Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one, jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-20
Christians need to stop apologizing for God’s law. There is only one standard of morality, and that is the standard set down in Scripture. This standard is not arbitrary, but instead reflects the nature and character of God. The moral standards given at Mount Sinai were not modified and softened in the New Testament. Many Christians give in to this sort of thinking and spend their time back pedaling and making excuses when our modern world calls God’s requirements harsh or antiquated. They give into a lie rather than standing on God’s truth.
Jesus clearly states that the law will never pass away. That is because the law is not list of rules that God thought up. No, it is consistent with the person and nature of God, the one with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Therefore, His moral precepts which flow from His being cannot change. In the sermon on the Mount Jesus will walk through the ten commandments one by one teaching how they not only still apply, but they apply much deeper than outward actions alone, they apply all the way down to the heart.
The law teaches us how we are to love God and how to love our neighbor. But more than that it shows us how we fall short, it shows us the sin in our lives, and it drives us to the only place where sin can be removed, Christ. A weak view of the law will lead to a weak view of Christ’s sacrifice. And when you do not appeal to the law when encouraging your brother, or your coworker, or your enemy, you are avoiding the very tool that God gave to bring us all down to our knees before Christ. So, give your neighbor the law, defend the law in the public square, teach law to your children, meditate on it in your heart like the psalmist. For the law is not only good, it is glorious for it turns our eyes to Christ.
Zach Browning – October 22, 2023
