Matthew 5:17-20 – Adhering to God’s Authority and Principles

I love verse 17. Jesus tells us that He did not come to abolish the teachings of the law and the prophets. He came to fulfill them. He came to restore the authority found in them. He came to show us the principles we should uphold! Jesus came to show us what a life should have looked like under the authority of God’s Word and under an active adherence to His principles.

Instead of living as if they were under authority and instead of living by principles, the Israelites had spent generations molding the Word of God to fit their lifestyles instead of molding their lifestyles to fit God’s Word. You cannot have the best of both worlds. God’s Word is specific about how we are to relate with Him and with others. Israel had lost the focus of God’s plan – a plan to bring salvation to all peoples through their adherence to God’s authority and principles. Jesus addresses this issue to reestablish the original intent of God’s plan for mankind – to reconcile all to Him. Jesus had to first deal with the abuses and excesses of Israel.

God’s law will not and cannot be erased from our hearts. Do all people know the Law of God? Not as written in the Old Testament. But in all people groups, we have seen that justice systems do exist that delineate between what people know as right and what is wrong. All people will be judged on this knowledge. Jesus in verse 18, however, is showing that His Word is eternal and meant to bring man back into relationship with God which will culminate in the end times – the time of Christ’s return to reclaim His throne and His people.

Living by God’s standard is the real norm for life. The problem that arises in interpretation is when one person controls the conversation. Jesus is raising attention to the awareness all should have when only one voice is speaking about truth. Truth should be measured by God’s Word. Anything else can create excesses or abuses. People who live in such a manner are considered least in the kingdom of God. Why? They are ignorant of God; they think they have relationship with God but suffer because they do not have understanding. Some of this can lead to sin. For most, it is a hindrance to a healthy and growing relationship with God.

My church denomination was quite guilty of religious excesses when it first formed in the late 1800’s. They taught others about physically beating themselves for submission to God’s holiness and at times being overly “holy” in lifestyle. Their hearts were in the right places but their understanding of God’s Word left them grasping for anything to grow closer to God. As time went on, more voices entered into the fray and people developed a greater understanding and respect for God’s Word which led them to follow God’s principles and standards for living a holy life – not man’s.

Those who seek God fully and seek God for understanding are the ones who will teach according to God’s authority and principles. There I go again with those two words. But think about it.

• Submission to God’s teaching means we have to accept His authority.
• Submission to God’s example in life through the aid of the Holy Spirit requires us to adhere to His principles in life.

Those who do so and teach it will be called great in the kingdom. Jesus is the one who says practices and teaches. He set the standard.

The system of righteousness set up by the Pharisee was inadequate. In fact, Jesus said that living by their principles was beneath and was lower than God’s. God was trying to pick people up; not push them down. What the Pharisee taught was sub par to God’s standard in His Word. Does anyone get it right? The missing ingredient in most pre-Jesus interpretation was a permanent presence of God’s guiding Holy Spirit in the lives of those who follow Him. Moses wished all had it.

But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" Numbers 11:29 (NIV)

The Law alone gave men a sense of how far they were from God. Only God could draw men to Himself. The Law pushes us further from Him. The Holy Spirit had to come as the Comforter and as a mediator of God’s grace. Jesus had to die and rise again so that this mediator could become active in our lives. Living beneath God’s authority and principles creates a vacuum in our souls. It also keeps our hearts so corrupt that God will not allow His Spirit to reside in a place of such ungodliness. Thus we have Jesus who will purify our hearts by the blood He shed so we can have forgiveness and so we can have God’s Agent of grace enter our lives to remove the vacuum. We have to make the decision as to whether we wish to continually live in the vacuum (a life full of slavery to sin) or whether we wish to be filled with God’s loving presence. A vacuum is an empty and lonely place. God’s presence is a place of joy.

• Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve: emptiness through ignorance or God through grace?
• What are your thoughts on this teaching?
• How will your character be measured: by the degree of your excellence (your own ability to proclaim righteousness) or by your adherence to God’s authority and standards?
• Do you represent God’s church by how you follow Him?