"The first thing to get clear about Christian morality between man and man is that in this department Christ did not come to preach any brand new morality.  The Golden Rule of the New Testament (Do as you would be done by) is a summing up of what every one, at bottom, had always known to be right."  Mere Christianity

It is true, in a sense, that Jesus did not preach any new morality.  There has never been any new morality in the history of humanity.  From the beginning of human existence God has created, redeemed and called us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The new things about Jesus are that:

1. he shows us in greater depth how we have disobeyed the law of love,
2. he shows us the law of love in perfect action in his own life,
3. he dies on the cross to pay the penalty for all our lovelessness and
4. he rises to new life in order to give us his Spirit to make new obedience possible.

Jesus did not come to give us a new morality.  He came to give us new life.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"  (John 10:10).

Thank you Lord Jesus that you have come to give me life in all its fullness.  Search out the death of lovelessness in me and remove all the darkness that still remains by sheding the light of your love in all the misty corners of my soul.  Thank you for taking my death upon yourself that I may live in the glory of your new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Help me to love you and to love my neighbor more today than I did yesterday, to your honor and glory.  Amen.