10 Matthew 5:21-48 - Pop Goes Perfection

April 23, 2017

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Pop Goes Perfection Text: Matthew 5:21-48 FCF: We often struggle knowing how to gauge how close we are to meeting God’s standard. Prop: God’s true requirement behind His law is perfection, so we must depend on Jesus Scripture Reading Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Matthew chapter 5. Today we will look at a staggering 28 verses in this sermon. It is simply not possible for me to cover in depth each point that Jesus is making. Each point could and should be isolated as individual applications for the life of a Kingdom Citizen. In fact, to a believer I would say that each of these sections we are going to cover today are the standard by which God has called us to meet. We are not speaking of the impossible but the possible in Christ. But what we do have to understand about this section is that the original hearers of these words did not have the Spirit of God in them. They, mostly, were comprised of people who were following Jesus as some wise teacher or scribe and not as the Messiah. So although we can apply this as a normative lifestyle to ourselves, the original author’s intent and the original speaker’s intent primarily was to convict those who listened that their law-keeping was insufficient to please God. That being the case, we must take all of these together because it is clear that they represent 1 thought unit and not 6. Perhaps, at a later time, we can come back to these individual examples to apply them specifically to the topic raised for Christians, but for now, we must adhere to the author’s intent which was to convey the absolute impossibility of keeping the fulfilled law of God. I am in chapter 5 verse 21 and I’ll read all the way to verse 48. I’ll be reading from the NASB but follow along in your preferred version. Sermon Intro: [Slide 2] I haven’t had very many jobs in my short lifespan. Many of you probably have had much more varied experience in several different types of employment. But one thing I have learned, is that a good job expects great things from its employees. But a great job tells them what exactly they expect. Have you ever worked a job with no job description? I have. It was a disaster. Why? Because no one, not even your employer, knows what is expected. Over time there is a list of things that your employer expects of you, and there is a list of things the employee things they are responsible for. That list is rarely the same. I have heard some employers justify not giving a job description because they want to wait to see what the strengths are of the employee. Ok. But I’ve played that game too. You know what never happens? That. There is never a sit down discussion as to what is expected. Now eventually, could be days, could be months, could be years, but eventually the boss is going to get tired of the employee not meeting his unspoken, unagreed upon, or unachievable expectations. Eventually the employee is going to get tired of always being told to do more, stay longer, or do better. You see without a job description it is difficult to gauge if you are meeting what is expected of you. But many people are confused when it comes to what God is expecting of them. They think about it from two angles. [Slide 3] One angle is from cultic or pagan perspectives which basically equate God’s standard as some kind of cosmic scale. In this scenario as long as the number of good things you do outweighs the bad things you do, then God lets you in. So after killing 6 million people Hitler could have sent 6 million and 1 birthday cards and made up for it? Others see it as a weightiness of the bad and good. So murder is obviously worse than speeding. Adultery is worse than cheating on a test. So as long as the good things you do are better than the sum total of the bad things you did, then you are good. [Slide 4] And then you have sections of Christianity that know that Jesus paid their penalty and gave them grace – but they live a rigorously bound lifestyle knowing that if they mess up here or there, the big guy will get them. That when they suffer God is displeased with them and when they are prosperous God is pleased with them. [Slide 5] Or perhaps they think that God’s standard has been thrown out the window because Jesus paid it all and that bought our pardon giving us freedom to do as we please. [Slide 6 (blank)] We left off last time with Jesus saying that the law was not abolished but completed. He came to live it in letter and in spirit, and to pay for our failure to do so. He concluded, perhaps you remember, with a standard which said, you must keep the law, even to the least commands. Perhaps they thought they nailed the great commands but the least would have been tricky. The Pharisees came close but then Jesus says that their righteousness needs to abundantly exceed the Pharisees. What we will see in this next section is Jesus actually challenging whether they managed to keep the greatest commands as they no doubt thought they had. Scripture Intro: [Slide 7] The basic construction of all 6 examples Jesus gives is “you have heard it said… but I say to you…” In some of these Jesus is attacking