The Law And The Messiah (1)

The Scripture reading set down in the Common Lectionary for last Sunday (26th October) was from Matthew 22.34-46.¹

The Content of the Law

The Pharisees yet again try to 'tempt' or test (Lit. Version) Jesus with a question: which is the greatest commandment in the law?

Jesus says, 'The first and greatest commandment is: 'Thou [singular, 'you'] shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind'. And a second is like it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'.

The law contained (reportedly) 613 laws and ordinances and I suspect that Jesus' answer (from Deut 6.5 and Lev 19.8) and the authoritative way in which he gave it stunned them into silence.

The Purpose of the Law

But given that the law's content is summed up in these two commandments, what is the character/purpose of the law?

• First, no one is able to keep the law. In respect of the great and first commandment, all are guilty of falling continually into the sin of idolatry (e.g., Exod 20.3-6) which lies behind the failure to love God wholly and solely.
• Second, the law was never given to justify ['right-wise'] the ungodly (e.g., Gal 2.16).
• Third, the law cannot save; it merely condemns (2 Cor 3.9) but points to Christ (Gal 3.24; Rom 10.4).
• Fourth, the Mosaic law was given to reveal sin's character (Rom 3.20) and make explicit what was dimly revealed in the hearts of mankind (Rom 2.15).

The Preaching of the Law

Far be it for me to lecture the professionals about preaching but as a congregational lay-member it is still too often the case that preachers will preach 'law' in the hope that the level of good works of the hearers will be improved. They fail to understand that what is called the second² use of the law should be a first consideration in any sermon.

For example, they will take this Matthean passage and preach to their congregation about the importance of having more love towards God and neighbour. (That intent also has its place but relates to the 'third' use of the law whereby the law is taken as a 'guide' for our Christian behaviour (e.g., Eph 6.1-9; Eph 2.10).

However, among all congregations will be present those who need to hear both the law (i.e., the 'second use' of the law) along with the preaching of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins (Acts 26.18). 

Daily, Christians sin and will continue to sin until they die. Therefore, they need to acknowledge before the Lord this state and hear the word of the gospel reminding them that God's forgiveness is plentiful and will remain so until they die. This group also includes those on whom the Lord has His hand to save (Acts 13.48; 16.14).

In accordance with the above, for Holy Communion, the Anglican rites of the Book of Common Prayer (1662), An Australian Prayer Book (1978), and A Prayer Book for Australia (1995) include the hearing of the Law, followed by a corporate prayer of Confession and conclude with an assurance of sins forgiven in some form or other.³

1. Martin Luther said this scripture passage sums the gospel message up in two questions: 'First, what the law is, and [what is] the purpose it serves; and secondly, who Christ is, and what we may expect from him.' (See http://www.lectionarycentral.com/trinity18/LutherGospel.html Paragraph 1.)
2. The first use of the law was understood by the 16th century Reformers to be the political or the civil use (1 Tim 1.9-11). In this use, the law restrains by providing sanctions when it is broken in civil society. The second use occurs when we hear passages in the New Testament that point to our Christian duties and responsibilities towards God and our fellow man. In this case, the law acts to convict us of our sins and drive us to Christ for forgiveness.  
3. This sequence almost certainly stems from the influence of Martin Luther upon Thomas Cranmer, the first Reformed and Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury.