Something brand new

I recently visited a lawyer for some legal advice on behalf of our church. When he explained all the things I needed to consider and keep in mind, I was grateful for the advice.

I was also left with gratitude that my salvation isn’t dependent upon my ability to remember and keep the law required of God’s people in the Old Testament. That law was full of technicalities and nuances that would have made a pagan out of me. As followers of Jesus Christ, Paul tells us, we are no longer under the law if we are led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18).

The law serves a purpose. But when I read what Jesus had to say about it, I rejoice and become even more thankful for the freedom we have. Have you ever noticed in Matthew how Jesus keeps raising the standard of the law? The law tells us not to murder. Jesus says, “Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (5:22). The law tells us not to commit adultery. Jesus says, “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery” (5:27). Jesus is always raising the bar.

Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Ouch! That must have been a blow to everyone’s hopes of eternal life.

One time, Jesus has silenced the Sadducees, so the Pharisees think they’ll get together and test him. (“Yeah, let’s give the God of the universe a little pop quiz and see how he does.” What a bunch of wonks!) They ask, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34–39).

The first command sets a high standard, but the second is probably not a big reach for most of us. The simple equation is neighbourly love=self love. (Even I can do that math!) If I try hard, I might be able to love my neighbour as I love myself. (And hey, if I’m filled with self-loathing, technically I’m off the hook, right?) But Jesus was never content to leave well enough alone.

In John 13:34, Jesus ups the ante again. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” There it is! As if the law wasn’t hard enough, Jesus gives us the advanced placement assignment.

No longer can I love you, my neighbour, as I love myself (which as we’ve seen may not be all that much). Now I have to love you by a whole new standard – Jesus’ love.

Jesus isn’t talking about the little pittance of care I might pull off on my own. He’s talking about sacrifice, putting others and their needs above myself.

Now you can understand why I’m glad we don’t live under the law. The law was hard – impossible, in fact! It was also powerless (Romans 8:3). The law could condemn sinful humanity, but due to our sinful nature, it was powerless to save us or change our behaviour.

We sinful humans need a completely new nature and a righteousness not of our own making. This nature and righteousness come from a holiness that isn’t our own. It’s like the TV show What Not To Wear. People with absolutely no fashion sense are given a whole new wardrobe and taught how to dress, and the whole thing is paid by someone else!

You and I are given a whole new nature and taught by the Holy Spirit how to live in that nature. And God picks up the tab. That’s a righteousness greater than that of the Pharisees. That’s the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:18

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Chris Douglas is pastor at Central Heights Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C.