something that was added to the law. In other cases He is attacking an interpretation of the law. In still others he is attacking how they applied the law to themselves. What is true in every case though, is Jesus is calling them to a much higher standard than they had accepted. Proving of course that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. What we see then, is Jesus declaring Himself to be the final authoritative commentary on the law of Moses. He did not need to appeal to His education under a certain Rabbi. He appealed instead to His own authority. [Slide 8] Of course His examples end with the final interpretational paradigm that we must keep in mind as we see each of these examples. Verse 48 which we will look at first – That God expects us to be perfect as He is perfect. His righteous standard is Himself. The only people allowed as citizens of His Kingdom are those who are like Him. Transition: With that verse as a guide we can rightly interpret these 6 examples. For the sake of time this morning I have grouped them into 4 categories so we can bite off more at a time. [Slide 9] The first will show us that God’s standard is forgiveness and reconciliation, not just that we don’t murder each other. I.) Forgiveness and Reconciliation are the goal, not simply lack of murder, so we must depend on Jesus. a. [Slide 10] – 21 - You have heard it said that the ancients were told, you shall not commit murder i. You have been taught that the ancient Israelites were taught to not commit premeditated murder. ii. The punishment for which was death. b. Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court i. You have also been taught, although it was not necessarily taught in the Law, that such a person who commits murder will be liable or declared guilty before the court. ii. Jesus doesn’t necessarily say that this was a false interpretation. He is simply saying what they have learned. Which tends to be in agreement from the Old Testament. iii. But what does Jesus say? c. [Slide 11] – 22 - But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court i. Angry with his brother 1. This is not a familial relationship in question here. It is instead a communal one. That someone who is angry with a person in the same faith community. 2. Anger is not a flash in the pan kind of anger nor is it irritation but is instead a brooding anger. An anger that bears a grudge. That causes you to view the person differently. It is an anger that is akin to wrath. 3. Some translations, KJV specifically, have the phrase “without cause” in the text. The best manuscripts we have, meaning most intact and earliest, have this word absent. Most likely the word "without cause" was inadvertently inserted as an explanatory note to qualify the anger toward a brother. 4. We have already discussed how this anger was bearing a grudge or was as brooding. So leaving the words without cause in, I must ask the question… is there ever a cause for which we are justified to be wrathful against a brother in our community? Even in the case of sin – do you feel comfortable feeling bubbling wrath at someone for their sin. 5. In fact this is exactly what I think Jesus is talking about. To take God’s place and be wrathful toward someone, is simply not permitted. And perhaps this is exactly what Jesus will talk about in Matthew 7 when he commands us to judge not unless we wish to be judged by the same standard. If you are wrathful at someone, even if it is for a sin, you have taken God’s place as judge. ii. So taking God’s throne as wrathful judge has the same end as murder… that he be brought, tried, and found guilty before the court. But what court exists that can see the heart of a man? What court can determine whether such wrath be present ? It is obvious here that Jesus is alluding to His Father’s heavenly court. d. And whoever says to his brother You good for nothing shall be guilty before the supreme court i. You Good for nothing 1. The word is Raca and is, in most translations, simply transliterated because we are not sure what exactly this word means. 2. Some say it is an Aramaic swear word. Others say it is a word that means empty headed or good for nothing. Still others communicate that this is not actually an insult so much as it speaks to the attitude of contempt toward another. So while anger is strictly internal, contempt starts to manifest in how the other is treated. 3. With all these together you get the general concept of the word. ii. We should not interpret an escalation of court to supreme court. As we asserted previously , the court Jesus is no doubt alluding to is His father’s. Therefore, this more blatant contempt is not somehow worthy of a worse punishment. The implication is that He would be found guilty at the supreme court if it functioned the way God’s court would. e. [Slide 12] And whoever says, you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell i. Fool here is probably referencing the moral character of a person. Not so much that he is brainless, but that he is godless. ii. It is basically calling someone a pagan sinner because you are angry with them iii. Again, this is not an escalation of punishment, just one more way to express that the judgment received