The Law

This morning Jesus peaked my curiosity while reading through his extensive teaching on the law in Matthew 5:17-48. Jesus describes himself as the fulfillment of the law (v17). In doing this He is the completion of what the Israelites have been awaiting for centuries. He doesn't stop there, but begins to correct the false interpretations of the Law that have been passed down by the Pharisees. I think this is valuable because this teaching establishes Jesus' authority. As the Son of God, who better than He to explain the heart behind the Law's instruction?

The Lord discusses anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and loving your enemies as he systematically takes the people's understanding of the Law and emphasizes the harshness of sin with phrases such as warning the angry that they will be "put in prison", the one who lusts that he or she should "cut off" any member that leads to sin.

You see, the Pharisee's had made the Law into a way of life, almost like a game to which they were able to tweak the rules in ways that best suited them. Christ's response was tantamount to declaring that they will never be able to fulfill they entirety of the Law - and in their attempts they would only achieve destruction, pain, and brokenness.

Paul writes in Galatians:

 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. 2:15-16 (italics added)

I know it is easy in our society to mock the Pharisee's as legalistic and to tout our freedom from the law. But there are two parts two this verse in Galatians that I find powerful. First, the law does not justify our relationship with God. Rigid obedience will not earn us passage into the Kingdom of Heaven, and God does not take pleasure in begrudging rule followers who focus their efforts on not-sinning rather than living in freedom for the sake of the Gospel. Secondly, our justification is towards faith, not in spite of faith. Faith gives fruit in its actions. Yes, the same Law that we have been set free from also gives us guidance to what a Godly life looks like. It instructs us to love, forgive, rejoice, mourn, plea, hope, and pray. We do this not out of a desire to follow a set of rules, but to draw nearer to our Father who loves us.

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Father, I repent of any ill-purposed motives in my heart that seek to give obedience to the law out of fear or obligations. I rejoice in a joyful obedience to your scriptures because you have set me free from a law that I could never appease and placed me under the law of liberty (James 1:25). Continue to pour your Spirit into me so that I would always grow closer and closer to you and that I would walk in step with your Spirit. Draw me to worship and strip me of insecurity and pride. I need your grace. I cannot and do not wish to strive after the wind and fall short of the Law. I choose to stand on the grace of God and use that sure-footing as a path forward into righteous obedience through your power. Amen.

Poor in Spirit or Rich in Self

Jesus in his initial introduction for the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3 tells us, "“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

John Calvin writes that “he only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit.” Many of us are much closer to the wealthy side of worldly possessions that poverty. It is in light of this that Calvin's statement makes so much sense to me. How often have I taken pride in what I have, what I can do, or what I believe and used that as assurance that I had entrance into the Kingdom of God. To be poor in spirit is just the opposite of that. It is to place all power and ability in God's goodness and His grace and see ourselves in light of who we are - fallen men and Nd women desperate to be rescued. How often is believing that easy? Sometimes it's hard to accurately see ourselves through the lens of Jesus - fully loved, but woefully broken apart from Him. 

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Lord, I repent of believing the lie that I am sufficient in myself to gain entrance into your Kingdom. I ask for your grace - teach me to be humble. Train my mind to see myself as I am, rather than how the enemy and my flesh would like me to be. I willfully admit my brokenness and as that you would remedy my pride and fill me again with your Holy Spirit - poor in self, but rich in God. Amen