Chalke Talk 19: Jesus abandoned the letter of the law to embrace the spirit of it

Jesus knew the law as well as any boy who grew up in Jewish society – and by all accounts, far better than most. But what really made Jesus different was his ability to internalize the spirit of the law – and liberate himself from the letter of it.

Steve argues in this week’s Chalke Talk that it was this freedom from the letter of the law that made him so dangerous that the authorities had him put to death.  They were worried that if you give up on the rules, you give up on discipline.

The law is never enough.  But, the core principles behind the rules – mercy, justice, faithfulness, generosity, compassion, patience, integrity, courage, self-control – which are all simply outworkings of, or other ways of saying, love, are constantly applicable to life because they flow directly from the story of the giver of life: the God of love.

What do you think?  Do you agree with Steve?

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