for allowing anger to run out of control produces the same guilt that murder would. f. [Slide 13-14] – 23-24 - Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother then come and present your offering. i. The situation Jesus raises is of great significance. ii. If you are attending to your sins. If you are bringing a sacrifice to confess to the Lord that you have done wrong. And then yet remember that you have wronged someone else… the implication is that God will not forgive until you restore what you broke. iii. That when you are at war with another brother, than you cannot be at peace with God. John later says, if a man says I love God but hates his brother than he is a liar. So also to seek absolution of sin and be in a right relationship with God, when you are actively not living at peace with another brother, is impossible. iv. So far as it depends on you. You cannot restore what another won’t allow you to fix. But so far as it depends on you, be at peace and be willing to continue to make peace. g. [Slide 15-16] – 25-26 - Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that you opponent may not hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. i. While one valid interpretation of these verses is that Jesus is offering some great legal advice, I find it insufficient in light of the context. ii. It is obvious that Jesus is alluding to a greater court and greater judge than exists on earth. So what exactly is He talking about? Luke records this parable in an entirely different context. In Luke 12 it is a plea to Jews to recognize that the time to seek reconciliation is now – lest the judgment of God overwhelm them. iii. Could Matthew’s quote of Jesus here be conveying strictly a man to man relational truth? Perhaps. But perhaps he is actually using the concept of judgment from a God’s court in God’s presence (concepts throughout this context) to convey the same message. The time to seek reconciliation with your opponent – primary of which is God Himself – is now. Before it is too late. h. In these first few verses it is as if Jesus is saying… we’ve already talked about the least commands still being important, but perhaps you wish to think you are innocent of the greatest commands? Do you think this to be true? Let me show you otherwise. Do you think you are innocent of murder? Anger, wrath and heated insults are worthy of murder’s punishment. Maybe you have never murdered… but if your punishment is the same as murder for being angry… does it matter? Would you enter into hell with a murderer and boast on the reason you are not there? i. [Slide 17] Forgiveness and Reconciliation are the goal, not simply lack of murder – and if that is the goal, than none are perfect. Transition: [Slide 18] The second category shows us that God’s standard is not simply that we are pure and faithful to our spouse with our bodies, but that we are pure and faithfully committed with our hearts. I’ll be combining Jesus’ discussion on adultery by lust and adultery by divorce. II.) A pure, faithfully committed heart toward your wife is the goal, not simply a pure and faithful body, so we must depend on Jesus. a. [Slide 19] – 27-28 - You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. i. You have been taught previously that as long as you do not commit the physical act of adultery ii. The 10th commandment forbids coveting her as property – but sexually you can still covet her. b. but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. i. Coveting is not limited to desiring property. It is desiring something that is not yours to desire. ii. To desire to enter into a sexual relationship with a woman that is not your wife is what is intended here. Simply the desire and no action at all. iii. Jesus is drawing a big = sign between Desire and action. Your intentions, your motives, your thoughts are just as important as your outward actions. c. [Slide 20-21] – 29-30 - If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. i. In fact, this non-action based stumbling is so serious that it would be better to prevent it from ever happening than to continue to do it. ii. This, of course, is not advocating self-mutilation but instead, radical prevention. iii. Not only is desire just as punishable as action – but should be avoided at all costs. d. [Slide 22] – 31 - it was said, whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce i. Deut 24:1-4 indicates that if a man found something indecent in his wife that he could issue her papers of divorce. ii. To them it is not an issue of whether divorce is wrong, but was instead an issue of whether or not there was a bureaucratic paper trail to prove that the divorce had been done correctly. iii. In fact the word for indecent, by some of the greatest interpreters of the Old Testament at that time, was interpreted to mean any offensive things including if she burnt a meal. iv. So quite literally for any cause a man could divorce his wife. v. But what is Jesus’ interpretation of that passage? e. [Slide 23] - 32 - but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. i. If you divorce a woman for any reason you force her to commit adultery with anyone she marries next. Not only that, but any who marry her, commit adultery