Matthew 5:17-20
View commentary related to this passage
Teaching about the Law
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
Mike's Thoughts:
This reading requires us to slow down and consider a few things: 1. God's greatest desire is to be with us. 2. The law's purpose was to define who God was. The law was a list of commands in the Old Testament (before Jesus). The law was given not because God is a God of rules. But because God is a perfect God. It showed that God is perfect in the little things. It showed that we could never be as good as God. It was God's way to define how perfect he is and how imperfect we are. The reality is that if we could be perfect and do everything perfectly then we wouldn't need a savior to connect us to God. The law was God's way to reveal that we need a savior. The Pharisees were the teachers of the law. Even though they didn't obey it perfectly they knew it better than anyone and they obeyed it better than anyone. Jesus' point is still to show us that we are NOT perfect. If we want to get to heaven we need to be better than the Pharisees - and they are pretty good. However, even they aren't good enough. This seems to be a tall order. Read on.....
Romans 8:1-4
View commentary related to this passage
Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Mike's Thoughts:
Condemnation means that it's over. When we are condemned it's the same as when you condemn a house. It is roped off, no one is allowed to even come close to it and the next step is to bring a bulldozer and destroy it. There is no going back and no amount of repairs will help. It needs to be destroyed. When we accept Jesus as our savior we cannot be condemned. The Law couldn't save us, it could only show us how far from perfect we are. If we lived by the law we would be condemned because we couldn't live up to it's standards. Jesus came to give us a new standard - To live for him.....It's that simple. We live for him and he promises to not condemn us for not being perfect.
Prayer:
THANKS GOD!! Thanks that you showed us that we may be good people but that we don’t even compare to your goodness. Thanks that you filled the gap between us and you. Thanks that we never have to be condemned. Thanks that we don't have to be perfect. Thanks that the pressure to be perfect is off. Thanks that Jesus is perfect. Help us to live for you. Help us to put our eyes not on perfect living, but on living for you. --amen
No comments:
Post a Comment