The old law regarding swearing was that we should not break an oath. The new law forbids the believers to swear in any manner: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not break an oath, but you shall render to the Lord your oaths.’ But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of His feet; nor unto Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black” (5:33-36). We are not to swear by heaven, by the earth, unto Jerusalem, or by our head, because heaven, the earth, Jerusalem, and our head are not under our control but under God’s control.
Apart from that, the highest standard of morality also requires that our word be simple and true. “Let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for anything more than these is of the evil one” (v. 37). Instead of trying to convince others with many words, we should be brief and clear in our speaking. We should be able to say, “Yes, yes; No, no.” We need to see a crucial matter, which is that the evil one seeks an opportunity to express himself through our excessive talking. Therefore, we should not say more than is necessary to avoid letting the evil one be expressed.
Although “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exo. 21:24) of the old law is fair, just, and righteous, it is too low and is not the highest standard of morality. The Lord said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist him who is evil; rather whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:38-39). The new law given by the Lord tells the believers not to resist one who is evil. If someone slaps us on our right cheek, we should turn to him the other also; if someone wishes to take our tunic, we should yield to him our cloak also; and if someone compels us to go one mile, we should go two miles with him (vv. 39-41). To resist by claiming an eye for an eye means that we are releasing our temper. Through the divine dispensing we, the believers in Christ, can be above our temper, not resisting an evil one. We have the power to suffer and to be meek instead of resisting, and we have the power to walk not in the flesh nor in the soul for our own interest but in the spirit for the kingdom, practicing a living with the highest standard of morality.
Legally speaking, the old law—to love our neighbor and hate our enemy—is fair and righteous, for a neighbor deserves our love and an enemy deserves our hatred. However, the Lord requires us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (vv. 43-45). Such an exhortation touches our natural being and reveals how much the divine life within us can do for us.
The Lord Jesus said that if we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we behave as sons of the heavenly Father. As sons of our Father, we should deal with the evil and the unjust as we deal with the good and the just (v. 45), love not only those who love us but also love those who do not love us (v. 46), and greet not only our brothers but also greet others (v. 47). To live in such a way is to be virtuous sons of our heavenly Father. Through the divine dispensing, we need to practice this high standard of morality and virtue and thereby live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The demand of the new law of the kingdom is much higher than the requirement of the law of the old dispensation. This higher demand can be met only by the Father’s life, not by our natural life. We are the Father’s children, having His divine life and divine nature. Hence, we can be perfect as our Father is perfect. For this reason, Matthew 5:48 says, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The kingdom of the heavens is the highest demand, and the life of the Father is the highest supply to meet that demand. The divine life within us not only enables us to fulfill all the requirements of the law in Matthew 5 through 7; it can even make us perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. Since we are the Father’s children, we do not need to copy or imitate Him. We just need to grow in His life, and we will be the same as He is. Our only need is to be exposed so that we give up all hope in ourselves. When we are exposed, we realize that our natural life is hopeless. Then we renounce our natural life, turn to the life of our Father, and stay with the divine nature. Spontaneously, this life will grow in us and fulfill the requirements of this highest law.
In His eternal economy God has ordained that His many sons should be like Christ, His firstborn Son. Because we have been born of God the Father, there is no reason or excuse for us not to be like our Father. The Father has begotten us, He has imparted His life into us, and He has given us His nature for our enjoyment. Now He is waiting for us to enjoy Him. The divine life brings us into His fellowship, and in this fellowship we enjoy the Father in His life and nature. Therefore, it is actually easy and normal for us, as sons of the Father, to be perfect as He is perfect. The way to be perfect is to remain in the divine fellowship so as to receive and enjoy continually the dispensing of the processed Triune God.
Through the experience of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the believers can have the highest standard of morality and virtues. Although they have been saved through faith and not through keeping the law, now that they are saved, they must live a life with a standard of morality that is higher than that of the old law. We have been created for good works, which God prepared beforehand in order that we should walk in them. Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify to Himself a particular people as His unique possession. As such a people, we should be zealous of good works.
In order to live out the highest standard of morality and virtues, we need to be regulated by four governing principles. Concerning things, all things are lawful to us, but not all things are profitable. Concerning ourselves, all things are lawful to us, but we should not be brought under the power of anything. Concerning others, all things are lawful, but not all things build up. Concerning God, whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. In practice, we may find it very difficult to live according to these principles. Hence, we need the dispensing of the processed Triune God.
By keeping the highest law to the highest standard of morality, the believers fulfill the condition for entering into the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The law of the old dispensation deals with the act of murder and adultery, but the new law of the kingdom deals with anger and the inward motive of the heart. Within our spirit there is Christ, who is the resurrection life. Therefore, if we walk according to the spirit, we will fulfill the highest requirements of the law, overcoming our anger and our lust, and we will live out the highest standard of morality. In addition, the highest standard of morality includes not divorcing and not swearing. Through experiencing the divine dispensing, we are able to turn the left cheek plus the right to the evil one, to let him have our cloak plus our tunic, and to go two miles instead of one mile when compelled. Not resisting an evil one surpasses practicing an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. As sons of the heavenly Father, we love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, which surpasses loving our neighbor and hating our enemy. We have been born of our Father, so the divine life brings us into His fellowship, and in this fellowship we enjoy the Father’s life and nature. Therefore, as sons of the Father, we can be perfect as He is perfect.