#009
Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, he came to fulfill it. But what law is he talking about? God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and a hundred other precepts that make up God's law. You find them primarily in the first five books of the Bible.
People were supposed to keep all the commandments, but some soon realized that wasn't possible. Even if you don't kill, steal, or commit adultery, there's a commandment that says, "You shall not covet."
Well, covetousness happens in the mind, in the heart, even before you act. And that's what Jesus is talking about here. The law said, "You shall not kill," but Jesus says that just being angry with someone is enough to make it count as murder. The law said, "You shall not commit adultery," but Jesus says that just coveting a woman is enough to make you guilty of adultery.
Well, if you're one of those people who read the Sermon on the Mount and think it's all beautiful, you probably didn't understand what it says there. You're reading your death sentence. Or do you want to say you've never felt anger toward anyone, never adulterated in your thoughts, or lied, trying to appear to be something you're not...
So is everyone lost? Exactly, and that's what the apostle Paul explains in his letter to the Romans. God gave the law as a way to shut people up, a way to show that everyone is a sinner, everyone is a transgressor, everyone is a guilty defendant awaiting punishment.
But there's a problem here. The penalty for sin is death. No lawyer can save you from that, but Jesus can. Follow my reasoning.
In the Old Testament, when an Israelite broke the law, when they sinned, they had to sacrifice an innocent animal, a lamb, for example, in their place. Detail: the lamb had to be without defect.
Jesus, because he was sinless, was the only one capable of obeying the law, the only one who didn't have impure thoughts like we do. Despite being human, he didn't inherit the sinful nature we inherited from Adam.
Why do you think Jesus was called the "Lamb of God" by John the Baptist? Exactly. Because he came to be sacrificed in the sinner's place, to fulfill the law. When you see a thief being tried and condemned, you say the law has been fulfilled. The reasoning is the same.
Remember Adam? Well, through the disobedience of one man, many became sinners. God wanted to do the opposite. Through the obedience of one man, Jesus, and through his death, many can be saved.
Believing in Jesus as your substitute is the only condition for your salvation. Or do you think you'll get there by fulfilling the law? Impossible. In God's eyes, you are an adulterer, a thief, and a liar. And since you must hate me for saying this, add murderer to the list.
But if you truly recognize yourself as a sinner who depends on God's grace for salvation, after listening to me rail against you, you'll probably say:
"Mario, you don't know even half of who I really am."