This Sunday: New City Catechism, Week 11

In the Sermon on the Mount, the standards of the law are made much higher than we first assumed. In the video this week, Stephen Um states that the commandments are raised to the highest level. He refers to Luther’s quote,

“You cannot break any of the other commandments without breaking the first.”

The law not only gives a negative command (do not), but it leaves us with a positive implication. In Matthew 5, Jesus offers a deeper understanding of the law. Not only should we not murder, but we should radically love both friend and foe. When the Lord says not to commit adultery, it means not only that we shouldn’t cheat, but that we should remain faithful and recognize the covenantal commitment in our hearts.

But because we live in a fallen world, we cannot obey these perfectly. Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the obligations of the law perfectly. This made it possible for his obedience and righteousness to trickle down into our lives and gave us the ability to carry out the commands with confidence. Even when we stumble, we are assured that Jesus has already perfectly satisfied the law. We can strive for perfect obedience without fear, because we have already been saved through grace. God gave us freedom through the law and the sacrifice of the lamb. That we would live this week in light of that freedom!

This is week 11 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.