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Matthew 5:17-20
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
LAW -VS- GRACE
God desires a relationship with us. In Old Testament times, God gave a set of laws to the nation of Israel, and effectively to all men through Adam. This so called covenant of the law required man to obey God’s laws and if we obeyed his law, we have relationship with God. Nobody ever lived up to the requirements of the law. God knew this. God’s ways are higher than ours. He provided a better way.
GRACE! GRACE! GRACE!
God knew that nobody ever kept the covenant of the law. Every persion who ever lived is a sinner...except one. Jesus came to fulfil the law and then having a relationship with God, he took on himself the sin of others and bore our sin. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus.
We often find ourselves wondering how we can please God. The answer is always the same ... keep his commandments. Love God with all our hearts and love others as we love ourselves.
We all fail to do this sometimes. How then can we be saved? It’s simple. GRACE. God provides grace for us through Jesus Christ. All we must do is have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Our sins are paid for through his perfect life, sinless death, and his resurrection from the dead.