If you have never read R. Herbert’s widely popular book Lessons from the Life of Jesus, you now have a new opportunity to read the book or listen to a discussion of its main ideas. Rather than simply retelling the story of the life of Jesus the book focuses on some of the details of the Gospel narratives that are easy to miss, but which can help us to better understand the life and teachings of Christ. Lessons from the Life of Jesus is now revised and expanded in its fourth edition – and available as both an e-book (.pdf, .epub, and mobi formats here), and a podcast summary and discussion here! Download the format of your choice to gain insights you can utilize today.
One of the most important ideas emphasized in the New Testament is the concept of the “spirit of the law” – the idea that we must keep the deeper meaning or intent of a law, not just its literal “letter of the law” application. The example that comes immediately to mind, of course, is that of Christ’s words regarding the commandment forbidding adultery: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28).
We all know this example, and recognize its importance, but we may not have taken the time to work through the other nine commandments and to systematically think out in each case what the spirit of the law – what some call its extended application – might involve in our Christian lives. In this article we look briefly at each commandment in terms of how we are to keep its spirit and intent.
1. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Jesus showed us the intent of this law when he said “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38). This shows us that this law is not just about worship, but also about whom we love above all – do we love ourselves, others, or God first?
2. “You shall not make idols.” Where the first commandment tells us to worship the right God, the second commandment tells us to worship God the right way. In its intent, this law tells us that anything – even an aspect of our religion – can become an idol if we let it come between us and God.
3. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” We usually think of this law as applying to what we say – as in using God’s name inappropriately (Leviticus 24:16; etc.), but the word vain (as it is rendered in the KJV, ESV, etc.) can also mean “worthless,” or “to make of no value.” Thus, the Old Testament tells us that people “profaned God’s name” who touched the holy things (Leviticus 22:2), offered sub-standard offerings to God (Malachi 1:10–14), or even sacrificed their children to Molech (Leviticus 18:21). The spirit of this law covers anything we might do that devalues God.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The spirit of this commandment is that we must honor God with our time. Jesus went out of his way to heal on the Sabbath Day (Mark 3:1–6; etc.), showing the rest God calls us to is not just about what we don’t do, but also about what we do.
5. “Honor your father and your mother.” The spirit of this commandment does not involve anything substantially different from its basic meaning – rather the difference is one of extent. It is easy to think of the command applying to children, but the Bible shows that its ongoing application should be something we do throughout our lives – as long as our parents live and even beyond – continuing to respect their memory.
6. “You shall not murder.” Jesus showed us the spiritual application of this commandment by emphasizing that we must not break it by letting anger control us: “You have heard that it was said … ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:21).
7. “You shall not commit adultery.” We already mentioned the spiritual application of this law in Jesus’ saying that “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Clearly, the spirit of this law applies to pornography and anything that is lust-inciting.
8. “You shall not steal.” The indirect or spiritual extent of this law involves not just taking something that is not ours, but also not paying what we should – whether that is not paying taxes we should pay or withholding any form of payment that is due to others. “Indeed the wages of the laborers … which you kept back by fraud, cry out” (James 5:4).
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Anything that willfully or carelessly deceives others is breaking the spirit of this commandment. So the spirit of this law forbids not only exaggeration and lying, but also slander (Matthew 15:19; etc.), gossip (Psalm 15:3; etc.), and even flattery (Romans 16:18; etc.).
10. “You shall not covet.” This final commandment may seem as though it is already stated at the spiritual level and that is true to an extent. But there is also an indirect aspect to the law – we can covet not only by wanting something that is not right for us to want, but also by not wanting to give up what we ourselves have. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life, Jesus listed all the commandments pertaining to love of our neighbor – except coveting. Then when the man said he had kept these laws, Jesus replied “go, sell all that you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21). Jesus recognized that the individual still coveted in being unwilling to give up what he had.
Ultimately, when Jesus said that love of God and others is the fulfilling of the law (Matthew 22:36–40) he was summarizing the spirit of the law. But thinking a little on how we apply love to God and others by keeping the spirit of the individual laws can help us fulfill their broader goal. And this is far from just a theological exercise. While we tend to judge ourselves by the letter of the law, the Bible makes it clear (Matthew 5:21; etc.) that God judges us not just by the letter, but also by the perfect spirit of the law.
Recent Comments