Look to Jesus – The Rule of Law: Justice (6)

Look to Jesus

The Rule of Law: Justice (6)

Jesus embodies and expands the righteousness of the Law.

Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses… Numbers 27:5, 6

Jesus fulfilled the Law of God, both in terms of the righteousness it demands if we would know the favor of God, and of the justice it requires against sinners. We would expect, therefore, that close study of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ would help us to understand God’s intention in the Law.

What we see in Jesus is not an embodiment of Law that is meant to condemn, but one intended to bring wholeness, healing, hope, and salvation (John 3:16, 17; Luke 4:16-21). Our use of the Law of God must be designed to reflect the character and presence of Jesus, so that the reconciliation He has accomplished becomes the restoration He has commissioned us to pursue.

Jesus does not slacken the demands of the Law, however. Quite the contrary: He intensifies and expands them. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus continually forces the Law more deeply into our souls, motivations, private lives, and hearts: “You have heard it said, but I say unto you.” He wants us to see that the rule of Law begins in the soul before it comes to expression in our everyday lives.

Jesus is both Teacher and Example when it comes to understanding and applying the Law of God. But He is more. By His Spirit He also enables us to know and obey the Law of God in a way that actually allows His righteousness to be formed in us, from glory to glory (Ezek. 36:26, 27; 2 Cor. 3:12-18). When, in practice, the righteousness of God’s Law becomes manifest in us, it is not our righteousness at all, but that of Jesus Christ Himself, Who lives through us to make known the glory of God through our obedience (Gal. 2:20; Hab. 2:14).

Thus we do not boast of any attainments or achievements which become visible in or through us; we boast only in the Lord, Who exemplifies, clarifies, teaches, and empowers us for obedience to God’s holy and righteous and good Law.

It stands to reason, therefore, that we, like those ancient Greeks, must be earnest in wanting to see Jesus—to know Him better, to follow Him more completely, to proclaim Him and His resurrection, to bring every thought into obedience to Him, and to share in His fellowship and suffering more consistently and completely every day. Unless we know Jesus and follow Him, we shall not be able to interpret the Law of God as He intends for His Kingdom people.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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