THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
(A Mountain Plateau not far from Capernaum)
Subdivision D.
RELATION OF MESSIANIC TEACHING TO OLD TESTAMENT AND TRADITIONAL TEACHING
MATT. 5:17-20
The Law
"This verse [Think not I am come to destroy the law or the prophets...] constitutes a preface to the section of the sermon which follows it. It is intended to prevent a misconstruction of what he was about to say." -The Fourfold Gosepl
This section of Matthew is intimidating, the law taken to an impossible standard. The impossibility of fulfilling the law apart from Christ is the very point.
To destroy (καταλῦσαι)
Lit., to loosen down, dissolve; Wyc., undo.
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished." Matthew 5:18
Jack Abeelen--two purposes of the law:
1. To convince you of sin (God's purpose)
2. Barometer of performance (Man's purpose)
Anger is murder without the action. -Jack Abeelen
Whenever you find righteous anger in the Bible it always has as its focus the glory of God, never self. --Jack Abeelen
Most revolutionary leaders sever all ties with the past and repudiate the traditional, existing order. Not so the Lord Jesus. He upheld the Law of Moses and insisted that it must be fulfilled. -Believer's Bible
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The difference between the relationship of the law to the Jew and to the Christian is complex. I found this discourse on the purpose of the law from Believer's Bible helpful in clarifying my understanding:
The law was not given as a means of salvation (Act_13:39; Rom_3:20 a; Gal_2:16, Gal_2:21; Gal_3:11; it was designed to show people their sinfulness (Rom_3:20 b; Rom_5:20; Rom_7:7; 1Co_15:56; Gal_3:19) and then drive them to God for His gracious salvation. It was given to the nation of Israel, even though it contains moral principles which are valid for people in every age (Rom_2:14-15). God tested Israel under the law as a sample of the human race, and Israel's guilt proved the world's guilt (Rom_3:19).
The law had attached to it the penalty of death (Gal_3:10); and to break one command was to be guilty of all (Jas_2:10). Since people had broken the law, they were under the curse of death. God's righteousness and holiness demanded that the penalty be paid. It was for this reason that Jesus came into the world: to pay the penalty by His death. He died as a Substitute for guilty lawbreakers, even though He Himself was sinless. He did not wave the law aside; rather He met the full demands of the law by fulfilling its strict requirements in His life and in His death. Thus, the gospel does not overthrow the law; it upholds the law and shows how the law's demands have been fully satisfied by Christ's redemptive work.
Therefore, the person who trusts in Jesus is no longer under the law; he is under grace (Rom_6:14). He is dead to the law through the work of Christ. The penalty of the law must be paid only once; since Christ paid the penalty, the believer does not have to. It is in this sense that the law has faded away for the Christian (2Co_3:7-11). The law was a tutor until Christ came, but after salvation, this tutor is no longer needed (Gal_3:24-25).
Yet, while the Christian is not under the law, that doesn't mean he is lawless. He is bound by a stronger chain than law because he is under the law of Christ (1Co_9:21). His behavior is molded, not by fear of punishment, but by a loving desire to please his Savior. Christ has become his rule of life (Joh_13:15; Joh_15:12; Eph_5:1-2; 1Jn_2:6; 1Jn_3:16).
A common question in a discussion of the believer's relation to the law is, “Should I obey the Ten Commandments?” The answer is that certain principles contained in the law are of lasting relevance. It is always wrong to steal, to covet, or to murder. Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the NT, with an important distinction—they are not given as law (with penalty attached), but as training in righteousness for the people of God (2Ti_3:16 b). The one commandment not repeated is the Sabbath law: Christians are never taught to keep the Sabbath (i.e., the seventh day of the week, Saturday).
The ministry of the law to unsaved people has not ended: “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (1Ti_1:8). Its lawful use is to produce the knowledge of sin and thus lead to repentance. But the law is not for those who are already saved: “The law is not made for a righteous person” (1Ti_1:9).
The righteousness demanded by the law is fulfilled in those “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom_8:4). In fact, the teachings of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount set a higher standard than that set by the law. For instance, the law said, “Do not murder”; Jesus said, “Do not even hate.” So the Sermon on the Mount not only upholds the Law and the Prophets but it amplifies them and develops their deeper implications." -Believer's Bible
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The word "pharisee" literally means "separated one." Numbering seven thousand, this company of men kept the minutest details of the Law. -BKC
"We look at the scribes and Pharisees rather humorously today, but no one did then. They were the Billy Grahams, Chuck Swindolls, and Jack Hayfords—the spiritual giants of their day. And Jesus said even their righteousness wasn't good enough." -Jon Courson
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