"But I Say Unto You"

Chapter Seven
Application, Implications and Summary

Nothing in this book is contrary to either the texts of Scripture under discussion or anything else in the rest of the Word of God. The approach taken has set forth both the Old Testament Scriptures and Christ's statements in the Sermon on the Mount in their contexts and at face value. The rest of the New Testament Scriptures certainly support a clear contrast between Israel being "under the law" and the Church being "under grace."35 The only things contradicted in this book are the dictums of some theological systems.

We are not discussing whether a Christian's rule of life is governed by "objective truth or subjective love." We wholeheartedly agree that a Christian is not in any sense "lawless." Anyone who even suggests that we are pitting love against law and leaving Christians with only "subjective feelings" to govern their life is being deliberately dishonest. The question is not "objective law versus subjective love" as the rule to govern our life as Christians. We all agree that a believer's rule of life is clear objective laws or commandments. The heart of the issue is where the New Testament believer finds the full and final objective laws that are to govern his life and attitudes. The real question is this:

"Are the Ten Commandments as written on the tables of stone in Exodus twenty the highest standard of moral conduct that was ever given, or is the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount and in Holy Spirit inspired Epistles an even higher standard of moral conduct?"

This is the real issue: Is the teaching and authority of Christ merely equal to Moses or does He go beyond Moses and make higher demands that cannot be found in the Law of Moses? Do both the Sermon on the Mount and the New Testament Epistles contain ethical and spiritual demands that go beyond anything found in the Old Covenant law? Do, or do not, both our Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles insist that the New Covenant brings with it a new and higher set of objective laws and demands? The greater and final authority of our Lord Jesus Christ as the new and final Lawgiver is the heart of the issue! Who is really the "big man on campus" in the conscience of a child of God living under the New Covenant--Moses or Christ? That is the one vital question!

In making these statements, we are not in any way demeaning Moses. We are saying that a New Lawgiver has superceded and gone far beyond what Moses and the law could ever do. We refuse to belittle Moses in order to establish Christ. However, we also refuse to demean Christ by making Him to be merely an equal authority with Moses. We do not believe that Christ came merely to interpret and rubber stamp Moses. Christ has given us new laws that are based entirely on grace. Christ is the New Lawgiver over the true house of God.

A correct understanding of the Sermon on the Mount must at least establish the following things:

One: Christ is making new and higher demands on New Covenant believers that cannot be found in the Old Covenant laws that governed Israel. There is a new canon of conduct for the Church.

Two: These new demands of Christ grow out of the reality of the New Covenant being rooted in pure grace, and, although the New Covenant in no way demeans or contradicts Moses and the law, its demands go far beyond Moses.

Three: Christ is giving us more than just a correct interpretation of Moses. As "that Prophet" Who replaces Moses (Acts 3:22,23) as the new and greater Law Giver, Christ gave new and higher laws for the kingdom of grace. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ is literally contrasting a way of living under a covenant of law and a way of living under a covenant of grace. He is also showing why the latter is so superior to the former even though both were given by the same God.

Four: Christ is not implying that Moses was in any way wrong or that the Old Covenant law was either cruel or inhumane. He is showing that both a rule by a legal covenant and a rule by a gracious covenant are both "just, holy, and good." However, one is superior to the other because it is based on "better promises" (Heb 8:6). Both covenants have the same goal, but they function differently. The Old Covenant was given to "hard hearted sinners" as a "ministry of death" (II Cor 3:7; Rom 7:10) and preached condemnation to the conscience. In contrast, the New Covenant is given to saints having a new heart as a ministry of life (II Cor 3:9) that sets the conscience free from condemnation (Heb 10:16-18; Rom 8:1,2).

Five: The Law of Moses was given to a physical nation of unregenerate sinners, but the Law of Christ is given to a spiritual nation of regenerate saints. Both the purpose and the nature of the objective laws are different in each case. In one case, t he designed purpose of the Law of Moses is conviction of sin in the conscience of sinners that leads to justification by faith. In the other case, the purpose of the Law of Christ is to furnish the renewed mind of saints with truth that leads to a more sanctified life.

Six: The Sermon on the Mount clearly shows that grace can and does make legitimate demands that law can never make. The Church can demand a certain behavior from its members that Moses could never demand of an Israelite. The Church is given objective laws that demand behavior that is based entirely on grace and the power of the indwelling Spirit. Moses could neither demand that kind of behavior nor punish its absence by the sword.

There is one last observation. If what has been said is clearly understood, then there is no difficulty in seeing why those who consistently apply Covenant Theology's view of law totally miss the boat whenever they attempt to establish a theocracy with the use of the steel sword. The "eye for eye and tooth for tooth" law of justice stated in Mt 5:38 and the "turn the other cheek" law of grace given by Christ in verses 39-42 are mutually exclusive principles. Either of the two rules may control the conscience of an individual. However, they both cannot rule in the same conscience at the same time. The "eye for eye" principle ruled the life and conscience of the Israelite because he was under the Old Covenant or Law of Moses. The "turn the other cheek" principle is to rule the life and conscience of a believer today because he lives under the New Covenant of grace established by Christ.

The Old Covenant "eye for eye" principle cannot possibly be turned into the New Covenant "turn the other cheek" principle and made the basis upon which a judge would settle fights among individuals. How could the law force a man to turn his other cheek if he refused to do so? The moment you use the power of law to force turning the other cheek you have violated the very law of "turn the other cheek."

We are glad that the principle, and not the letter, of the law found in Mt 5:38, is the law of our land today. Some Christians are advocating that we should fight to have the letter of the Old Covenant law become the law of our country. They want to g et that law enforced by the power of civil government. May God save our country from such people! However, we would also hope that neither ultra liberals nor sincere pacifists will ever be allowed to make Mt 5:39-42 the law of the land. The crooks will have the law on their side. We rejoice in the principle of grace taught in these verses. However, a judge cannot use the force of law to apply to society the demands that Christ laid on His disciples in these verses.

"Eye for eye and tooth for tooth" is a good and righteous basis for the "law of the land." It was Israel's rule of life under the Old Covenant, but it is not the believer's rule of life in the Church under the New Covenant. We have a much higher and m ore demanding rule stated in the clear objective commandments contained in the Sermon on the Mount and the rest of the New Testament Scriptures.

"If any man shall sue you at law, and take thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" is beyond the power of a law or a magistrate to either demand or enforce. But the power of grace can and does both demand and enable us to keep this very law. In fact, w hen the situation involves a "brother" and the reputation of the gospel is at stake, we are told to suffer being defrauded for the testimony of the gospel out of obedience to this new law. Christ tells us to give our adversary both our coat and our cloak without even going to court to seek justice if the testimony of the gospel is at stake. The true legalist simple cannot either understand or practice this kind of "law."

Law based on strict justice demands that evil be resisted and punished. Grace can suffer injustice for Christ's sake. Some may say we have "tolerated evil" and "despised the law," but our New Lawgiver has so commanded us in this case and we leave our defense to Him. The victory of grace by the power of love is greater than the victory of law by the power of the sword. The Law of Moses would not have allowed Paul to write the following:

The very fact that you have law suits among you means you have been completely defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? I Cor 6:7

Why not indeed be wronged without retaliation, if we are truly "under grace" and obeying this new law is pleasing to our Sovereign King?

Summary

We believe it is impossible to be honest with Christ's contrasts in the Sermon on the Mount and not see that He is making new and higher moral demands than Moses ever made simply because His demands or laws are based on the cross and pure grace. Christ is saying things that were not stated in the law in the Old Testament Scriptures nor can all of the things that He said be "logically deduced" from that covenant or those Scriptures. Some of the truth that Christ taught cannot be known apart from the New Testament Scriptures. And some of these new demands of Christ could not have been made without a change of covenants from law to grace. Covenant Theology cannot see this clear Biblical distinction between law and grace as long as its whole system is based on "one covenant with two administrations."

We continue to insist that Christ is not contradicting Moses as if Moses were wrong. Christ is showing that grace goes beyond and supercedes covenant law while acknowledging and honoring the validity of that law. Christ is showing a distinct contrast between a rule by law in the conscience based on true justice alone and a rule by grace in a renewed heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The two systems of rule simply cannot be in force over the conscience of the same people at the same time even though the same basic moral content may pervade both. We are not talking about a system of "law," meaning objectives standards, versus "love," meaning no objective standards. We are talking about pure law contrasted with pure grace and true moral laws being raised to a much higher level and placed on an entirely different foundation and motive.

We have not taken the words spoken by God on the Mount of Transfiguration seriously until we see Christ as the new Lawgiver. "This is My beloved Son" is in response to the disciples lumping Jesus, Moses, and Elijah into one equal group. God not only t ells us that Christ is unique in His person as His only Son, but He adds, "listen to Him, and Him alone!" The moment we understand that Christ replaces Moses as well as Elijah, we will never again try to have Christ, in the Sermon on the mount, saying, "Moses is the final authority on morals and ethics. Listen to him." We will take the "But I say unto you" contrasts as clear and sharp contrasts between: (1.) the Old and the New Covenant; (2.) between law and grace; and most importantly (3.) between Christ the new Lawgiver and Moses whom He replaces.

35 Dr. Robert Morey has an study on this point. It is entitled, "The Relationship between the Old and New Covenants." It is available on cassette tape from Crowne Publications Inc., PO Box 688, Southbridge, Mass., 01550.