The Sermon on the Mount_ The Key to Success in Life - Emmet Fox [21]
If, on the other hand, anyone were so insane as to suppose that the knowledge of the Truth of Being could put him “above” the moral law, in the sense of authorizing him to break it, he would speedily discover that he had made a tragic mistake. The more spiritual knowledge that one possesses, the more severe is the punishment which he brings upon himself by any infraction of the moral law. The Christian cannot afford to be less careful than others in observing the whole moral code in every nook and cranny of his life; he has, on the contrary, to be very much more careful than other people. Indeed, all real spiritual understanding must necessarily be accompanied by definite moral improvement. A theoretical acceptance of the letter of Truth might go with moral carelessness (greatly to the peril of the delinquent), but it is utterly impossible to make any real spiritual progress unless you are honestly trying your very best to live the life. It is utterly impossible to divorce true spiritual knowledge from right conduct.
A “jot” (the Greek iota) means “yod,” the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The “tittle” (really “little horn”) is one of those tiny spurs or projections that distinguish one Hebrew letter from another. The thought is that not only the letter of the moral law is to be kept, but the minutest detail of the letter. We have to exemplify not merely common morality, but the highest standards of honor.
The Scribes and the Pharisees, in spite of their defects, were for the most part worthy men leading strictly moral lives according to their lights. Unfortunately, they had only the letter of the law, but that letter they usually kept in its entirety, rigorously doing their duty as they saw it. Their faults were the fatal weaknesses of the religious formalist everywhere—spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Of these faults they were sublimely unconscious—that is the deadly malice of these diseases of the soul—and they did strive to fulfil the law as they understood it. Jesus knew this, and he gave them credit for it; and here he warns his followers that unless their practical conduct is in every respect as good as, and even better than, that of these people, they need not suppose that they are making any spiritual headway. Spiritual attainment and the highest standards of conduct must go hand in hand. Unless both are there, neither is there.
As you grow in true spiritual power and understanding you will actually find that many outer rules and regulations will become unnecessary; but this will be because you have really risen above them; never, never, because you have fallen below them. This point in your development, where your understanding of Truth enables you to dispense with certain outer props and regulations, is the Spiritual Coming of Age. When you really are no longer spiritually a minor, you will cease to need some of the outer observances that formerly seemed indispensable; but your resulting life will be purer, truer, freer, and less selfish than it was before; and that is the test.
To give a simple illustration: Some people find that at a certain stage of their progress their mental processes become so orderly and clarified that, with a little treatment, they can go through their day’s work, keep all their appointments, and discharge all their duties without bothering to consult the clock or needing to carry a watch. Now it has sometimes happened that one of their