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Commands of Christ

Honor God’s Law

Where is this command found?

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

Matthew 5:17–18

Applying This Command

The command to Honor God’s Law is derived from Jesus’ instruction to not think that He came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. Psalm 19:7 tells us that the Law is perfect. There is nothing wrong with the Law of God. There is something wrong with us.

That is the point. The Law shows us that we come drastically short of being able to live up to God’s righteous demands. This puts us in a perfect place to realize we need a Savior—not just initially for salvation, but also daily for our sanctification.

Psalm 1 shows us the importance of meditating on God’s Law day and night. But why meditate on the Law? One reason is because as we treasure God’s Law within our hearts, we are reminded of our inability and the utter weakness of our flesh. This reminder causes us to cast ourselves in total dependence upon Jesus and His ability to fulfill the Law in and through us.

Bible Verses for Meditation

In addition to meditation on Matthew 5:17–18, meditating on the verses below will provide you with further insight and understanding of Christ’s command: Honor God’s Law.

Psalm 119:11

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Joshua 1:8

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Psalm 1:2–3

“… His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Psalm 119:97–98

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.”

Galatians 3:24

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

II Timothy 3:16–17

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Related Episodes

From the Podcast

Dive deeper into the command Honor God’s Law with these episodes from the Commands of Christ podcast!

Study Question

Q: Since the Law cannot save anyone, why did Abraham, the “father of faith,” tell the rich man his brothers would not be saved from hell unless they heeded Moses and the prophets?

A: Jesus gave the significant account of Lazarus and the rich man when He explained the important place of the Law of Moses and the prophets. In the parable, Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not heed Moses and the prophets, “neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” (See Luke 16:31.)

How could it be that a person who rejects Moses and the prophets would not “be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). The answer is that Christ’s redemption is what the Old Testament is all about. Jesus emphasized this when He said to the Pharisees, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that no one can be saved by the works of the Law, because we cannot keep the Law to the level of perfection that a holy God demands. (See Galatians 2:16.) Therefore, we are to see those words in the light of New Testament truth in order to understand how the kingdom of God functions and how we must relate to it.

To focus on the works of the Law will bring discouragement or false pride, but to focus on the words of the Law and the prophets will reveal a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me” (John 5:46–47).

For Further Study

You can learn more about the command Honor God’s Law in the book Commands of Christ: Series 1.

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