Why Christ said we have to go Beyond the Law

[hobie]

We see the words of Christ.

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This is clear, being under to law to Christ is beyond the level of the literal law, that it surpasses even what the Jews and their teachers thought it was and followed. The principles of Gods governance are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ, and here Christ unveils more. The law was intended by God to keep before the minds of Israel and men everywhere that the real meaning and purpose of the law lay in the full and final revelation when Christ would come to this world. And what does Christ say, He says that ones righteousness would go beyond the law if one wanted to enter into eternal life. We see Christ laying it out to the rich young man.

Matthew 19:17
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

So Christ begins with the standard that had been given, to keep the Commandments, and the young man lays claim to doing that 'All these things have I kept from my youth up' but notice what he says next, 'what lack I yet?'

Jesus says to go beyond the law, so surpass it and give all 'and come and follow me.' Christ wants us to obey out a of love for God and neighbor that goes above the literal words given in the law, and that we know, we cannot claim ignorance...
Acts 17:30-31
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Now lets look to Paul and see what further explains this, as we are to go beyond the law as Christ makes clear and under Christs grace.
Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Many look and say well this does away with Gods Law, that those who follow the Ten Commandments are 'legalistic'. That although they are 'under grace,' by walking in a path of obedience, that keeps 'the commandments' they are in danger of coming 'under law' again.

So is Paul saying that the Ten Commandments have any further claims upon the believer, that they no longer have to keep the Law. Well, Paul gives a answer to that as he knew that would be the question. So what does he say, lets look.

Romans 6:15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Paul makes clear that this is not so we can sin, but that under grace, those who truly believe will not go into sin as he states 'God Forbid' to such a thought. So what is Paul talking about here in Romans, well we get a clue in his letter to Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 9:20-21
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

So what is Paul saying here, well obviously he is talking about the Jews versus the Gentiles, but notice he says a curious thing, 'being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ'. So what is Paul saying, it is beyond the literal law and under the law of love which is the whole point Christ makes. So we will be judge by this law of love that we are given which is the literal law, 'being not without law to God', and the level of love that surpasses even that, 'but under the law to Christ.'

Now lets look at the Law more closely as it is based on God's holy nature and as such scripture states are holy, just, and unchanging, and we see this in the Ten Commandments. But then you also have the ceremonial law which focused the people’s attention on God and gave the people signs that point to the coming Messiah, such as the Passover, and the sacrifices of the unblemished lamb by the priests. One was written with Gods own finger, and the other was from Moses.

Matthew 5:17-19
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 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.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

We see here that Jesus stated "Think not that I am come to destroy the law..but to fulfill", what did He mean? Now, since Jesus knew what laws His death would fulfill, would He be saying this about the Ten Commandments if He were going to fulfill them? So what was He fulfilling, it seems clear it was what pointed to Him, Moses’ ceremonial law which is evident if we see what Jesus said when asked.

Mark 12:28-31
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Ten Commandments are arranged in two groups, the first group of four commandments deal with our relationship to God, the second group of the fifth to the tenth commandments deal with our relationship to one another. When Jesus talks about 'not that I am come to destroy the law', it is obvious that it is the Ten Commandments Jesus is talking about. So did Jesus want to do away with the Ten Commandments or did He came to fulfill that which pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, the ceremonial law of Moses. We have to understand His purpose.

 

[Frankj]

This is something that has always been on my mind, but when you say going beyond the law are you meaning that the law no longer applies or that going beyond it includes it and takes it a step further, basically adding to it?

It seems everything has deeper meaning than the words themselves and understanding the words only is like looking at the surface of the ocean and thinking you understand the ocean while you miss almost everything about it other than its surface.

I think almost every argument in Christianity revolves around this in one way or another, and everyone seems to think only their own view is the correct view.

 

[Lamb]

The Law can't save us. It's the Gospel that brings us to salvation.

So why do we still need the Lord's good and holy Law? Because it shows our love for God and for our neighbor. Our neighbors need us to live like little Christs.

 

[Webster]

This is one of the questions that still plagues Adventists such as myself; the answer I give is that we are simply following the Ten Commandments, which are still in effect for all of us as Christians.

The Ten Commandments from a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective

What does it mean when God says He wants to write His law on our hearts? Learn how Seventh-day Adventists view and live out the Ten Commandments.

www.askanadventistfriend.com

What is the role of the Ten Commandments for Adventists?
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) are our guidelines for Christian living—which really boils down to love toward God and our fellow human beings. They help us recognize what sin is, or what practices and behaviors are contrary to acts based on love.

Then, they lead us to Jesus—the only one who can cleanse us, set us on the right path, and empower us to live in a way that reflects His love, grace, and mercy.

Jesus Himself affirmed the importance of the Law of God. When asked what the greatest commandment is, He said: “‘…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands’” (Matthew 22:37-40, CSB).

In other words, Jesus summarized it as love to God and love to humankind.

And this law is the foundation of who God is (Psalm 119:172; Jeremiah 23:6)—meaning that it existed even before God gave it to Moses on Mount Sinai.

That's it in a nutshell. Again, quoting from the linked article,

The Ten Commandments help us thrive
To Adventists, keeping the Ten Commandments is not about saving ourselves by our works or doing enough good deeds to get into heaven.

Instead, it’s about allowing the Spirit of God to work in us so that we can live the most fulfilling lives possible. It’s about aligning with the way He designed us to thrive.

And truly, why wouldn’t we want to live in a way that leads to so much beauty, peace, and harmony?

In our selfishness, we become blind to those benefits. Sometimes it can feel so difficult to live a principled life when the people or situations around us don’t also uphold those principles. But when we allow Jesus to change us, He gives us a new mindset that longs to live in harmony with His plan (Ezekiel 36:26).

 

[hobie]

This is something that has always been on my mind, but when you say going beyond the law are you meaning that the law no longer applies or that going beyond it includes it and takes it a step further, basically adding to it?

It seems everything has deeper meaning than the words themselves and understanding the words only is like looking at the surface of the ocean and thinking you understand the ocean while you miss almost everything about it other than its surface.

I think almost every argument in Christianity revolves around this in one way or another, and everyone seems to think only their own view is the correct view.

Well what does Christ say? He tells the rich young ruler that to enter into eternal life, he must keep the commandments. The rich young ruler claims he does, then what happens? Christ makes clear you have to 'exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees' and told the rich young ruler to show love by sharing what riches he had with his fellowman. Here the rich young man failed and went away sad and the disciples it says were amazed as it was a bit of a shock that he still had to go above and beyond the literal law.