When it comes to measuring ourselves against God’s Law, particularly the last six of the Ten Commandments (the ones relating to how we are to love our neighbor), while we might see some room for improvement in our lives, many of us would admit that we aren’t guilty of stealing (at least since that one time when we were kids in the candy shop!), committing adultery, and executing a murder, to name a few. But what if the Law isn’t a test which God grades on a curve? What if the Law wasn’t only concerned with external actions (the literal taking of a life, for example), but with the condition of our heart? Matthew 5:21-26 deals with anger and murder, and when interpreted through the lens of the Lawgiver – Jesus Himself – the Law of God reveals that we are all murderers in thought, word, even deed. Is this true? If so, what hope is there for us?
Pastor Dana is the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone’s parent church, Immanuel Church, in Chelmsford MA.