2020.02.09.What's Law Got To Do With It?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 1

1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,

6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,

7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no cdivisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1:1–12 NASB95

Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 5

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4: Matthew–Acts c. Their Righteousness (5:17–20)

Jesus declared that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but rather to fulfil. Thus Christ Himself explained His relationship to the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures were not set aside with the coming of Christianity. Rather, they were to be given a higher interpretation, which is exactly what is found in verses 21–48. Only by their fulfillment in Christ can the Old Testament writings be understood correctly. Without Him they are incomplete and incomprehensible.

Jesus further declared that not the least item of the Law would pass away until all was fulfilled. This does not bind Christians to a literal adherence to the many minute regulations of thus Old Testament. Since Christ fulfilled it all in His perfect life of absolute obedience to the will of God, men meet its demands when they by faith unite themselves with Him. To be dominated by the Spirit of Christ is to fulfill God’s requirements.

Why were the Pharisees always at odds with Jesus? Why do we look at them with such dishonor? Did they fail to keep God’s Law? No. Is it a bad thing to hold people accountable to following God’s Law? No.

Jesus didn’t hold the Pharisees in contempt because they failed to follow the Law. He held them in contempt because the only saw the legal side of the law. They didn’t understand the spirit of the Law or what its real purpose was.

For decades, even centuries, theologians at every level have wondered what to do with the Old Testament. The default position in Christian circles is to disregard, or at least diminish the Old Testament as less important than the New Testament.

The Law seems overbearing. God’s desire for vengeance doesn’t fit the personality we’ve had painted of Yahweh. We’ve all likely fallen into the trap of thinking God must be an ogre ready to crush us for our wrongdoings, and Jesus the great attorney who negotiates an acquittal although we’re clearly guilty. We love the Son, but we’re not so familiar with the Father.

In recent years, one particularly well-known pastor has proposed that wide sections of the Old Testament simply don’t apply to anyone today. But Jesus’ makes it clear that his connection to the Father and to the Old Testament are FULLY intact.

Matthew 5:17-19

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish [Greek literally “destroy”] the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews all record that we are saved by faith in Christ rather than by works of the Law. So if we can’t reject the Old Testament Law, what are we to do with it?

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4: Matthew–Acts c. Their Righteousness (5:17–20)

Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews all record that we are saved by faith in Christ rather than by works of the Law, so

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4: Matthew–Acts c. Their Righteousness (5:17–20)

Jesus declared that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but rather to fulfil. Thus Christ Himself explained His relationship to the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures were not set aside with the coming of Christianity. Rather, they were to be given a higher interpretation, which is exactly what is found in verses 21–48. Only by their fulfillment in Christ can the Old Testament writings be understood correctly. Without Him they are incomplete and incomprehensible.

Jesus declared that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but rather to fulfil. Thus Christ Himself explained His relationship to the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures were not set aside with the coming of Christianity. Rather, they were to be given a higher interpretation, which is exactly what is found in verses [that follow] (21–48). Only by their fulfillment in Christ can the Old Testament writings be understood correctly. Without Him they are incomplete and incomprehensible.

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4: Matthew–Acts c. Their Righteousness (5:17–20)

Jesus declared that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but rather to fulfil. Thus Christ Himself explained His relationship to the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures were not set aside with the coming of Christianity. Rather, they were to be given a higher interpretation, which is exactly what is found in verses 21–48. Only by their fulfillment in Christ can the Old Testament writings be understood correctly. Without Him they are incomplete and incomprehensible.

Jesus further declared that not the least item of the Law would pass away until all was fulfilled. This does not bind Christians to a literal adherence to the many minute regulations of thus Old Testament. Since Christ fulfilled it all in His perfect life of absolute obedience to the will of God, men meet its demands when they by faith unite themselves with Him. To be dominated by the Spirit of Christ is to fulfill God’s requirements.

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

>> Quote

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Halley’s Bible Handbook c. Jesus and the Law ()

Jesus’ meaning is that God’s moral law is the expression of God’s own holiness and is therefore an eternal obligation on God’s people. In reality, Jesus came to give the Law a deeper meaning that did not call merely for outward acts but a change in the inner depths of the human heart (which, of course, had been the point of the Law all along).

Jesus then talks about murder, adultery, swearing, revenge, hating enemies before explaining that motive is the enduring part of the Law.

>>> Quote

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

He says that our righteousness must SURPASS that of the religious leaders if we want to enter God’s Kingdom!

5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,

So if motive is more important than behavior, what is the Law useful for?

6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:

>>> Quote (2 slides)

7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;

20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for bthrough the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So the purpose, then, of the Law is for us to know God’s heart in a moral sense, and to recognize our own sinfulness. The Law stands as a standard of measurement to make sure every one of us knows NO ONE can stand up to scrutiny when compared to God’s heart.

9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hopefully, this produces a few results:

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>>> 1. Humility

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Humility! Humility is seriously lacking in most high profile Christian people we see on television. They rail against the sins of others as if they’re sinless, but God’s Law exists to demonstrate that the greatest among us are still sinful and in need of a savior. Having relationship with that savior should grant us confidence and assurance, but we should never lose the humility that comes from knowing I am nothing without God’s grace, because I can’t live up to the expectations of His Law … and neither can you … which brings another purpose:

1. Humility! Humility is seriously lacking in most high profile Christian people we see on television. They rail against the sins of others as if they’re sinless, but God’s Law exists to demonstrate that the greatest among us are still sinful and in need of a savior. Having relationship with that savior should grant us confidence and assurance, but we should never lose the humility that comes from knowing I am nothing without God’s grace, because I can’t live up to the expectations of His Law … and neither can you … which brings another result:

Humility! Humility is seriously lacking in most high profile Christian people we see on television. They rail against the sins of others as if they’re sinless, but God’s Law exists to demonstrate that the greatest among us are still sinful and in need of a savior. Having relationship with that savior should grant us confidence and assurance, but we should never lose the humility that comes from knowing I am nothing without God’s grace, because I can’t live up to the expectations of His Law … and neither can you … which brings another purpose:

>>>

>>> 2. Unity

11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

2. Unity! In our first reading, we heard:

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no cdivisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

You see, recognizing that God’s Law is too high for ANYone to live up to means that we’re all in the same shape with God. We are not justified by anything we’ve done, so there’s no reason to lose our humility. We are all justified by the works of Jesus Christ, which unifies us.

Just like Paul, Apollos, and Cephas .. NONE of you were justified by Joel Osteen, or Rick Warren, or Adam Hamilton, or Joyce Meyer, or Franklin Graham, or Chris Gadlage! If you’ve been justified, you’ve been justified by Jesus Christ, son of the living God! And that makes us all part of the same team.

Title Slide

This past week, there was a big celebration in Kansas City because the Chiefs won a big victory.

If you’re part of Team Jesus, I have great news. I’ve read the end of the book … our team wins! To close this message, let me invite you to take a minute to celebrate with your teammates.

2020.02.09.What's Law Got To Do With It?

What’s Law Got To Do With It?