Many people look at Jesus Christ as an example of how to be peaceful, loving, and kind, and they are not wrong in doing so. The way he led His life, His teachings, and how he dealt with people in all walks of life are not only inspiring, but should be the standard by which we live with one another.

There is a misconception, however, that this means the violation of traditional laws, as detailed in the Old Testament, are now looked upon with a trivial nature. Some people treat them as if they are no longer a concern. These are still trespasses against God, and the penalty for them would be steep. The good news? Jesus has paid the fine for our sins in God’s heavenly courtroom. He took the pain, guilt, and ugliness of our fleshly acts to the cross. He also raised the bar, however, in order that we might follow his new commandments.

To illustrate this, I created this graphic below to illustrate Traditional Law versus Jesus’ view on the subject, and His call to action for us. This of course was detailed in Matthew 5:21–47, which documents the Sermon on the Mount.

Notice how each of these things Jesus addressed (and these are just three of the six antitheses) point to His instruction at the last supper to His disciples (and also to us):

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

– John 13:34-45

Each of these “calls to action” help us to in fact love others as ourselves. I don’t know about you, but loving others as He loved us is an incredibly tough act to follow, as evidenced by… well… my life. It seems like every week I look back and see a myriad of things I could have done better, and it’s honestly humbling, if not depressing.

I liken repeated failure to “driving the nail” into His hand again. It helps me to visualize my sin in this way, because I would not want to hurt Jesus ever, but end up doing it whenever I fall short. The good news is, Jesus loves the broken me, the deflated you, and this fractured world so much, that we cannot really comprehend a love that magnificent.

It is very humbling to me to look at how Jesus set incredible goals for us to reach for. This visual representation explains everything I need to know, to know that I NEED HIM. There’s no way I’m making it to eternal glory without our Lord and Savior. Have a blessed day knowing that though the battles are tough, and the bar set high, the victory is already won through Christ Jesus!

If you’d like to print it the above PDF, you can click Download above and get a copy for yourself. Maybe this can help promote a conversation with your Stephen Ministry team, your family, or friends.