"Don't think that I have come to destroy the law {of Moses} or the {teaching of the} prophets. I have not come to destroy their teachings. I came to give full meaning to their teachings.
- Matthew 5:17 (ERV)
THOUGHT:
Jesus' statement is shocking! To the devoted Jewish believer, nothing was more sacred than the Law. But Jesus comes and says he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. In other words, he is claiming that the goal of Scripture is found in him. This incredibly audacious claim of Jesus leaves no middle ground. He is either self-deluded or he must be taken seriously. If we are to understand the heart, the character, the holiness, the righteousness, and the will of God, Jesus claims that we must look to him. He embodies and completes what the Law had as its goal. He didn't come to offer some cheapened form of grace (cf. Jude 4 & 2 Tim. 3:2-5). Instead, God wants us to look to Jesus and see what he intended in his Law -- he wanted to benefit us with his righteousness and bring us closer to him!
PRAYER:
Holy and Righteous God, thank you for sending Jesus. While I can read and understand your demands for character, holiness, and righteousness in your Law, in Jesus I see more fully your call to me to be righteous. Please, dear Lord, work your work of salvation, and conform me to the character of Christ. In the name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. (by Phil Ware)
- Matthew 5:17 (ERV)
THOUGHT:
Jesus' statement is shocking! To the devoted Jewish believer, nothing was more sacred than the Law. But Jesus comes and says he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. In other words, he is claiming that the goal of Scripture is found in him. This incredibly audacious claim of Jesus leaves no middle ground. He is either self-deluded or he must be taken seriously. If we are to understand the heart, the character, the holiness, the righteousness, and the will of God, Jesus claims that we must look to him. He embodies and completes what the Law had as its goal. He didn't come to offer some cheapened form of grace (cf. Jude 4 & 2 Tim. 3:2-5). Instead, God wants us to look to Jesus and see what he intended in his Law -- he wanted to benefit us with his righteousness and bring us closer to him!
PRAYER:
Holy and Righteous God, thank you for sending Jesus. While I can read and understand your demands for character, holiness, and righteousness in your Law, in Jesus I see more fully your call to me to be righteous. Please, dear Lord, work your work of salvation, and conform me to the character of Christ. In the name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. (by Phil Ware)
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu