LEGALIST OR LAW KEEPER?
Matthew 5:17-20

Introduction:      We live in a society of laws. Our lives are governed by laws. Whether we like it or not, laws must be dealt with by every individual in our society. Sometimes we are frustrated by laws (Expound). But would we live in a society with no law? Think about what kind of society that would be. It would be a society with no authority outside of the individual. Judges 21:25 describes such a situation: "In those days there was no king in Israel ; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." When there is no objective authority or law, each individual must develop his or her own law. Who is to say he is wrong, if there is no objective law? This is where the idea that there is no absolute truth ultimately leads. This point of view is known as relativism. Taken to its extreme and ultimate conclusion, relativism permits everyone to do what is right in their own eyes. In that system, laws at best are only a reflection of the group in charge at the time. But who or what is to say they are right if there is no authoritative law? Most laws in our society are derived from the Bible, God's Law. Of course, there are many who would like to do away with the Bible - with any concept of God and His law. They do not want to be governed by God. Normally we think of unbelievers when we think of people who reject the law of God. Sadly, even many Christians can be guilty of this same offense. Under the doctrine of "we are not under law, but under grace" many Christians, who profess to be under the Lordship of Christ, practically establish a religion of doing their own thing in the name of Jesus. They perceive following Christ means that they only have to obey their own subjective impressions of what Christ is saying to them. Or, they rip the Old Testament out of the Bible and only look at the New Testament (or their favorite parts of it) for objective guidance. Others become legalists as they observe only the letter of the law. But Christ said that He came to fulfill, not destroy the law. So it seems that we must understand what He meant when He said this. Did He mean that He was going to fulfill the law in order to do away with it? Where are you in relation to God's law? Are you a legalist or a law keeper? Do you have God's opinion of His law, or an opinion you have derived for yourself? Having God's opinion concerning His law is vital lest you find yourself standing before Him at the judgment seat answering for your rebellious life. Let's examine the two categories of people depicted by Jesus' words.

I.          THE LEGALISTS (V.17)

It is important to understand what Jesus meant when His used the word law. The Jews meant several things when they used that word. They used it to mean:

A.                 The Ten Commandments

The Law of God summarized. They also used it to mean the first five books of the Bible, which is known as the

B.                 The Pentateuch

Pentateuch literally means The Five Rolls. This was the most important part of the Bible to the Jews. They also used the phrase

C.                 The Law and the Prophets

Meaning the whole of Scripture-what we would call the Old Testament. And finally, they used this word to mean

            D.        The Oral or the Scribal Law

In Jesus’ day this was generally understood as the meaning in use. But this was not what Jesus had in mind when He used the word law. We know this because Jesus utterly condemned most of the Scribal Law. What was the Scribal Law?

·         The Scribal Law became a vast system of rules and regulations that were intended to define and apply the true law of God to every situation in life.

It first began as an oral law, handed down by the Scribes over many generations. This was its state in Jesus day. Around the middle of the third century A.D. a summary of it was written which is known as the “Mish-nah”. This book contains sixty-three sections on the law, and in English runs about eight hundred pages. Jewish scholarship went on to make commentaries to explain the “Mish-nah”. These were known as the “Tal-muds”. The Jerusalem Talmud consists of twelve volumes. The Babylonian Talmud consists of sixty volumes. This Scribal Law sought to extract from the principles of God's law found in Scripture the practical application of them for every situation in life. Take the Sabbath day as an example. The principle God gives us is that we should have a day of rest. We should do no work on that day. But the Scribes were not satisfied with that. After all, what is work? One thing which was classified as work was to carry a burden. But what is a burden? The Scribal Law says that a burden is:

·         food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen

On and on these regulations droned. Hours were spent arguing whether someone could move a lamp from one place to another or if someone could lift his or her child. Their rules became very elaborate. Writing was forbidden as work on the Sabbath. But what is writing?

·         He who writes two letters of the alphabet with his right or with his left hand, whether of one kind or two kinds, if they are written with different inks or in different languages, is guilty. Even if he should write two letters from forgetfulness, he is guilty, whether he has written them with ink or with paint, red chalk, or anything which makes a permanent mark. Also he that writes on two walls that form an angle, or on two tablets of his account book so that they can be read together is guilty . . . But, if anyone writes with dark fluid with fruit juice, or in the dust of the road, or in sand, or in anything which does not make a permanent mark, he is not guilty.

You can see why Jesus opposed this kind of law. It is not the law of God at all. We are not talking here about God's Commandments found in the Old Testament. These laws are petty and extend far beyond the principles found in God's law.

·         For these Scribes, the law was the means of salvation. So it was very important that nothing be left to chance. The problem that this kind of thinking results in is that the principles behind the laws are lost while only externals are emphasized.

Viewing the law as the means of salvation produces legalism and legalists. It produced legalists in Jesus' day and today as well. In the contemporary church we have our legalists today. Even though they may espouse a theology of salvation by grace, they seem to be very much concerned with man-made rules and regulations. Like the Scribes of old, they seek to explain what God really meant when He said what He said. The problem with legalism, however, is that it produces law breakers. It focuses on trivialities and misses the real principle that God is seeking to emphasize.

II.         THE LAW-KEEPERS (VV.18-20)

Jesus was not a legalist. He was a law-keeper. He did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. On the contrary Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law. Here Jesus was not referring to the Scribal Law. Law-keepers understand that:

            A.        God’s Divine Law Is Complete (v.18)

The message of Jesus here emphases the importance of the entirety of God's law. The “jot” to which He referred is a Hebrew letter about the size of an apostrophe. The “tittle” is the little projection at the foot of a letter. The message is clear. Not even the smallest part of the law will be abolished until all of the plan and purpose of God are fulfilled.

            B.         God’s Divine Law Is Crucial (v.19)

Jesus warns against the idea that God's law is unimportant. It is clear that the divine law of God is extremely important - important enough to obey. .

            C.         God’s Divine Law Cannot Convert (v.20)

·         The Law Is Not A Means Of Salvation.

But God's law reflects God's heart. And God's law has never been repealed. The ceremonial laws pertaining to Israel have been fulfilled and replaced by the sacrifice of Christ. But the moral law of God remains as much in effect today as it ever has.

·         The Law Itself Is Righteous But The Law Cannot Make You Righteous.

Those who believe and by faith receive Christ as Savior are converted and made righteous. The truly redeemed will desire to keep God’s law. You will keep it not in letter only, but also in spirit. The Scribes were concerned in keeping the letter of the law, but Jesus goes on to say in verse 20…

Being concerned with only the letter of the law produces people who do less than God requires, for God always requires more than our interpretation of His law demands (we will see this more and more as we continue in the Sermon of the Mount in the next few weeks).

It might also be said that those who say "we are not under the law, but under grace" in order to do less are not only mistaken about the nature of the law but are also hypocrites. Where did Christ ever require less than the law demanded?

Conclusion:       Here is the key. Christ is both the law-giver and the law-keeper. In His life, He totally fulfilled the law in all aspects. By His death, He paid the penalty for our sins against the law of God. Through His resurrected life He imparts His righteous to those who believe in Him as their only hope for salvation. He makes us righteous through His imparted righteousness. Being made righteous in Him, we now walk in His righteousness through His life lived in us. Therefore, we desire to obey Him. We desire to obey His law because the law-giver and law-keeper lives in us.

The issue is one of being under authority, something that has been a problem for people since the beginning of time. Our attitude toward God is reflected in our attitude toward His law. Understanding His law (Word) and submitting to it brings us under His authority. And only under His authority do we experience His power and grace. God says (Isa 66:2) "…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."