The delightful thing about the law is that Jesus meets it’s demands of perfect perpetual obedience. He is our first and only answer to the law as He is the only one who can claim to obey it. I want to pass on to you some of the things that have been taught to me; specific ways Jesus fulfilled all righteousness for us.
Psalm 1
How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
A few times I have been scolded with the verse, “deny yourself take up your cross and follow Jesus.” When Jesus said “follow me” He was inviting people to be the firsthand eyewitnesses to the gospel: His life, death, burial, and resurrection. A friend shared with me how Jesus denied Himself when He came to earth, and took up His cross on our behalf to fulfill that command and to redeem us. Another friend explained that “deny yourself” now means to trust in Christ’s obedience, and not in my obedience. The heavy burden, the shame about my sin and failure to obey this command fell away and the relief of that good news did the work of sanctifying me. Hearing the gospel presented as the answer to the law grows us up into Christ who is the head of His body, the church.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-25
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. Brothers and sisters, pray for us also.
Meditating on the law, and how Jesus fulfilled it on our behalf is something that I want to learn to do. There are people in the church who already have this gift and every time they share it, a burden that I may not realize I was carrying, falls off. I’m beginning to understand that this is how we grow up into Christ who is the head. Valerie Jacobsen has some fascinating notes about how the word “head” means union, and refers to our union with Christ. See: Valerie Jacobsen, The Ministry of Christ as HEAD. We don’t grow up into Christ through our responsibility and effort to keep the law. We grow up into Christ through our union with Christ and His perfect law keeping.
My goal is to go on a treasure hunt in God’s word to see how the acts of obedience Jesus did is for us to delight and rest in. When Jesus’ obedience does it’s work of sanctifying us then we will be “like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.”
As Christ was obeying He was repenting on behalf of His people to sanctify us and to make us holy, so that we are perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. It’s on account of Christ’s merits and our union with Christ by faith that we hear, “well done my good and faithful servant.” The reality is that our obedience is still stained with sin, and we won’t stop sinning until we die. Knowing that God is pleased with us on account of Christ’s merits is a gospel comfort, and our Sabbath rest.
Here are some examples of meditating on the instructions in Scripture, and seeing how Christ obeys them for us.
Nick Visel – why John baptized Jesus (Source)
“Jesus repents, as it were, on behalf of his people. He sanctifies the waters of baptism in order that his people might be cleansed. He publicly receives the pleasure of the Father in him so that all baptized in his name might be united to him and be adopted in him. His entire life is one under the law in the likeness of sinful flesh. Everything he does advances our nature. Everything he did was for our salvation to make us clean. Hence his baptism, which was a ritual cleansing act, on our behalf.”
Sara N Reza (Source)
“I always see the quote, “Jesus died for me, so the least I can do is live for Him.”
It sounds noble enough. I’m sure people mean it with the best intentions.
But for me? I’m thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ died for me AND lived a perfect life of obedience for me.
He is my righteousness as I have none of my own. On judgement day God won’t ask for my best efforts at obedience. He demands nothing less than perfection. He is perfect being fully man and fully God and He lived + died for me. And now He lives ever interceding on my behalf.”
Justin Joseph. (Source)
“Israel shared in a communion meal after promising to obey God’s Law. Of course sinful Israel broke this promise innumerable times. Now believers enjoy communion anchored in God’s unbreakable promise to save through faith in Christ unworthy sinners for whom He shed His blood.”
Let’s find some instructions, and meditate on scripture where Jesus fulfills them, and where we can rest in.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is praying constantly for us.
John 17: 9 I pray for them. 20 I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.
Jesus rejoices always and gives thanks in everything for us.
Matthew 11: 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 27 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.
The Gospel call to rest in Christ’s merits.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The delightful thing about God’s law, the 10 commandments, and the instructions that scripture lays on us is turning our eyes onto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and seeing how He answers those demands on our behalf when we fail to. Hearing how God is pleased with us on account of Christ’s merits encourages us to keep living the Christian life by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself for us. The fruit will be that we get to do some good for our neighbor, and point them to Christ who lived and died for us.
Sarah Batdorf 
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