SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2020 8:42 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The
Clarification of the Law”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 5:19
Message of the verse: “19 "Whoever
then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do
the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
John
MacArthur begins this last section on Matthew 5:19 with a very important
statement: “We know from the thrust of
the New Testament epistles that Jesus is speaking here of God’s permanent moral
law. The Sermon on the Mount is just as
valid for believers today as it was for those to whom Jesus preached it
directly, because every principle and standard taught here is also taught in
the epistles. The other writers make
absolutely clear that believers’ obligation to obey God’s moral law not only
did not cease at Christ’s coming but was reaffirmed by Christ and remains
energized by the Holy Spirit for the entire church age.”
When
one reads through the NT letters they will find a paradox in regard to the law,
as this especially seen in the letters that Paul wrote. We see on one hand we are told of the law’s
being fulfilled and done away with, yet on the other hand that we as believers
are still obligated to obey them. I have
to say that all of the Ten Commandments are seen repeated in the New Testament
with the exception of keeping the Sabbath.
Paul writes the following in Ephesians 2:14-15 to address the Jews and
the Gentiles: “14 For He Himself is our
peace, who made both groups
into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by
abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances,
so that in Himself He
might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace.” MacArthur concludes “When the church came
into existence the ‘dividing wall’ of civil, judicial law crumbled and disappeared.”
From
the eyes of God Israel was temporarily set aside as a nation at the cross where
the killed their King and thus rejected His kingdom. If we look through the world’s eyes we see
that this ended in 70 A. D. when Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus who led the
Romans to destroy it. In May of 1948 God brought Israel back to their land and
made them a nation again, but this is a preparation for her restoration
spiritually as we can see from Romans chapters 9-11.
Here
is another important quotation from John MacArthur who writes “The ceremonial
law also came to an end. While Jesus was
still hanging on the cross, ‘the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom’ (Mark 15:38). The Temple worship
and the sacrifices were no longer valid, even symbolically. That part of the law was finished,
accomplished, and done away with by Christ.”
Lord
willing we will complete this last section in our next SD.
7/25/2020 9:03 AM
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