with her. ii. Unless she has been found to be unchaste. Matthew uses a word that means sexual sin in general and not the world for adultery. Probably because the word for adultery in Greek was primarily used for the husband’s infidelity. So as not to confuse the issue, he uses a broader sexual sin term to designate that the woman is the one who committed adultery. iii. So not only is desire to commit adultery the same as actually committing adultery… but lack of faithful commitment to your wife is the same as adultery too. f. So Jesus continues his examination of their keeping of the greater commands. The ones everyone agreed on were very important. He says, so you think you are good at not committing adultery huh? If you desire a married woman sexually, then you have committed adultery. Furthermore, if you divorce your wife for any reason other than adultery, not only are you committing adultery, but you are guilty of making her commit adultery and the one marrying her next. g. [Slide 24] A pure, faithfully committed heart toward your wife is the goal, not simply a pure and faithful body – and if that is the goal, None are perfect Transition: [Slide 25] The third category is showing us that God’s standard is a truthful, God-Fearing person, not someone who can bend and stretch His law so they technically follow it. III.) A truthful and God-Fearing person is the goal, not what vow can and can’t be broken, so we must depend on Jesus a. [Slide 26] - 33 - Again you have heard that the ancients were told you shall not make false vows but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord i. The prevailing interpretation to this law from Leviticus 19 was that all vows that were made in close association to Yahweh, God’s name, were binding and must be kept ii. however, vows made with a significant distance from God’s name were not binding. iii. Therefore there were entire booklets at the time discussing what you could swear by and subsequently break your vow and what you could not swear by if you did not want to keep your vow. iv. The reason behind all this was because people were generally untruthful, so there had to be legislation determining which vow was to be believed or not and which vow was to be enforced or not. b. [Slide 27-28] – 34-36 - but I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King, nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black i. Jesus concludes that if you are going to play that game, where you can manipulate God’s law so that you can lie, then it would be best if you didn’t make any vows at all. ii. Because even the items you swear by that have been determined by you as not binding because they bear enough distance from God are not so distant. iii. There is a principle taught here that God is intimately connected to everything around us. You can’t find anything that does not somehow go back to God. c. [Slide 29] - 37 - But let your statement be yes, yes or no, no i. This is the intention of the law Jesus quoted. Not that we are to fulfill our vows to Yahweh, although that is true, but that we are not to make false vows. ii. Keep your promises. d. anything beyond these is of evil. i. Anything less than doing what you have promised to do is evil ii. Manipulating God’s words to find loopholes is evil. e. Jesus is saying, so you consider keeping your vows to God to be a great command? And you are perfect in keeping them are you? Don’t you realize that the command was not to keep the vow only if sworn on His name but to keep all your vows? Because if you swear by anything it is somehow connected to Him! You are guilty and your abuse of the law in this case is so egregious that I say don’t make vows at all since you can’t figure out what that means. Simply be truthful enough to where you don’t need to swear it to guarantee it. f. [Slide 30] A truthful and God-Fearing person is the goal, not tip-toeing along the law using it to justify your lies. And if that is the goal – none are perfect. Transition: [Slide 31-32] The final category are two points blended together. God shows us that His standard is not to clarify when we are justified to retaliate against others, or who we are justified to hate, God’s standard is selfless non-retaliatory love toward all, even those who are our enemies. IV.) A selfless, not retaliatory love toward those who oppose us is the goal, not when we are justified to retaliate nor when we are justified to hate, so we must depend on Jesus. a. [Slide 33] - 38 - you have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth i. This is from Exodus 21. The Jews of the day would interpret this to grant them permission to retaliate. ii. That justice was only served when you were granted a propionate payment for someone harming you or your property. iii. What is clear is that they interpreted this completely backward. This law was not designed to guarantee that justice would be served. It was given to insure that one did not need to repay excessively for what they took. Rather than reading it this way: “if someone takes out your eye, than you have a right to take out theirs” it would instead read “if someone takes out your eye, you must not take two of theirs. You must not cut off their arms and legs. You