Audio Download

Matthew 5:27–48 The Sermon on the Mount, Part 2

[Study Aired March 31, 2025]

Introduction

Today’s study focuses on the Lord’s reforms of the Law of Moses, as He brings in the Law of the Spirit of Life. As we are aware, the changing of the Levitical priesthood must be accompanied by the changing of the law. Jesus did not come from the tribe of Levi but the tribe of Judah, of which Moses never spoke of a priest coming from that tribe. In Hebrews 7:11 we are told that because the law of Moses, with its attendant Levitical priesthood was not perfect, there was the need for a new priest after the order of Melchisedec to come, and His coming ushers in a change of the law.  

Heb 7:11  If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 
Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 
Heb 7:13  For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 
Heb 7:14  For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 
Heb 7:15  And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 
Heb 7:16  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 

Today’s study therefore focuses on the seventh commandment, which deals with adultery, the law pertaining to divorce, the third commandment which focuses on retaliation and finally, on the law of brotherly love.

Adultery

Mat 5:27  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 
Mat 5:28  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 
Mat 5:29  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 
Mat 5:30  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Here we see Jesus as the Reformer with His reforms in relation to the Law of Moses about adultery. 

Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 

The seventh commandment makes it clear from all intents and purposes that we are not to commit adultery. However, in the exposition of this commandment, it can be taught that there is no such thing as heart-adultery because adulterous thoughts and dispositions, which never proceed to the act of adultery or fornication cannot be regarded as adultery. Based on the law therefore, we may think that we have not committed adultery. Here Jesus comes with His reforms by raising the bar, that is, coming with the new covenant law or the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death. This law of the spirit of life is the perfect law whose coming does away with the law of Moses. 

1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The doing away of the law of Moses does not mean that the law of Moses is not relevant. It still applies to our lives until faith comes. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

This law of the spirit of life tells us that sin is conceived when we regard iniquity in our hearts. The act of physically sinning is only a matter of course when sin has been conceived in the heart. In other words, adultery has been elevated to “looking at a woman to lust after her”. 

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

The Lord laid down the solution to this problem of the lust of the eyes. The Lord’s solution is to tear out our right eye and throw it away if it is causing us to sin. If our right hand is also causing us to sin, then we must cut it off and throw it away. What we must understand is that the Lord’s words are spiritual, and the fact that we must pluck out our eye and cut off our right hand does not mean that we must physically decapitate our bodies to serve the Lord. As the Lord said, it is the spirit that gives life, the flesh, that is physically plucking your eyes, does not profit us. 

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

The right eye here represents the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the right hand here signifies the pride of life. These must be destroyed within us if we are to live as overcomers. The Lord’s way of destroying these in our lives is to judge us in this life. It is through judgment or the suffering that is marked out for us in this age that we learn righteousness. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

If we can remember, John the Baptist proclaimed that it is Jesus who shall baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The fire is the judgment of the Lord which causes us to learn righteousness or stop lusting after a woman.

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:  

Divorce

Mat 5:31  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 
Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

To understand the reformation of this law by our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to look at the issue of divorce from the Old Testament.

Deu 24:1  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 
Deu 24:2  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 
Deu 24:3  And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 
Deu 24:4  Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

We can see from these verses that divorce was permitted in the Old Covenant when the husband finds uncleanness in his wife. According to Strong’s Dictionary, the word “uncleanness” means nudity, nakedness or shame. The uncleanness therefore has nothing to do with sexual sins since from the law of Moses, such sins shall result in death by stoning.

Deu 22:22  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. 

As we are aware, nakedness is sin, and it does not refer to any particular sin. That is why in the Book of Revelation, the church in Laodicea was reprimanded to cover her nakedness so that her shame does not appear.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

What this means is that when a man finds a fault (sin) with a woman, he can divorce her, but it must be accompanied by a bill of divorcement. That was what the law of Moses required. However, most men were not compliant with the Law as they just put away (apaluo – put away) the woman without the necessary letter of divorce, and therefore the woman is technically still married to the man, and if the woman or the man marries, he or she has committed adultery. If the woman has the letter of divorce, then she is free to marry and does not commit adultery in her remarriage.

