Jots, Tittles and Minutiae

Matthew 5:18,19

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" 

Keeping God’s word and being a Christian can at times be an exacting thing. Jesus Himself stressed, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). Yet, it is obvious from Jesus’ teachings that detail to law could also be perilous. He states to the scribes and Pharisees of the day, “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Mt.23:23).” The former what is right, the latter is what we refer to as legalistic.

How do we distinguish between the two? 

How can I know when I’m doing what is right, versus times when I’m straining a gnat? One could argue that if I adhere to what the scripture says down to the finest minutiae, then I know I’m right.  This is true. Instructions are there to be followed.  Ignoring the instructions causes problems. When we do things God's way, good results come. When we ignore the instructions, we do so at peril of costly failure. The price of failure is often seemingly out of all proportion to the mistake made. There is an old proverb, "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse the message was lost; for want of a message, the battle was lost -- all for the want of a nail."

God also expects us to understand the nature and purpose of His commands 

Yet, God also expects us to understand the nature and purpose of His commands. They are not arbitrarily chosen statutes given to demand servitude.  Submission to God is the expression of our love for and faith in him. It must not be accompanied by the belief that obedience places God in our debt or makes us righteous. Nevertheless, it must be genuine and as complete as we can make it.  Fractures and fissures in our obedience do not excuse us from doing what the scriptures say.  Paul reminds us “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom.6:1, 2)” I must change what I can, when I can. Yet, neither am I to live under the constant worry of whether I have not completed the smallest thing, or paid the “uttermost farthing.” Paul again reminds us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom.3:23,24).

Jesus was not righteous because he obeyed God. Rather, he obeyed God because he was righteous. So must we.  I strive to be righteous, thus I strive with all of my heart to obey God to the utmost. I will fall short! But, if I am granted the grace of another day, then I resolve that tomorrow I will do better. 

Jim