Chapter 12
THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW
(Matthew 5:21-48)
Before we begin our study about the Spirit of the Law, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Holy Father we ask for You to please bless this study. Cause us to understand Your purpose for giving Your Laws to mankind. Please cause us to see the tremendous Grace and Mercy You have extended to each and every one of us through Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
As an introduction to this study let us read the following passage from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans,
Romans 2:28-29
"[28] A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. [29] No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."
To receive a more in depth understanding as to what the Holy Spirit is teaching and how it relates to the Christian, we will,
1. Review some of the Ten Commandments, which is the Moral Law, that God gave through His servant Moses. In addition we will see how our Lord Jesus Christ interpreted these laws to reveal the true Spirit of the Law.
2. Discover that we, in our own strength and willpower cannot comply with the Spirit of the Law. In other words the Old Testament covenant cannot change our heart.
3. Review the fact that we must be born again.
4. Examine the Scriptures to see God's purpose in giving us the Law that is the Old Covenant.
5. Explore some of the tremendous benefits of the New Covenant God gave through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
With this brief introduction in mind we begin our study by reviewing,
SOME OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
The first commandment we will review is,
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT - YOU SHALL NOT MURDER
This commandment is recorded for us in,
Deuteronomy 5:17
""[17] You shall not murder."
It is noted that from a judicial standpoint the above commandment is fairly vague, that is it does not distinguish the difference between an accidental killing verses an intentional killing. Consequently the Lord also provided a set of legal ground rules by which to judge the intentions of the accused. For example let us read the following,
Numbers 35:16-24
""'[16] If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [17] Or if anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [18] Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [19] The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. [20] If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies [21] or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. [22] "'But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally [23] or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, [24] the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations."
Throughout the ages the people of Israel and other nations strictly adhered to and administered justice according to these and other legalistic requirements. Consequently, they thought that with respect to the crime of murder, that if a person was not guilty of an intentional or premeditated killing, then all was well with them. For example, how often did we hear and say: "I'm not bad or evil; I did not kill or murder anyone." It is because of a belief such as this Jesus further interpreted the Law to reveal the true Spirit of the Law. His teaching with respect to the sixth commandment is recorded in,
Matthew 5:21-22
""[21] You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' [22] But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
It is noted that according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words1, the distinction between “Raca” and “fool” is:
In the above passage the Greek word for “fool” means morally worthless, a scoundrel, a more serious reproach than the Greek word “Raca”; the latter scorns a man’s mind and calls him stupid; “fool” scorns his heart and character; hence the Lord’s more severe condemnation
Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ defines murder to not only be the physical act of killing another human being but also to be when a person has within their heart an utter contempt for another individual.
For our next example, let us review
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT - YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
This commandment is recorded for us in,
Deuteronomy 5:18
""[18] You shall not commit adultery."
As it was with the sixth commandment, God also gave a set of legal ground rules by which to not only define adultery but also its consequences. In addition, God also gave a set of definitions to identify various acts of sexual immorality and their associated consequences (See Leviticus 20:10-21).
As He did with the sixth commandment, Jesus also teaches the Spirit of the seventh commandment. His teaching is recorded in,
Matthew 5:27-28
""[27] You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' [28] But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
SOME OTHER EXAMPLES
Let us continue to read Jesus' sermon on the mountainside and see what He taught with respect to some of the other commandments of the Law. To do this let us read from,
Matthew 5:33-48
""[33] Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' [34] But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; [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 swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. [37] Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. [38] "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' [39] But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. [43] "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Let us notice the following verse,
48 … Jesus summed up His whole teaching about the Law by stating that: "We are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect."
In reflecting upon the above teachings of our Lord, one comes to the following,
CONCLUSION
1. I am convicted! My sin is exposed!
And,
2. I've got an impossible task to be perfect. In other words, I do not have the power or capability to change. I can perhaps change what I do externally but I cannot change my heart.
This is exactly the point. Specifically, the Bible teaches us that,
THE LAW CAN NOT MAKE US PERFECT
This teaching is presented to us throughout the New Testament. For example let us read in the book of Hebrews were the Holy Spirit reveals to us that in Jesus Christ the former regulations, that is the Law which was written on stones and parchment, has been set aside. This is recorded for us in,
Hebrews 7:18-19
"[18] The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless [19] (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."
Before we jump to an erroneous conclusion about verse 18, let us read what Jesus said as it is recorded in,
Matthew 5:17-19
[17] “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. [18] For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. [19] Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
In reflecting upon Hebrews 7:19, one might ask: "What is this better hope by which we draw near to God?" To find out let read from,
Hebrews 8:7-13
"[7] For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. [8] But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. [9] It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. [10] This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [11] No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. [12] For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." [13] By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."
Let us notice the following verses,
7-9 … The first covenant, that is the Law handed down through Moses, was incomplete in that it could not make us perfect. Specifically, it could not change our hearts or give us the spiritual power to comply with God’s just demands. It only told us what we could or could not do. Consequently, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, promised that He will make a New Covenant with the people.
10 … In the New Covenant, when a person becomes a born again believer in Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit comes to live and dwell within them. At this time God's Laws are placed within the believer's mind and written in their hearts. In other words, God's ways become a part of the born again believer's nature.
This is why Jesus told Nicodemus,
WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
As we read this conversation it is important to note that Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He was very learned in the Jewish faith, and a respected teacher of the Holy Scriptures. With this short background let us read from,
John 3:1-8
"[1] Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. [2] He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." [3] In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." [4] "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" [5] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' [8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." [9] “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. [10[ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?”
