After seeing the title of this post, you might be inclined to ask, “Law? What law? I thought we were under grace?” It is true, the believer is under grace, not law (Rom. 6:14). But it’s equally true that every Kingdom has laws and standards by which the subjects of the Kingdom live. As with our last topic, the Beatitudes (see previous post), the laws of the Kingdom of God are more a matter of “those who are subjects of the King live by these laws,” rather than “to get into the Kingdom you have to live by these laws.”

Jesus devoted a large portion of the Sermon on the Mount to dealing with the Law (Matt. 5:17-48). He didn’t so much lay down the rules, however, as He clarified the standards of what had already been written. In Jesus’ time, the Law had mainly become a matter of outward observance and ritual. This is why Jesus so intensely criticized the religious leaders–they kept the outward observances of the law (mixed with their own traditions), while neglecting the inward man. They were like whitewashed tombs–white and beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones on the inside (Matt. 23:27).

How then should Christians view the Law? Without going into everything Jesus said on the subject, we can can find several important principles in His treatment of the law.

The standards are absolute and eternal.

A well-known pastor recently said in an interview that the Ten Commandments (the cornerstone of the OT law) does not apply to Christians. Many, like this pastor, teach that because of Christ’s death, the standards of the Law are set aside. The dangerous implication of that, however, is that we are “free” to live as we want. However, Jesus said, “until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt. 5:18). Here, Jesus is speaking of the smallest strokes of the Hebrew alphabet, which were used to write the law. As the final interpreter of the Law (being the Lawgiver), Jesus upholds the authority of the Law until the total fulfillment of God’s purposes (including the passing away of heaven and earth).

There is no basis in Scripture for teaching that the Law or its standards are set aside. In fulfilling the Law, Christ did not abolish them or set them aside. Rather, He made it possible for the Law to be woven on the hearts of His people so that their obedience comes not from outward observance but from a fundamental change in their nature and identity.

We must quickly add, however, that Jesus is not teaching that one must keep the law in order to be saved or enter the Kingdom. Read these words carefully: 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 (v. 19, emphasis added). Notice that those who either relax the standards and teaches others to do the same are ones who are “in the kingdom.” We cannot escape the implication of this verse–keeping the Law will not grant you entrance into the Kingdom, and failure to keep a part or parts of the Law will not bar you from the Kingdom.

The law goes much deeper than outward observance.

After Christ reminded the disciples that the Law is eternal, He continued by calling His hearers to obey the Law in all its demands–inward as well as outward. Obedience begins in the heart, though it must not stop there.

• Anger and hatred begin in the heart and are as bad as and precede murder (vv. 21-27). Christ views anger and hatred so seriously that He commands you to leave worship and be reconciled to your brother if there is something between you and him!
• Adultery begins with lust, and lust begins in the heart (vv. 28-30). In order to commit adultery, one must first lust. Lust, by the way, is not confined to sexual matters. We can ‘lust’ after anything, whether it be material things, wealth, fame, power, etc. Lust always begins in the heart, and as with any sin brings forth the consequences.
• Marriage is sacred, having been established at creation (vv. 31-32). The point of Jesus’ teaching here is to get past the question of, “Under what circumstances may I divorce?” His point is that divorce is never morally “okay,” even if ‘permitted’ or ‘necessary.’ Divorce always involves sin and the hardening of the heart (see Matt. 19:3-12).
• Taking an oath should not be necessary for subjects of the Kingdom (vv. 33-37). A follower of Christ is to walk in integrity. His word means something; he does not have to strengthen it or put himself under a curse for it to have force. It is a call to be transparent and open, with no thought of being shady or deceitful (i.e., “pure in heart” [v. 8]).
• Retaliation against one’s enemies is a misunderstanding of God’s law (vv. 38-42). By the time of Jesus, the OT axiom “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” had become a prescription instead of a boundary. What was designed to promote justice and quickly end vendettas had now become the basis for an appeal to vindictiveness. Like the certificate of divorce, the law was given to curb evil due to the hardness of human hearts. Jesus, however, says that the believer is not to “resist” an evil person. We are not to retaliate, we gladly give up our “rights” for the sake of the kingdom. Again, the law is about the heart attitude.

The law demands perfection.

The final point of Jesus’ teaching on the law is that to truly obey the law, we must meet even the hard demands.  It’s not enough, He says, to love those who love you back. It’s not enough to be gracious to your friends or family (or your fellow churchgoers). The law would demand that we be “complete” (another translation of “perfect”), by loving “my neighbor as myself.”

The law cannot save

We should, remember that, as we have said many times, the Law itself will not save, and will not grant us entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. What Jesus has done is give a picture of how the subjects of the Kingdom conduct themselves. We now obey the law because we are subjects of the Kingdom, not so that we can hope to become subjects. Thus, as Paul says, “Live according to your calling” (Eph. 4:1).