CHRIST AND THE LAW.
Is the law of the ten commandments
perfect? If it is not perfect did Christ improve upon the law to make it
perfect? These are good questions and
where does Christ fit in with the law? First of all let us see what the
scriptures say if the law is perfect or not.
The law of God is perfect.
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is
perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise
the simple.
The word perfect means undefiled,
upright, without any error. Let us see
another scripture.
Psalms 119:96 I have seen an end of
all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
Now it is a fact that the law of
the Lord is perfect, if it is perfect is it necessary to add anything to the
law? No.
Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add
unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Deuteronomy
Now some may try to compromise the
word of God and they might say, in the above scriptures the Lord is speaking
not of the moral law but of the ceremonial law.
Now we are in the times of grace and God have given us the freedom. My question is freedom to do what? Freedom to sin? Freedom to disobey and to
dishonor the ten commandments? Freedom
to ignore the ten commandments? Perish
these thoughts! The Lord was speaking
not of the ceremonial law but of the moral law. Let us see in scripture.
Deuteronomy 4:10 Specially the day
that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto
me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that
they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and
that they may teach their children.
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 4:13 And he declared
unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten
commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
It is very clear that he is
speaking of the ten commandments.
Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
In summary if the law is perfect,
without error and undefiled we do not need any additions or removals.
Did Christ change the law or
add anything to the law?
But what about Matthew chapter 5,
when Jesus said, you have heard what the law has said, but I say….. and apparently
it looks like he added to the commandments.
No. Let us see these scriptures.
Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
We need to understand many so
called religious people took the law of God only outwardly. But inwardly they
were disobedient to the Lord. These are
the hypocrites and the Pharisees, who not only lived in the past but also who
lives in the church today. Jesus used
pretty strong language to the hyporcrites.
Matthew 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the
platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Matthew 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee,
cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of
them may be clean also.
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness.
Matthew 23:28 Even so ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.
As you remember the ten
commandments was given to obey, obedience from the heart. When Jesus said, you have heard, but I tell
you, it means you have heard what the hypocrites and the Pharisees have said,
how they twisted the Old Testament scriptures but I have come to give you the
true meaning of the law. When Jesus
said, "by of old time.." it means the old distorted traditions of men
had made the commandments without any effect.
So what Jesus said, in Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said
by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
We can see in the book of Proverbs
it is speaking of true obedience that comes from the heart.
Proverbs 6:25 Lust not after her
beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
Again Jesus said, Matthew 5:31 It
hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing
of divorcement:
Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you,
That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced
committeth adultery.
Just because your wife burnt the
toast you cannot divorce her. Divorce is not commanded but permitted under
adultery.
Let us take a difficult scripture.
Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it
hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Is this where the church make Jesus
more loving and the Old Testament God more wrathful, they separate the God of the
Old Testament and Jesus. We have seen
the slogans that say, "Jesus loves
you" The truth is there is no condradiction between the Old Testament and
the New Testament. The God of the Old
Testament did not change his mind after the appearance of Jesus. God cannot change as he is perfect.
Truly speaking hating the enemy is
not commanded by the law, it was rather forbidden. Let us see, Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not
avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Exodus 23:4 If thou meet thine
enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him
again.
Exodus 23:5 If thou see the ass of
him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him,
thou shalt surely help with him.
Proverbs 25:21 If thine enemy be
hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
And what did Jesus say, Matthew
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Then what about when Jesus said,
" A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another."
(John 13:34)
Love was commanded in the law.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind.
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and
great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:40 On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
So when Jesus said a new
commandment it is not a commandment that did not exist in the Old Testament but
rather being renewed.
By the way Jesus said that he did
not come to break the commandments but to fulfill them. (Mat 5:17)
Can we perfectly obey the
law?
The Roman Catholics say yes. We say no.
Why do we say no? Because we believe not according to tradition of men
but according to scripture.
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have
made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Psalms 143:2 And enter not into
judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
John I 1:8 If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
When we see the Bible the great
heros like Abraham, Moses, Job, Jeremiah Isaiah, Peter, Paul and others, we see
even they were not perfect as their failures are recorded in the Bible. Then how can the Pope say that he is without
error.
Although we are Christians still we
are living in the flesh. As long as we are in the flesh we are not
perfect. That is why apostle Paul had
to explain in scripture the following.
Romans 7:23 But I see another law
in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I
am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The only person who ever lived on
this earth was Jesus the Christ. He was
born from above as he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was pure, blameless, undefiled and
perfect. He kept the law and fulfilled
the law. And he never abolished the
moral law, it continues. As the
Christians are called to obey God rather than men. We take the Ten Commandments seriously, we
as it is the rule for our life. When we
sin we become guilty and ahamed because of the law, as we have broken the rule.
The law keeps us humble, it takes the pride away. It breaks us, mould us. On one hand we have the law and on the other
hand we have Christ. When we sinned
against the almighty holy God, he had provided us Christ to keep us pure, the
one who is perfect and shed his precious blood for the elect. We as Christians do not want to enjoy and
continue in sin but as we are living in the flesh, if we do sin we can be
edified with the following scripture.
John I 2:1 My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: