The Law that Teaches Us Grace

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:17-20).
The ministry of Jesus Christ never intended to do away with the Old Testament law; rather, His ministry would fulfill the Law and the Prophets (v 17). He even speaks hyperbolically that heaven and earth would pass away before the even most minute details of the letters of the written Law would be lost (v. 18). All the righteous requirements of the Law and its promised blessings would be satisfied by Christ.

Christ also taught that the greatness and wretchedness in the kingdom of heaven is interwoven with keeping the commandments of God (v. 19), but that not even the piousness of the scribes and Pharisees and their zeal for the Law would be enough to attain the kind of righteousness fit for life in the kingdom of heaven (v. 20). The very religious leaders studied the Law and sought to connect its precepts to daily living were still missing the mark when it came to the standards of righteousness in heaven.

What the scribes and the Pharisees missed was that the laws given by God were more than just a check list of things to do, which once completed would mean one’s right with the Lord, for it went beyond just external appearances. The prohibition against murder was more than just the physical act of murder but the evil driving the soul of the sinner (vv. 21-25). It was not about the physical act of adultery but even lust hidden within the heart (vv. 27-30). It was not about properly ending a bad marriage with the proper documentation, but making certain all roads to reconciliation have been explored (vv. 31-32). It was not about finding the loop holes in business deals, but keeping one’s own promises (vv. 33-42). It was not just about distinguishing “who’s for us and who’s against us;” rather, it is about reflecting divine grace and mercy upon all people as children of the Heavenly Father (vv. 43-48).

Christ’s message also leads us to the realization of our inability to actually keep the Law. In other words, “the Law has become out tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but there is a righteousness that comes apart from the Law, which comes about through the blood Christ shed to atone for sin (Rom 3:21-31).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grappling with the Craziness of an Election Year with the Book of Kings

Image
Well this is another election year, which makes the Tuesday after the first Monday in November the terminus ad quem for all the political madness that comes beforehand in the USA. With all the mudslinging, rioting, and overall incivility, it is hard to believe were still have over five months to go. I am going through the Book of 1-2 Kings at the moment, and the refrain “Only the high places were not taken away” caught my eye, and as I began to meditate upon them, I found them to be a bit helpful in grappling with all that goes on during these turbulent election years. Here a little background is needed. After the days of Solomon there came about a civil war that divided the children of Abraham living in the promise land into two nations—the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. There eventually came about a series of rulers in the kingdom of Judah whose reigns the biblical writer describes this way: Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD…Only
Read more

The Good Thing About God and Judgment

Image
Today, I was continuing my trek through the extensive Paul and the Faithfulness of God by N.T. Wright. There is so much content in this extensive two-volume work, I can only soak in a small percentage of it. Working through Wright is always a work in progress. He is just one of those astute theologians who leaves no stone unturned in developing a point. Wright makes this observation about the way the larger story of the New Testament conveyed in Paul’s works concerns God’s judgment in the world, which is part of the way he has come to setup his rule over the world. On p. 481 Write notes,  The word “judgment” has of course been allowed to slip into negative mode in the contemporary western world, with “judgmentalism” one of the classic postmodern villains. But even a postmodernist whose car has been damaged by a drunk driver wants a court to pass “judgment” against the offender. “Judgment” is in fact a positive thing. It is what restores health to a society, a balance
Read more