The Moral Code - Jeremiah 31:33

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


Last week, while reviewing the Great Chapters of Revelation 2 and 3, with their messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor, a brief comment was thrown in to the affect that Christ never meant to establish a moral code. Today I want to elaborate on that comment.

This idea may come as a surprise, and even may shock some people. It is usually assumed that the moral code given through Moses to the people of Israel, was passed on to the Christian church. Today we often hear reference to what is called the Judeo-Christian world view - in fact, there are many similarities between the world views of Jews and Christians. For example, Christians and Jews agree that:

There is One God - we are "mono-theists"; God is the Creator of everything there is; History is a linear movement from promise to fulfillment; There is sin, and God has provided for forgiveness; God initiates covenants, or agreements, with His people.

However, there is a difference when it comes to this idea of a moral code - the Jews have one, Christians do not. This raises a lot of questions for us.

Question #1

Right away, someone will ask, "What about the Ten Commandments? Aren't they binding on Christians?"

At first you may have some difficulty with my answer, which is, no, the Ten Commandments were given for the emerging nation of Israel - they were given as part of God's special covenant with His people. The commandments were intended for them, not us. You see, the law we are bound to obey is not what was written on stone tablets, but the law written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Question #2

Someone else might ask, "Didn't Jesus replace the law of Moses with the Sermon on the Mount?"

Actually, the Sermon on the Mount was not a new set of laws, rather, it was a spiritualizing of the law. Jesus took the behavioral issues addressed by the Ten Commandments and traced them back to their real source, the human heart. The message is clear, if your heart is right, your actions will be righteous. This is precisely what Jesus explains in Matthew 12:33-35: "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

Question #3

The next question might be, "Isn't all Scripture binding?"

Well, we understand from II Timothy 3:16, that "All scripture is . . . profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." But note that the word is "profitable," which is the Greek word "ophelimos," which means "helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous," but obviously that's not the same as saying "all Scripture is binding." Question #4

Another question is this, "If there is no moral code, wouldn't the result be antinomianism (lawlessness) and consequently, total chaos?"

But remember, we're not saying there is not, or should not be, a moral code. What we are saying is that Christians do not operate by a moral code. In the world, there will always be a code with necessary restraint of evil by constituted governments. But as Paul pointed out to Timothy, "law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful." (I Timothy 1:9) So, are Christians "above the law"? Well, yes, in a way - they operate under a higher law, something like the overcoming of the law of gravity by the law of propulsion. Certainly, Christians do operate by a law, but it's not a moral code of law, but what Paul calls "the law of the Spirit of life." (Romans 8:2 - "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.")

Question #5

Then a logical question would be, "What would be wrong, or bad, for Christians to have a moral code?"

Well, let's understand what a moral code is - a set of behavioral rules which are able to be judged and enforced by a particular group or society. An implication of this is that the moral code is a "keepable" set of rules. This reminds me of the man we have named the "Rich Young Ruler" who, when he was told that to have eternal life he must obey the commandments, said, ". . . all these I have kept from my youth. " (Matthew 19:20) And in fact he was probably right, as was Paul who claimed, "Touching the righteousness which is in the law, [I am] blameless." (Philippians 3:6) These two men represent millions of us who genuinely believe that when measured by the moral code, we are guiltless. These are the people who, when asked, "Are you a sinner?" will respond, "Well, no - I haven't killed anyone." (The cartoon bubble above their head adds, "Although there have been times when I really wanted to!")

And that's one problem with the code, it's possible to justify oneself by saying, "See? I've done it, I've lived by the code." So why is that we want a code, and why are we upset to learn that there is none? Because if there is a code, not only can we parade our own goodness, but we think it's easier for us to live with a clear set of black and white rules to follow.

Question #6

Then, a very important question is, "What is the Biblical basis for saying there is no moral code for Christians?"

First, we can observe that Jesus did not enforce the code.

Do you remember what Jesus did when a woman accused of adultery was brought to Him? He didn't agree with those who said, "She broke the law, she must be stoned." (That's the thing about moral codes - when you have one, it gives you permission to judge others, something that both Jesus and Paul speak against.)

Then there was the thief on the cross, an obvious law breaker. He told the other thief, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve . . . this man has done nothing wrong" and asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom (Luke 23:41,42). Jesus simply replied, "today you will be with me in paradise."

When a man came to Jesus wanting Him to settle an inheritance dispute, Jesus flatly refused to be the Moses, and apply the code to this situation.

Take another example of the keeping of the Sabbath law - at least in the minds of some of His contemporaries, Jesus played very loosely with this law. "But," some say, "Jesus honored the Sabbath law - it's just that He didn't abide by the current interpretation of that law." But that's something else we observe about moral codes - they will always be tampered with, added to, or interpreted to the benefit of one group or another. On the other hand, the Spirit code cannot be fooled with.