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … Jesus avoided Nicodemus’ observation and immediately addressed the issue of eternal life. Namely, to enter the Kingdom of God you must be born again.
4 … Nicodemus did not understand.
6 … Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. In other words, in the normal course of things, we are flesh descended from Adam. However, the Holy Spirit gives birth to the spirit. Namely, it is only the Holy Spirit, God Himself, who imparts His divine nature in us and makes us spiritually alive. This is the new birth or being born again.
9 … Nicodemus still did not understand.
10 … Jesus is surprised Nicodemus did not understand these things.
Let us stop for a moment and reflect upon this incredible conversation. Here we find that Nicodemus, a wise and respected teacher of the Scriptures and the Jewish faith, comes to the realization that Jesus was sent by God. Consequently, he goes to talk with Him. In response to Nicodemus’ inquiry, Jesus presents the whole key to eternal life and is surprised that Nicodemus was not aware of it. Why? Why was Jesus surprised? It is because the whole Old Testament, from the fall of Adam and Eve onward, talks about it. It foretells of the time when He, God, would come to heal us and bring us back to His Kingdom.
Before we move on, let us now pay particular attention to what Jesus said to Nicodemus in,
John 3:8
"[8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
In other words, Jesus is also teaching us that our new birth is a sovereign work of God! It is He who extends His Grace to us (which is unmerited favor) and provides us the faith to be transformed. To see this more clearly, let us prayerfully consider,
Ephesians 2:4-9
"[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- [9] not by works, so that no one can boast."
This now brings us to the question of what was and is God's
PURPOSE OF THE LAW
As we read the New Testament we discover that His purpose for the Law was and is twofold. The first purpose of the Law was and is,
TO EXPOSE SIN
To see this let us read from,
Romans 3:20
"[20] Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
To help us better understand the above Scripture let us now read from,
Romans 7:7
"[7] What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet.""
As you recall when we read Jesus' teaching with respect to the Spirit of the Law it did in fact accomplish God's purpose. I do not know about you but it certainly revealed areas of sin in my life. This now brings us to God's second purpose for the Law and that is,
TO LEAD US TO JESUS CHRIST
This is clearly revealed to us in,
Galatians 3:24
"[24] So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
Let us now examine in a bit more depth this blessing of being justified, which means, through faith in Jesus Christ we are in right or good standing before God the Father. Let us now review some of the,
BENEFITS OF THE NEW COVENANT
We begin our study of the benefits of the New Covenant by first reading the promises God made through His prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Then with each promise we will see how it has been fulfilled through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first promise God made for the New Covenant addressed the issue that could not be accomplished by the Mosaic Law. Specifically, because the Old Covenant was external to our inner being, we, in our sinful fallen nature, could not nor can not completely comply with God's laws. Consequently, as we saw earlier, God in the New Covenant, promised to give us a new birth. Specifically, God promised that a time will come when He would,
CHANGE OUR HEARTS AND PLACE HIS SPIRIT WITHIN US
To see this let us first read the following excerpt from the many prophecies He gave through His servant Ezekiel. The promise for this study is recorded in,
Ezekiel 36:25-27
"[25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
To amplify upon this prophecy a bit more let us now read what God said through His prophet Jeremiah. The passage of interest is in,
Jeremiah 31:33
""[33] This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
To see and understand that these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, let us read the following excerpt from the Apostle Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Since the born again believer in Jesus Christ has a new heart, God's Laws written upon their minds and God the Holy Spirit living within them, sin no longer has power over them. In other words,
WE HAVE BEEN REDEMED FROM THE POWER OR OUR BONDAGE TO SIN
To see this let us read from,
Romans 6:14
"[14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Consequently, we find that when, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are truly born again God the Holy Spirit has written His Laws upon our hearts and minds. In addition, since God the Holy Spirit, lives within us, we now have His power to follow them. Thus, we have been redeemed from the power or our bondage to sin.
The next glorious blessing of the New Covenant or of being a born again believer in Jesus Christ is that,
WE ALL KNOW HIM
To see that this was also part of the promise of the New Covenant, let us return to the prophet Jeremiah and read from,
Jeremiah 31:34(a)
"[34] No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD..."
To see that this prophecy was also fulfilled by Jesus Christ let us read an excerpt of what Jesus said to His disciples to prepare them for His departure. The excerpt for this study is recorded in,
John 14:23
"[23] Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
This passage is referring to that point in time when the born again believer, in obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, reached out in faith and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. It refers to the time when God the Holy Spirit came to live and dwell within them. Hence, since God the Holy Spirit lives within the true born again believer in Jesus Christ, they will know God.
The third and last blessing that we will cover in this study is that because of the sacrifice He made for us on the cross and the fact that He physically rose again from the dead,
WE ARE FORGIVEN OF OUR SINS
To see that this was also a promise of the New Covenant let us complete our reading of verse thirty four of the thirty first chapter from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:34
"[34] No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.""
A summary of how this promise was and is fulfilled through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is given in,
1 John 1:5-2:2
"[5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. [8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
"[2:1] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
THE MESSAGE
With all the above promises and blessings in mind, let us now read the message or point of this chapter. To do this we go to,
Romans 8:1-15
"[1] Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, [4] in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. [5] Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. [6] The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; [7] the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. [8] Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. [9] You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. [10] But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. [11] And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. [12] Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, [14] because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [15] For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.""
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading from,
Romans 11:33-36
[33] Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
[34] “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
[35] “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
[36] For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen