(More Accountability, The Higher Standard)

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Some Theology states that because we're in the age of Grace, under the Blood, that our accountability has been absorbed in the New Covenant. Have you ever heard, "Thank God we're not under the Law, the Old Testament." In some points and to some degree I could agree with that statement, for example "children" ought to be glad because in the Old Covenant, IF your child was rebellious; they were taken out back and put to death by stoning! We don't practice that in the New Covenant, and all the children would say "Thank God" to that, but in thanking God that we're living under grace, it is being implied by many teachers as to say, there's no Commandments, Rules or even Responsibility? "The New Covenant is not as strict as the Old Covenant, we're forgiven, we're under grace, and under the blood!" Though Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2), doesn't mean that now as Christians, we are not under or governed by any kind of law.

1. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time (LAW, Old Covenant.), Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

But I say unto you (GRACE, New Covenant.), That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

UNDER THE OLD, YOU HAD TO ACTUALLY PERFORM THE ACT TO BE GUILTY. UNDER THE NEW, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BE WRONG IN YOUR HEART TO ONE ANOTHER!

2. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time (LAW, Old Covenant.), Thou shalt not commit adultery:

But I say unto you (GRACE, New Covenant.), That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

UNDER THE OLD COVENANT, YOU HAD TO GO OUT AND JUMP IN BED WITH ANOTHER PERSON TO BE GUILTY. UNDER THE NEW, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DESIRE TO DO IT!

(THE SAME WITH THE REST…. )

3. It hath been said (LAW, Old Covenant.), Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

But I say unto you (GRACE, New Covenant.), That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

4. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time (LAW, Old Covenant.), Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

But I say unto you (GRACE, New Covenant.), Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

5. Ye have heard that it hath been said (LAW, Old Covenant.), An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

But I say unto you (GRACE, New Covenant.), That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

6. Ye have heard that it hath been said (LAW, Old Covenant.), Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

In other words, just because you live under a different Covenant doesn't mean your going to get away with whatever, it makes you even more accountable to the truth (John 1:17) because the light (Jesus) has come!!! And not only has HE come, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)

• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light (Jesus) is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." (John 3:16-21)
• "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." (John 9:39-41)
• "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." (John 15:22)
• "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee." (Matt 11:20-24)
• "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here." (Luke 11:31-32)

To reaffirm that we are MORE ACCOUNTABLE and ought not to think that living under the New Covenant in the age of GRACE is to be taken lightly, the Apostle Paul, a True Grace preacher, goes on to say…

• "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Heb 10:28-29)
• "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;" (Heb 2:1-3)
• "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." (Heb 12:25-26)

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