The Four Five Spiritual Laws Part 14
© 08.18.26 By David Eric Williams
The final point in the five spiritual laws has to do with continuity. The relationship with God in Messiah Jesus presented in the five spiritual laws, is not a transient experience. It is something we enjoy now and to eternity. That seems like quite a bit to lay upon the final principle. After all, the last clause simply says, and do not lead us into temptation.
Now, this expression does not imply God is the author of temptation. Rather, it is a request to keep us from sin. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). You could say it is shorthand for asking God to preserve us in our relationship with him. For, if we are kept from sin, we experience the kingdom ethos and are able to express that to the world around us.
This idea is expressed more fully in Matthew’s presentation of the Lord’s prayer. In Matthew 6:13 we read, bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew and Luke reference two separate occasions when Jesus taught on prayer. Matthew’s record recounts the teaching of Jesus to the multitude during the ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ Luke’s account is about a time when he [Jesus] finished praying in a certain place, [and] one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” Luke’s report is often understood as a teaching for the individual in private prayer. On the other hand, Jesus’s words concerning prayer recorded by Matthew may concern corporate prayer. In any case, both Luke and Matthew present a prayer that ends with the hope for an enduring kingdom.
In James 4:17 it says, to him therefore who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin. It is not enough to dodge temptation and avoid doing wrong; the Bible enjoins us to do what is right. It is true you can’t beat something with nothing, and so the Apostle Paul says, put away the old manner of life and put on the new man. Put away falsehood and speak truth. Deal with anger appropriately; don’t hold a grudge, but resolve the issue before the day is done. If you are a thief, steal no more. Instead work hard so you have something to give to others. Don’t let unwholesome words come out of your mouth, but speak in a way that builds others up. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you (Ephesians 4:30-32, foregoing list from Ephesians 4:22-29).
This is how the realization of the Kingdom of God endures. Living a life of Christ-likeness produces confidence in the continuity of our covenant relationship with God in Jesus Christ. It is the natural conclusion to the five spiritual laws.
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