[21] “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
[22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
[23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
[24] leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
[25] Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
[26] Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
[27] “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
[28] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
[29] If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
[30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
[31] “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
[32] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
[33] “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
[34] But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
[35] or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
[36] And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
[37] Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Matthew 5:21-37 ESV
From time to time disputes arise in Christian circles concerning good works in the life of a believer, especially whether or not they are a factor in our salvation. On one hand there are those who focus on salvation being by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and are criticized for suggesting that good works are irrelevant to the Christian. And on the other hand there are those who focus upon the need for Christians to live holy lives, and as a result are criticized for promoting salvation through a mixture of faith in Christ and our own works. In reality, what we need to do as Christians, is to come to a clear understanding where we stand in relation to God’s Law.
Before highlighting any areas of confusion that I believe produce a wrong attitude in a Christian believer towards the Law of God, I would first like to make it crystal clear where Jesus Christ Himself stood on this matter. If the opening verses are read carefully, you will notice that not only does Jesus uphold the commands of God’s Law, but in fact amplifies them! In no uncertain words, Jesus says: “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.” [Matthew 5:17-19]
What we must understand as Christians is that we have been saved by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. Because of His great sacrifice on behalf of those who believe, God has “forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” [Col 2:14] No longer are we under the Old Covenant mediated through Moses, but we are under the New Covenant established through the blood of Christ Himself, once and for all. But what we must also remember is, just as the New Covenant is perfect and made the Old Covenant obsolete [Heb 8:13] , our lives in Him are held to an infinitely higher standard of righteousness than those under the Old Covenant too. The verse directly leading into the opening passage makes this perfectly clear: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:20]
Possibly one of the most crucially important things for the Christian to understand with regards to our relationship to the righteousness of God commanded by His Law, is to understand the clear distinction between our justification and our sanctification. Our justification can most easily be understood as an instantaneous and free gift, bestowed upon us solely by faith in Christ, and not of works [Eph 2:8-9]. We can do nothing to earn this right standing with God, but can only enter into that place by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ as our own. It is a judgment made according to God’s own righteousness whereby He stands externally from us, and declares that His wrath against our sins has been satisfied by the sacrifice of His Son. It is immediate, irrefutable, and guaranteed by the indwelling presence of His Spirit as a deposit of the eternal inheritance to come. When Christians refer to being saved, it is usually with reference to our justification, whereby our sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ.
Our sanctification however is an ongoing process that includes the willing participation of the believer, and has no bearing upon our justification. If indeed our faith is sincere and our justification genuine however, our sanctification will most surely follow. Whereas the act of being justified is declared externally in an instant, our sanctification comes from within by the power of the Holy Spirit bearing His fruit in our lives, and changing us from glory to glory into the likeness of the Son [2 Cor 3:16-18]. Our part is not in trying to please God with our works by our own strength, but rather being willing to put to death the desires of our flesh by the power of the Spirit [Col 3:5]. Jesus likened this to embracing death to our self when He said; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” [Luke 9:23-24]
If we maintain a healthy understanding of what God’s Word has to say on these matters, it should fill us with confidence that we truly have been made right with God, and also fill us with a gratitude that demands our faithful service to Him as our Lord and King. What’s more, it will produce in us a deeper understanding of His Gospel, and the way in which it truly is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. Amen.
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