasions she entices him;

With her flattering lips she seduces him.

Suddenly he follows her

As an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,

Until an arrow pierces through his liver;

As a bird hastens to the snare,

So he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Proverbs 7:21-23

Scripture certainly tells us that we ought to flee from temptation as Joseph did when he was propositioned by Potiphar’s wife. (Genesis chapter 39) But thinking of that young man without sense in Proverbs, can we equate his decision to walk by a house where he knows an adulteress is lurking with a friendly conversation between a man and woman after church or a lunch meeting between co-workers of the opposite sex? Surely common sense tells us there is a difference between these types of situations that a godly Christian can discern through reliance on the Spirit, study of the scriptures, and openness with one’s spouse. However, there are some who fear that common sense is not reliable enough, and we need a hard and fast rule to follow.

The problem is that extrabiblical rules imposed as universal standards fall short of God’s perfection. Whereas the moral law revealed in scripture can be rightly applied to any situation with the wisdom that comes from the Spirit, human laws are just as flawed as the humans who make them. Does this mean I am against human laws? Certainly not, but when we fail to understand the difference and expect everyone to abide by a law of our own creation, we fence God’s commandments with something uninspired.

What’s the problem with fencing the commandments? Well, for one thing, it is legalism. Legalism can be defined as either 1) the belief that one is justified in part or in whole by fulfilling the requirements of the Law (as opposed to being credited with Christ’s righteousness) or 2) adding our own commandments to those God has revealed, as the ancient Pharisees used to do. Many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were legalists in both of those senses, and lest we think ourselves any better, we all tend to behave wrongly in regard to God’s Law: we become eithers legalists or antinomians. Therefore, I am not singling out the Pharisees for criticism, but some of the things Jesus said to them are nevertheless telling.

The Lord said of the Pharisees, “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men…” (Matthew 23:4-5a) Elsewhere, he applied one of Isaiah’s prophecies to this group.

And He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

“This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me.

But in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.’

Mark 7:6-8

Here we see the danger of relying on man-made laws rather than the all-sufficient and perfect laws of God. The Pharisees are legendary for their many interpretations of the Old Testament Law by which they burdened people further and further. Why would anyone want to add to the Law? In some cases, they sought to ensure people didn’t get too close to breaking it, as in the many restrictions they added regarding the Sabbath. However, they ignored the higher purposes for which the Law was given.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Matthew 23:23-24

God knows that when we add to His Law, it ends badly. I am not speaking here of personal preferences or rules that one enacts to govern individual behavior. There is nothing wrong with having standards based on personal conviction. What the Bible cautions us against is turning such things into absolute rules that we apply to all Christians without exception.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23-30 that a believer is not bound by the conscience of another in cases where scripture does not give a clear command. While he entreats us to honor one another and be considerate of others’ scruples, his basic principle is that we ought not judge others according to an extrabiblical standard of our own making. If we do so, we sacrifice grace on the altar of legalism. This explains why God commanded the ancient Israelites, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

I believe this is especially important to remember when we speak to our sisters in Christ. Consider how Satan was able to entice Eve into sin. His initial strategy was to make God’s command seem unjust by adding to it. “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b) That was not God’s command at all! He only told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent hoped to trick Eve by expanding this command and thus making it seem more burdensome.

For her part, Eve responded, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2b-3) Again, this is not what God commanded! He never said not to touch the fruit. Whether because of a poor memory, Adam’s mistaken repetition, or her own willful decision, Eve fenced the commandment. Once the command was made more burdensome, it was easier for the serpent to convince Eve that it proceeded from an evil motive: God was attempting to hold her back.

Today, we aren’t as concerned with eating the wrong fruit as we are with making sure males and females act properly according to their biblical roles. In so doing, we tend to add to the simple commands provided by God with new rules based on our own interpretations. Of course, we do not see them as new rules: we see them as the natural results of thinking biblically. In fact, they seem so “right” that we almost allow ourselves to believe that they are just as inspired by the Holy Spirit as the explicit words of scripture. But my friends, they are not. They may be good words, but they are not God’s Word.

Given that the Bible is often portrayed in our society as a book that is bad for women, it is especially vital that we do not place extra burdens regarding gender. The Bible tells wives to submit to husbands, husbands to sacrifice themselves for wives, children to respect their parents unconditionally, and same sex attracted people to live as if they were eunuchs. Is that not a tough enough sell in the West today? What do we hope to gain, or rather who do we hope to gain, by adding to it? God has given us every law necessary for our sanctification.

As we think about how to apply the Pence Rule, we must be careful not to impose our own extrabiblical standards on others. Please note that extrabiblical does not mean anti-biblical! I am not arguing that the Pence Rule is a violation of scripture. Indeed, some variation of it seems perfectly sensible for many Christians, particularly those in very visible positions…like Billy Graham or Mike Pence. However, as good as the rule may be, it does not come directly from scripture. We must therefore be careful not to fall into the trap of the Pharisees: allowing good things to become ultimate things, placing extra burdens on people, and doing it all to enhance our reputation among men rather than our relationship with God.

One final note…Jesus said of the Pharisees, “they do all their deeds to be noticed by men”. (Matthew 23:5a) The Pence Rule and similar restrictions are often portrayed as ways to prevent the appearance of evil as much as evil itself. That is, if someone sees you talking to a person of the opposite sex, they may jump to the wrong conclusion, so to avoid this, you limit your discussions with people of the opposite sex. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves, who or what are we truly hoping to protect? Are we worried that we will fall into sin and hurt our relationship with God, or are we worried that people will think badly of us? This is another way that we often fall into the trap of the Pharisees. Let us exercise godly caution, and always for the right reasons.

Further exploration:

“How Can Rabbis Add to the Torah?” by Tzvi Freeman – An orthodox Jew considers some of the same biblical passages I have mentioned and comes to a different conclusion: that fencing is essential.

* The term “Pence Rule” refers to comments made by the current vice president of the United States, Mike Pence. In a 2002 interview with The Hill, he stated that he does not eat alone with women who are not his wife and does not attend events featuring alcohol unless she is with him. It is somewhat similar to the so-called Billy Graham Rule. In discussions about this topic, the principle is often expanded to include any extensive one-on-one interactions with a person of the opposite sex; however, interpretations of the Pence Rule vary. The issue received widespread attention when Pence’s principle was mentioned in an article by The Washington Post last year.

All scripture quotations are from The New American Standard Bible, copyright the Lockman Foundation.