Tuesday, October 18, 2022

7 Principles Jesus Taught about the Law

1) Matthew 5:18-20 - All of the commandments in the Law should be taught for observance in the kingdom as it has been inaugurated (cf. Acts 2:34-36; Heb. 1:3-4; although there are redemptive-historical, covenant-theological adjustments in the precise manner of observance today--see, e.g., 1 Cor. 5:7-8; 9:8-14 for ecclesial applications of civil and ceremonial laws--not to say these particular applications exhaust their usefulness for this age. See also Vern S. Poythress, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses for very helpful work here.

2) Matt. 7:12; 22:36; 23:34-40 -- Love for God and neighbor summarizes the Law's demands.

3) Matt. 23:23 -- There are lesser and "weightier" matters of the Law. The weightier matters include justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

4) Matt. 19:8 -- At least some of the Law was accomodated to a hard-hearted, fleshly covenant people, and regulated certain realities of sin in a fallen, unregenerate world, rather than directly reflecting the divine created ideal. The divine ideal is being restored now in the era of the Spirit.

5) Matt. 5:21-48 -- The Law implies a demand for, and points forward to a greater enactment of, divine justice in and through the covenant people, such that its commands are obeyed holistically, maturely, from a circumcised heart, unto true life and flourishing.

6) Jn. 7:19; Mk. 7:1-23; Matt. 23 -- The Jewish leadership and hostile crowds did not truly obey the heart of the Law, despite their scrupulous application of extrabiblical traditions in an attempt to "fence" the Law (and at times actually for the purpose of subtly justifying the breaking of important commandments like the 5th Commandment about honoring parents). Kingdom disciples must actually exceed the scribes and Pharisees in righteousness (Matt. 5:20)--this is not a reference to justification, as important as that is.

7) Matt. 5:17; Lk. 24:25-27; Jn. 5:39, 45-46 -- All of the Law (and the Prophets and Writings) pointed forward to, testify of, and are fulfilled by, Jesus Christ.

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