Sermons that shape us: Relaxed Righteousness (Pt.1)

(Part 1) 

 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:17-20

We have watched for generations as the standard of righteousness has slowly diminished within the body of Christ. Things that would have been renounced, rebuked and expelled from the church, in generations past, are now being tolerated, accepted and even celebrated. 

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus was quick to point out that He did not come to ‘abolish’ the Law or the Prophets. He declared clearly that His coming in no way wiped out the moral code, ethical positions or spiritual implications of the law. There are some today who place no value in the Old Testament; believing that with the coming of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant has been formally put to an end and has no authoritative rule for our lives. They contend that only those moral or ethical standards repeated in the New Testament are binding upon the body of Christ today. 

However, Jesus came and lived out the Law perfectly, fulfilling it rather than abolishing it. Going as far as to affirm that not an iota or a dot would pass from the Law until it is accomplished. Most Bible-believing Christians, I contend, still see the value and virtue of the Old Testament Law. Things like the Ten Commandments still hold a place of honor in our daily lives. But, what concerns me more is not those who are trying to abolish God’s righteous standards, but those who are more subtly attempting to relax His standards: 

 “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:19

 Relax means to make (a rule or restriction) less strict while not abolishing it.

What we have seen within the body of Christ over the past several generations is not as much of an attempt to abolish God’s righteous standards as we’ve seen an attempt to “make it less strict”. We’ve attempted to lower the bar, rather than raise it. 

Somewhere along the way we have bought into the idea that the grace of God somehow lowered the standard of righteousness that God expects from us. 

Grace, however, in no way diminishes our need for righteousness, nor does it lower the standard of righteousness we are to live by. Some people live under the misconception that because Jesus lived a righteous life, we don’t have to. They believe that because Jesus paid the penalty of our sin at the cross, that somehow, that sacrificial act has relaxed the righteous standards expected of us. 

Scott Burr