Basic HTML Version
inspired words on this subject:
"Think not [although many do
want to think this] that
1
am
come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fu lfil" (Matthew
5: 17). Greek scholars acknowl–
edge that the word translated
"fulfil" means not only "to do or
perform," but also to "fill to the
full. " In other words, J esus, in
His own life, filled to the full and
perfectly performed the spiritual
intent and purpose of God's
law-to lave God with all your
might and to lave your neighbor
as yourself.
Why did He do this? To do
away with God's law by this
means? That's what men will try
to tell you!
The ultimate criterion for right
and wrong, many church leaders
say, is not divine command, but
the individuai's subjective percep–
tion of what is good for himself.
"We are delivered from the law,"
they expostulate. But let God
answer. In a prophecy about the
coming Messiah, Isaiah wrote:
"The Lord is well pleased for his
righteousness' sake; he will mag–
nify the law, and make it honour–
able" (Isaiah 42:21) .
Jesus Magnified God's Law
To magnify does not mean to
destroy, but to show forth and
enlarge to the fullest possible
extent. Jesus perfectly fulfill ed
and magnified God's Iaw to show
us its fullest spiritual application
and also to set us an example that
we should follow in His steps
(1
Peter 2:2 1).
Jesus continued in the same
discourse: "Whosoever therefore
sha ll 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"
(Matthew 5: 19). So according to
J esus' teaching, you have to both
do and teach even the least of
God 's commandments if you are
to become great in His Kingdom.
This is just the opposite of the
common teaching of "Christian–
ity" today. Probably, you were
28
taught to believe J esus did away
with the law of God.
J esus showed that even to hate
a brother- involving as it does
the spi r it of murder-brings one
into judgment befare the spiritual
law of God (Matthew 5:21-26).
He vividly illustrated how one
can commit adultery not just by
performing the act, but by even
lusting after a woman in his heart
(verses 27-28).
Read these examples in your
own Bible. Think about them. In
every case, they do not do away
with God's law, but rather make
it all the more binding!
Matthew's fifth chapter ends
with J esus' instruction: "Be ye
["become ye" is the literal, origi–
nal Greek] therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect" (verse 48).
Obedience to God and His law
is the keynote of the enti re Ser–
mon on the Mount. J esus
declared: "Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my
Father ·which is in heaven" (Mat–
thew 7:21 ).
Later during His ministry, a
young man carne and interviewed
Him saying, "Good Master, what
good thing shall I do, that 1 may
have eternai li fe? And he said
unto him, Why callest thou me
good? there is none good but one,
that is, God: but if thou wilt enter
into life,
keep the command–
ments"
(Matthew 19:16-17).
Then J esus proceeded to name
sorne of the Ten Commandments
(verses 18-19). In this briefinter–
view, Jesus again emphasized the
principie of obedience.
God's Government Has Law
God's Kingdom or government is
connected with God's law. Speak–
ing about the good news of the
government of God that He
preached, Jesus stated: " The law
and the prophets were until John:
since that time the kingdom of
God is preached, and every man
presseth into it. And it is easier
for heaven and earth to pass, than
one tittle of the law to fail" (Luke
16: 16-17). Here, J esus showed
that God's spiritual law will
endure even beyond the duration
of the physical universe. rn fact ,
that law would never fail! T hen
He went on to show what Iaw He
was talking about (verse 18) by
commenting on the command–
ment concerning adultery-one
of the T en Commandments!
So the good news of God's gov–
ernment- which is not under–
stood or preached by the main–
stream of today's Christianity-is
related to the law of God as con–
tained in the Ten Command–
ments. J esus always magnified
and kept this law during His Iife–
time. He said, "I have kept my
Father's commandments" (John
15:10).
After Christ's resurrection,
when He was commissioning His
disciples to preach His message to
all nat ions, He commanded: "Go
ye therefo r e, a nd teach all
nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
teaching them to observe
ALL
THINGS
whatsoever
1
have com–
manded you: and, lo,
I
am with
you alway, even unto the end of
the world" (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Here, J esus is clearly and
plainly telling His apost les to go
out to all nations, preaching
exactly the same message of obe–
dience to God's law and His gov–
ernment as He Himself had
taught them. And yet , many the–
ologians and religious leaders
today stray from teaching obe–
dience to God's commandments.
They claim, " The T en Com–
mandments are out of date!"
As the African student men–
t ioned in the beginning of this
article, noticed, modern Chris–
tianity has strayed far from the
simple teachings of Jesus!
Jesus Set an Example
A Christian is one who li terally
follows the example of Jesus
Christ! Jesus was the "light" that
God sent into the world to show
man how he ought to live. ' T hat
was the true Light, which light–
eth every man that cometh into
the world" (J ohn 1:9).
Peter was inspired to record
that J esus Christ lived and
walked, leaving us an example,
The
PLAIN TRUTH