Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so… Man is set free from the curse of the law, but not from its authority. I. Let us consider these minor violations of the moral law as they are considered IN RELATION TO THE LAWGIVER HIMSELF. The least commandment has the same authority as the greatest. Little sins will soon acquire all the gigantic proportions of the greatest. It is no paradox to say, that little sins are peculiarly offending in the sight of God, because they are little; in other words, because we run the risk of offending Him for what on our own showing we care very little about, and from which we only expect an insignificant return. It would aggravate the venality of a Judge that the bribe was so paltry. The least sin is aggravated by the small degree of temptation by which it is accompanied. II. THE AWFUL DANGER OF THESE LITTLE SINS IN REGARD TO OURSELVES. Little sins leave men hardly conscious float they have broken God's law; great sins stir up piercing thoughts. See the peril of little sins, as they are sure to draw greater ones after them. It is fool's sport to play with firebrands. The multiplication of little sins show how we need the merit of an infinite atonement. (D. Moore, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. |
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