must not kill them for it. But only give them a punishment that fits the crime” It is a law designed to end blood feuds. iv. But Jesus has another way to end feuds too… b. [Slide 34-35] - 39-42 - but I say to you do not resist an evil person but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you i. Jesus is not advocating that you not defend yourself. Slapping is different than stabbing, punching, beating etc. A slap is a disgraceful act designed to humiliate rather than hurt. ii. Suing you for your clothes is property and not necessarily physical well-being iii. forcing you to carry a load for a mile was a Roman soldier’s right for any who were in a Roman province. Simon who carried Christ’s Cross was compelled to do this. All that is being taken from you is time and energy. iv. Giving alms to those who ask and lending to those in need were costing you simply money. v. In each of these cases the physical well-being is not being attacked. The only thing that is happening is minor discomforts and personal injustices against you. You aren’t being attacked but simply put out. Inconvenienced. At worst, shamed a bit. vi. Jesus is saying that rather than retaliating against someone taking things from you, you should instead be selfless and understand that personal possessions, pride, and comfort are not important. vii. If you remember our discussion about how the Jews had a system of honor and shame in their culture. Jesus is basically telling them to forget about this. To understand that it is not always shameful to be shamed. In fact it is more honorable to endure shame and love anyway. Which would have sounded completely backward to them. c. [Slide 36] – 43 - you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy i. To love your neighbor is highly biblical- Lev 19:16-18 ii. But to hate your enemy, is found nowhere in scripture. Which means that when the scribes saw the word neighbor they assumed it was Israelites and therefore if we are commanded to love our neighbors than we are also to hate our enemies. iii. Obviously a logical blunder. If I command you raise your right arm, does that mean that you also must put your left arm on the ground? d. [Slide 37-38] – 44-45 - but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He cause His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous i. Jesus says, in effect, that all men are your neighbors. Even those who try to harm you. Even those who are wicked. Yes even the Romans. Yes even the Samaritans. Yes even the Muslims. Pray for them. Why? ii. Because God the Father gives grace to all people on this world, wicked and righteous alike. To be like Him is our goal. So to be like Him is to love and pray for our enemies. e. [Slide 39] - 46-47 - For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? i. Loving only those who return your love is natural. It is selfish. It is easy. ii. Loving those who love us makes us no different than the vilest people who live on this rock. But loving those who actively seek our destruction is weird. f. Jesus is saying, so you think that love is a great command? And you think you keep that command.? It isn’t love to only retaliate when you have a right to. It isn’t love to only hate those outside your spiritual community… no love is not retaliating at all. Love is giving grace to those who want to destroy you. That is love. You think you are loving people because you love those whom you get along with? Is that love? Or is that something else entirely? g. [Slide 40] A selfless, not retaliatory love toward those who oppose us is the goal, not when we are justified to retaliate nor who we are justified to hate Transition: [Slide 41 (end)] So since it is not really in our scope to discuss how each of these standards apply to us today as believers, we will leave that for another time. But broadly, considering the scope of God’s standard of perfection for all mankind, what exactly should we walk away with from this text this morning? Conclusion: To a Jew, a relatively religious person who had law that came directly from God… only 1500 years later, that law was utterly perverted to a system of legalistic adherence. They believed that by keeping the law as best they could, they would be acceptable to God. What they did not realize was that even when the law was given, God’s standard is not your best. God’s standard is not your pretty hardest. God’s standard is not 110%. God’s standard is not almost, close or just about. God’s standard is perfection. Not because He is mean, not because He is a jerk, Not because He is unforgiving or unyielding but because He is Holy. He is separate. He is pure. Like gasoline and fire – they DO NOT MIX. One will consume the other. Would you say that it is awfully unforgiving of fire to not spare gasoline? Would you say that if fire would just give gasoline a chance, it would probably get along with it just fine? Of course not. Gasoline is flammable. God’s Holiness ignites the slightest imperfection within us. His standard is perfection not because He is being overly restrictive but because that is how it is. It is not a matter of choice so much as it is a matter of reality. But there is one major problem isn’t there? Is anyone perfect? Let me