Commentary on "Walking in the Light:
Keeping His Commandments"

TERRY MIRRA

 

Day 5: Wednesday, July 22, 2009

 

Overview

This lesson talks about the “New Commandment” and how Christ washed the disciple’s feet as an illustration of serving our fellow man. If Christ was humble enough to serve, then we should do likewise. There’s emphasis on the connection between this “new” commandment of brotherly and sisterly love and how it’s been there all along in the Old Testament law. It is said that this commandment is somewhat new because it was being continually realized in the life of Jesus, “the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining”. The bottom line here is that this “new “ commandment is really just a summary of the Old Covenant law, so “to walk in the Light and to walk as Jesus did means to keep the commandments and love each other.” The question is posed, “When was the last time we washed someone’s feet (figuratively speaking) and why is this kind of death to self that leads to the service of others, so hard to realize in our own lives?”

 

Problems

Here again, we’re dealing with the same misinterpretation we’ve had all along—the writer assumes that when the Bible says “commands” or “commandments” it’s referring to the Old Covenant 10 Commandments. Galatians points out in many places that Christ’s standards and expectations of a New Covenant believer are much higher than the 10 Commandments given to the Israelites. They didn’t have the privilege of having the Holy Spirit as we do. Now that the Messiah has come, these Old Covenant laws are of little value and are a hindrance to many who cannot move away from the legalism of the law into God’s kingdom of grace. Matt. 22:36-40 addresses the New Covenant commands and what our priorities are as believers:

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Christ is our example in humility and not thinking more of ourselves than we ought. This kind of death to self is hard to realize in our own lives because we have selfish and sinful natures (we’re born spiritually dead). When we are “born again” (indwelt with the Holy Spirit), we are enabled to do these things because of His love in us—not of ourselves. Our own resolve will never overcome our sinful nature.

 

Summary

1. Matt. 22:36-40 plainly addresses the two most important commandments for the New Testament believer. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.
2. We can’t force our own death to self—it isn’t in us. Only with the Holy Spirit living in us can we ever have any victory over our own sinful nature.

 

 

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