Later on in the New Testament, the church came together to resolve a dispute. At the end of the meeting it was decided that although circumcision would not be binding on Gentile converts, there would still be two rules - no fornication, and no eating of food offered to idols. Surprisingly, only a few years after that, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that it was not necessary to be bound by this second rule, only to the extent that it would cause a weaker brother to stumble. In other words, the only rule was that of love.

Then what about the "keep from fornication" part? We do remember how very hard Paul came down on the Corinthian church because one of the leaders was involved in the unthinkable, having sexual relations with his wife's mother. But look at how this was addressed: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife." (I Corinthians 5:1) Particularly notice the wording, "a kind that does not occur even among pagans." Don't you see it? Even those who do not have the revealed Commandments know that this is wrong. Fornication, having sexual relations with someone other than a married partner (of the opposite gender) is wrong, and everybody knows it. This is what Paul further explains in Romans Chapter 1, that even among pagans, there is an inner awareness of moral truth.

We often complain that the news that comes through the media is mostly bad news. Yes, we get tired of this, but it does point out that it doesn't require a Christian moral code to point out the obvious, that theft, rape, and murder - and even dishonoring parents, greed and giving false testimony - are wrong and need to be exposed and punished.

Furthermore, Jesus declared that there was now something which summed up and fulfilled the law - love God and love your neighbor.

Question #7

However, this will probably lead to one more serious question, "If the moral code is replaced by love, isn't that the same as 'situation ethics'? - doing the most loving thing in any given situation?"

Yes, that may be true if we view love according to its common "romantic" definition. We have to understand that we're talking about love, not the feeling of love.

A few days ago my daughter sent me a copy of an article written by Rick Nowlin, printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on March 6, 2004. The author's point was that the fact that we are dealing today with gay marriages is the logical outcome of our "Romeo and Juliet" definition of love. "When you have a marriage culture based primarily on romantic love as ours is, it's only a matter of time before people are demanding to marry someone of the same sex. The gay couples who have gotten "married" recently in San Francisco understand that, offering the justification, 'Can I help whom I love?'" Nowlin then goes on to observe that the love of I Corinthians 13 is not "eros," the Greek word for romantic love. Rather, the Biblical understanding is that of "agape," which he then equates to the idea of ". . . 'justice,' doing whatever is best for the other person beyond personal feelings of attraction." Then the author refers to a Los Angeles Times article which related a story from Princeton University's Peter Singer. Writing about his grandparents' prenuptial correspondence in the early 1900s, Singer commented, "Although my grandparents chose each other, their relationship shared something with the tradition of arranged marriages -- the idea that romantic love is not the key to a good marriage." He went on to say that his grandfather was looking for "the best partner for the household and children" and he appreciated "the clear insight into the worth of [her] character."

In a broader sense, if we accept the Biblical definition of love, and live that way in the power of the Holy Spirit, our concerns about love leading to immorality will be assuaged.

All that has been said so far is introductory - we now look at the text, Jeremiah 31:33 - "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

There are two very important issues here: 1) the law that God wants us to live by is an internal law, a law in the heart, not an external moral code, and 2) this new covenant will be based on relationship - "I will be their God; they will be my people."

God came personally to offer this covenant in the person of His Son, Jesus. Unfortunately, the offer was rejected - those who were first invited to the banqueting table refused to come, and so the offer was expanded and extended to all who would come (Luke 14).

Who are these people of the New Covenant? They are those who receive and live by the Spirit rather than by the moral code. However, to be in a covenant relationship with God is to assume the responsibilities which go with that agreement. In the Old Covenant, that meant abiding by the code. In the new Covenant, it means asking to be filled with the Spirit, walking daily in the Spirit, and keeping on being filled with the Spirit. That means that every day, not just once when we were young, or even once a week on the Lord's Day, we pray the prayer and live a life of faith that trusts that the prayer is being answered. And what is that prayer? Simply, "Oh Lord, please fill me with your Spirit today."

The Old Covenant has, for it's beginning point, the receiving of the code by Moses on the mountain. On the Jewish calendar, that event came to be celebrated on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover. Significantly, it was on that very day around the year AD 30 that the first Disciples were filled with the Spirit, clearly giving notification that the law previously given on the tables of stone, was now being replaced by the Holy Spirit.

No, Christ never meant to establish a moral code. Instead, He gave us His Spirit who not only guides us in knowing the truth about what is right and wrong, but also provides us with the necessary power to live in that truth.

Discussion Questions
The Moral Code

1. What are some of the ways Christians and Jews share a common world view?

2. What do Christians obey instead of a code written in stone?

3. In the Sermon on the Mount, what did Jesus do with the Commandments of Moses?

4. In what way are Christians "Above the law?"

5. What are some problems with living by a moral code?

6. Was Jesus condoning adultery and robbery when He pronounced this woman and man forgiven?

7. What is "situation ethics," and what is the problem with it?

8. What is our understanding of the meaning of "love" according to the Bible?

9. What two main lessons are drawn from Jeremiah 31:33? "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

10. What is the constant prayer of the people of the New Covenant?

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