Be Perfect? – The Use of the Law

Be Perfect?

Matthew 5:17-19

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

No small part of Jesus’ ministry consisted of relentless attacks and condemnations of the religious status quo. The scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests all felt the sting of His criticism from time to time.

They were the quintessential legalists, trying to persuade the people that they alone held the key to salvation and that obedience to their interpretation of the Law was the only way to peace with God.

Jesus took every opportunity to show up this nonsense for what it is. He made absolute folly of any notion of salvation by works by telling the people that, if that was the way they wanted to go, they only had to do one thing: be perfect.

Not even the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, staunch legalists though they were, would have claimed such for themselves.

Is it possible to hold on to the Law–which is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7:12)–without appealing to it as the ground of our salvation, the soil from which real salvation blossoms and bears fruit? If the Law won’t save us, what purpose should it fulfill?

Lord, teach me…

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.