The Rule of Law: First Things (13)

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“Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.” Deuteronomy 6.25

Jesus surely must have shocked His hearers by telling them that they could have no part in the Kingdom of God unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5.20). All their lives, these people had believed they could never measure up to the righteousness of their leaders. Now Jesus was telling them they had to exceed even that standard.

He was simply telling them what Moses had been saying all along, that true righteousness begins in the soul, where the heart, mind, and conscience work together, under the tutelage of God’s Law and Spirit, to bring forth love that is genuine and sincere (1 Tim. 1.5).

Doing “all these commandments” surely implied doing them from the heart (Deut. 6.4-9). Only when Israel’s love and obedience flowed from within could they expect to know the promised blessings of the Lord. Only as we thus love and serve the Lord can we expect the same.

The righteousness that Christians begin to realize is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, formed in them by God’s Word and Spirit as they “put on” Jesus in every area of life, beginning with their renewed souls. When with our hearts we love God supremely; when our minds are in sync with the mind of Christ and His Spirit (1 Cor. 2.16; Rom. 8.5-9); and when our consciences value supremely His highest priorities – seeking His Kingdom and righteousness (Matt. 6.33) – then our lives will reflect His righteousness in all our words and deeds.

But the soil in which this righteousness grows to fruition is the reading and study of God’s Law. Unless we are governed in our souls by the Law of God, and by all the subsequent revelation of God elaborating, clarifying, explaining, and applying that Law, we will never see the righteousness of Jesus Christ take shape and come to expression in our everyday lives.

Next steps – Transformation: Pray through the Ten Commandments again. This time, reflect on the past week of praying the Commandments. Have you seen any evidence of the Spirit’s transforming work in your life? Give Him thanks and praise.

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of the Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.