“Old Testament and New” Part 3 - The Lawkeeper

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

 "Old Testament and New"

Part 3 - The Lawkeeper

     

   Only one human being ever perfectly fulfilled the law of Moses.  

    "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.  I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:14).

    The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the spiritual and moral dictates of the old covenant law to the degree He was not subject its punitive measures.  The law could not demand His punishment and death because He never violated its mandates.  "We have not a high priest which cannot be tempted with the feeling of our infirmities, but was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  Indeed, during a lifetime of being tempted more than any other human being, our Savior never once violated the commandments of God.  Moreover, He faced every challenge as a man dependent on God, rather than by His Divinity and power.  "God cannot be tempted with evil… The Son can do nothing of Himself… I live by the Father" (James 1:13; John 5:19; 6:57).  Few truths should more lead us to our knees in grateful adoration, praise, and thanksgiving.  The Lord Jesus felt and experienced the full extent of what it means to be tempted as a human being under a law that demanded constant devotion to its dictates.  He always obeyed, and we do well to maintain constant appreciation and devotion to so wondrous a Lord.  "I will praise Thy name forever and ever!" (Psalm 145:2).

   Interestingly, the Lord Jesus also perfectly fulfilled the New Testament "law of the Spirit of life" (Romans 8:2).  This law involved a greater mandate than the law of Moses because it primarily involves the heart.  Our Savior was the first human being to live life as a temple of the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit.  Such motivating, guiding, and enabling grace calls God's children to a far higher standard than the law of Moses could command.  Grace and truth in Christ emphasizes genuine love and faith in the heart, which leads to far greater works because such devotion proceeds from the internal presence and power of God.  "God looketh on the heart" declares the Old Testament, and when He looked on the heart of His dear Son, our Heavenly Father saw nothing that would disqualify the Lord Jesus as the executor of the Divine "eternal purpose" (I Samuel 16:7; Ephesians 3:11).  "I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:29).

    Thus, the Lord Jesus could die for our sins because He had no sins of His own for which to suffer the wrath of God.  He was and is the Lawkeeper regarding both Old Testament and New.  "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19).  An unstained heart, clean hands, and unwavering feet could bear the point of a spear and the piercing of nails for others.  The Lord Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament not only by perfectly obeying its laws, but by suffering the consequences of our violation of those laws.  He also instituted the New Testament law of spiritual life as provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit who enables devotion to God from within.   Our Heavenly Father thereby blesses every believer with complete pardon and absolution from sin, and complete transformation of our innermost being by granting the gift of His living presence.  Little wonder the hymnwriter exulted, "Hallelujah, what a Savior!"  Hallelujah indeed, and let us close our consideration by joining the holy throng of Heaven in their joyous expression of wonder, adoration, praise, and thanksgiving…

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing."

(Revelation 5:11-12)

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

(Galatians 2:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

   The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

(I Corinthians 2:14).

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