What About Old Testament Law?

JESUS’ critics claimed that His teaching encouraged people to violate the Mosaic Law, allowing them to get away with sin. Actually, He warned people to avoid the hypocrisies of the rabbis. While making an outward show of righteousness they took ethical shortcuts and carried out wicked schemes. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus turned the tables on His opponents by appealing to the Law as the basis for His moral code, not the Law as they taught it but as God intended it.

Jesus’ words are crucial for Christians today. While God does not require believers to live by the specific regulations of the Law, He still expects them to honor Old Testament morality, in both private and public life.

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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