Matthew 5:27-28 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
I’ve always been a rule-follower—a child who chose to obey because the thought of someone not being happy with me was unbearable. And over time, I learned that if I followed the rules and performed well, I’d please others and feel loved. And I began to apply this to my relationship with God.
I can remember as a kid wishing God would just give me a list of things to do to make Him happy—a way for me to measure my actions against His requirements. Because His expectations seemed so wide, and the Bible so big, how could I possibly get it all right?
And then in my twenties I met the depravity of my heart. I grew weary of trying to follow the rules. Weary of performing to feel accepted. And I selfishly chose a detour. I went my own way. And there are still remnants of those consequences I’m still dealing with today.
And here’s the thing.
So many times people are concerned with what they need to do, or not do, to be right with God. They look at their relationship with Him as transactional—they follow a bunch of rules and then He’s happy with them. They figure as long as they are “technically” following the rules, especially the “big” ones, that they’re “good”.
But Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, wants us to know it’s not about the rules. And He certainly didn’t give the Sermon to establish even more rules. If that’s what we think, we completely miss the point.
Throughout Matthew 5, Jesus uses a pattern: Over and over He says, “You have heard…” and then He says, “But I say to you….”. And every time, He emphasizes and highlights the principle behind the law—clarifying the intent with which it was given.
“Far too often there have been people who have been smug and glibly satisfied with themselves because they are not guilty of certain things—adultery, for example—and therefore think that they are all right. But they have never examined their heart. Self-satisfaction, smugness and glibness are the very antithesis of the New Testament doctrine of holiness. Here we see holiness as a matter of the heart, and not merely a matter of conduct; it is not only a man’s deeds that count but his desires; not only must we not commit, we must not even covet. ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Living a life of holiness is not just about following rules. It is so much more than that. And that’s what Jesus is saying.
It’s also about our attitude, the state of our heart, and the motivation of our thoughts.
But by that standard we are all sinful and guilty, even if we are “technically” obedient. The guilt of our hearts before a Holy God is great. And we deserve punishment … we desperately need a Savior.
But there is good news. God made a way. He sent a Savior to pay the punishment in our place.
His name is Jesus, and we’ve been pardoned. And His mercy never ends. It finds us even in our most lowly state—in the pit of our depravity, and rescues us, and we become reconciled to God.
It’s not about rules and it’s not about getting all the actions right.
It’s about recognizing we are poor in Spirit.
It’s about hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
It’s about mourning our constant tendency to sin and recognizing how much we need His mercy.
And it’s about accepting His free gift of grace.
Because in this, we have hope.
And this hope drives us to love others, compels us to give mercy, and makes us long to be becoming more like Jesus every single day.
Holiness is a matter of the heart, not just about following the rules.
Have you ever “technically” followed the rules, but had your heart or attitude far from it?
How has the mercy of God set you free?
Continuing on in memorizing the Sermon on the Mount, with Ann and this community. Join us? This week on to Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV)…
Other posts in this series: ~Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount ~For When You Want to Know How to Really Teach {Week 1} ~For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love {Week 2} ~When You Long to be Satisfied and Supremely Happy {Week 3} ~For When Memorizing is Intimidating and Change is a Challenge {Week 4} ~For When You Don’t Fit in and You’re Not Feeling Accepted {Week 5} ~Because You Are Meant to BE the Flavor {Week 6} ~We ARE the Light of the World {Week 7} ~All Has Been Accomplished! The New Covenant Has Come {Week 8} ~For When You Think It’s Only About Following the Rules {Week 9} ~Because It’s All About the Illustrations & Their Principles {Week 10} ~For When You Encounter Prickly People {Week 11} ~What to Do When Someone is Upset With You {Week 12}{WEEK 14} Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV) If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. i y r e c y t s t i o a t i a f i i b t y l o o y m t t y w b b t i h a i y r h c y t s c i o a t i a f i i b t y l o o y m t t y w b g i h
“Here we see holiness as a matter of the heart, and not merely a matter of conduct.”
I love that quote by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones. So, so true. We all have a depraved heart, until He transforms us from the inside-out. Beautiful words today, my friend.
Thank you, my friend.
All my childhood/adolescence, I was a rule-follower but a rebellious heart. I wanted to please people, but, although I was “saved” and believed in God, I wasn’t taught how to have a personal relationship with Him, and pleasing HIM wasn’t high on my priority list. It wasn’t until I exhausted the world’s resources for fulfillment by my early 20s that I began to cry to Him for something deeper that would satisfy the longings of my broken heart. He answered…and since then, He is changing and molding my heart in ways I never imagined. I loved your post! Very good to remember!