rephrase. Is any religious person perfect? Let me be more specific, is any Christian perfect? Let me be extremely specific – Is anyone in this room perfect? You say no. then we are all doomed. Why are we here? Why do you sit in your pews? Why do you sing these songs? Why do you listen to what this pimple-faced kid is saying from behind this Plexiglas pulpit? If you are already imperfect than there is no hope for you. Where is the but Chris. I know there is a but coming. No. There is no but. You and I are dead in sin. We are hopelessly lost. We are imperfect and nothing we say, do or think can change it. We cannot please God. Because we are defiled. And as we saw last week as long as we have this perishable and mortal body on us- we cannot enter heaven. His standard is perfection. And we have already lost. We lost before we drew breath. The moment we were conceived, we were imperfect. Let it sink it for a moment. Let it creep into your bones. No doubt some of you here today heard this list of examples of the law and thought… wow these are pretty difficult. I mean I can’t hold a grudge against anyone? Not even my father who beat me? I can’t worship God until I apologize for being a jerk to my kids? I can’t look at other women or men and imagine what it would be like to be with them? I mean, that happens every day for me. I can’t divorce my spouse for any reason otherwise it is adultery? I’ve been divorced 3 times. And I know I’ve broken my share of promises. I know that I deceive people all the time. And is God telling me that if someone steals my car that I should give them my second other one too? That’s crazy. And I won’t love muslims for what they did and continue to do to us. I don’t care what you say. To you I’d say – God demands perfection. Because He is perfect. And this list may seem crazy – but it is His law. You say well what can I do? Nothing. No really Chris what can I do? Nothing. Chris you are scaring me… there must be something I can do… NO! There is not. But perhaps your mind is beginning to change about yourself. Perhaps you wish to reject what you have become and agree with God that you are wicked. That your actions are wicked. That your thoughts are wicked. If that is true… than all that is left is for you to believe. But Chris I thought you said that there is nothing I can do? Belief isn’t something you do. Let me define belief for you. Belief is crying out in desperation asking God to exchange who you are with who Christ is. Belief is utterly placing all your hope in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Belief isn’t DOING something to please Him. Belief is relying on what CHRIST HAS DONE. Belief is completely surrendering all ownership of your life to Him. Belief is resigning your authority, abdicating your throne, ceding the empire of your life to Him to do with as He pleases. Belief is the opposite of doing something. Belief is the cessation of hostilities toward God. Belief is the cessation of resistance. If you repent and believe… and that initial repentance and belief changes you to be a person who continues to repent and believe… God promises to give you grace. He will see His Son when He looks at you. You will no longer be gasoline igniting His wrath. You will be perfect positionally to Him. In other words He will see you as forever innocent. Of course that does not mean that His law becomes irrelevant. In fact it means exactly the opposite and I can prove it to you. You see, there is a whole group of people sitting in this room who looked at this text today and thought in their minds… you know these laws don’t seem all that oppressive. In other words they thought exactly the opposite of what you did. They thought that these laws made complete sense. Furthermore, they are also desiring greatly to live their life in submission to them. Don't misunderstand. They don't do that because they are superior to you. They don't do it because it comes natural to them, and they don't do it by just trying hard. They do this because the Spirit of God is dragging them kicking and screaming. He is changing them to be something they never thought possible... like Jesus. God demands perfection. And we can't be perfect. But Jesus trades places with us so we are perfect in the Great Judges eyes. Then we receive the Spirit of God who starts to transform us into a creature that actually wants to love and obey God. Not because they fear judgment so much, as it is because they are His children. So... since you are not perfect... Christian... stop being prideful about how much theology you know, how much money you give away, or how great of a marriage you have. Remember it was not you, but God's grace that has afforded you the opportunity to obey. And stop being flippant about your liberties. Just because you have been set free from the punishment of your sin, doesn't mean God's standard has changed. He still desires to make you His masterpiece and change you to what He wants you to be. So... since you are not perfect, and God's standard never changes... non-Christian, your only hope is in Christ. Because you are already imperfect. Won't you reject your wickedness? Won't you depend on Christ? Won't you surrender to His will for your life?