RE: [TruthTalk] Christ and the Law

[ShieldsFamily]

If you want to understand the “sermon on the mount” you should read Dallas Willard’s “The Divine Conspiracy”.  iz   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 9:05 AM To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Christ and the Law       Regarding the recent discussion about divorce and remarriage:   My advice to couples finding themselves in impossible or difficult situations includes admonitions to try to work things out.   I do not view the Sermon on the Mount as a legal document.   My God is not a legalist.    "You have heard it said"  is a passage of thought used in the Sermon.   It refers the listeners  (and readers) to what was said in the Law of Moses.   "Eye for an eye" is a part of the law as found in Leviticus.  Divorce for reasons other than adultery was a part of the Old Law.   Walking the second mile was a change from accepted cultural values.   "Sin" was not defined as a matter of the heart  -  it was an event.   Christ challenges all of this and more.    In this sermon, Christ intensifies the burden of law  -  knowing that in time and in Him we will not be called into account for law's violations.     When was the last time you plucked your eye or cut off your hand or gave your clothing to your enemy?  He knows that no one under the law is "holy"  (7:11)  and His teaching just makes things worse.   If you do not tie this Sermon to Paul's discussions on The Law and law in general;  if you do not accept the teaching that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, that Spirit leadership frees us from the Law and law in general  --  then you will miss the point of the Sermon entirely.     The time and content of this sermon is critical to understanding just what the Master had in mind in terms of ultimate purpose.    Jd