From this, we can see the error created by the translators of the Bible in Matthew 5:32, where the Greek word “apostasion” (G645) which means divorce (with a letter of divorce) is absent. The “put away” here in verse 32 is the Greek word “apaluo” (G630) which means getting rid of a wife without the necessary documentation. Verse 32 therefore seems to suggest that even if a proper letter of divorce is issued to the woman, the remarrying of the man or woman is adultery. That is not the case here since the word “apoluo” was used. What Jesus is trying to say is that if we put away a woman without the necessary divorce letter, we commit adultery when the man or the woman remarries. However, the Lord again raised the bar to a spiritual law (the law of the spirit of life) by saying that except for fornication, all other reasons for divorce are not valid. We therefore need to understand what “fornication” means spiritually, in order to understand what the Lord is saying. 

Before we come to understand what “fornication” means spiritually, we need to understand that physical adultery or fornication does not negate the fact that they can serve as a basis for divorce. However, looking at the Lord Jesus Christ, we can see how He has forgiven us several times during a time of our walk when we were serving another Jesus even though we claimed to be the bride of Christ.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

Spiritually, fornication represents our unfaithfulness to the Lord and to our spouse. Based on this, several sins can be classified as “fornication” spiritually. These include abusing our spouse, children, bankrupting the family, etc. Persistent physical, emotional and mental abuse all serve as grounds for fornication, and therefore, occasion for divorce.  The article which has helped in our understanding of these is in the essential reading of the iswasandwillbe website. It was written by Mike Vinson with the title “The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit”.     

Oaths

Mat 5:33  Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 
Mat 5:34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 
Mat 5:35  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 
Mat 5:36  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 
Mat 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 

The law of Moses allows for swearing as shown in the following verses:

Deu 6:13  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 

Deu 10:20  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. 

The scribes and the Pharisees took the matter of swearing to a different level as follows:

Mat 23:16  Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 
Mat 23:17  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 
Mat 23:18  And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 
Mat 23:19  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 
Mat 23:20  Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 
Mat 23:21  And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 
Mat 23:22  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Here  Jesus, as the reformer, brings to us the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death. He wants us not to swear at all but that our yes must be yes and our no must be no. Anything else apart from our yes or no comes from evil (verse 37). The scribes and Pharisees represent the leaders of Babylon or the physical churches of this world who have the propensity to go beyond what is written. We were like the scribes and Pharisees during our walk in the churches of this world until the Lord came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to deliver us. That is the time that faith came to us and as a result, we are no longer under the Law of Moses.  

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

The reason we are not to swear as we abide by the law of the spirit of life is that, as the Lord’s elect, we know that everything in this world is working according to the Lord’s will, and therefore swearing will make no difference to what the Lord has destined.  

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Retaliation

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 

In these verses, Jesus’ reforming words, which are the law of the spirit of life, are that we should not resist evil. He continued by telling us that if someone smite us on the right cheek, we must turn to him the other also. As we have indicated, the words of the Lord are spirit, and therefore if we are to live by the spirt, then we must understand what the Lord is saying to us in the spirit. The question is, “What does it mean not to resist evil?”

It means that as the Lord’s elect, we must be able to embrace whatever comes our way as being of the Lord. In this world, the Lord uses both evil and good to accomplish His purpose here on earth.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

If we are to resist evil, then we may end up resisting the Lord in accomplishing His good purpose in our lives. For example, on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter, being with the Lord, attempted to fight back by drawing a sword and cutting off the ear of one of Jesus’ assailants. However, the Lord told Peter to put back the sword because they that take the sword perish by the sword. 

Mat 26:50  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 
Mat 26:51  And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. 
Mat 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

We can see that Peter wanted to resist the evil unleashed upon our Lord Jesus Christ as the Jews came to arrest Him. Peter, in His unrenewed mind, wanted to fight back or resist the evil. However, Jesus told him not to resist evil because when we try to resist evil, we end up resisting the Lord and therefore, we lose our way to the path of righteousness. 

In verse 39, we are told that if someone smite us on the right cheek, we should turn the left cheek to him as well. Again, when we are sued and as a result we lose our coat, we should let them take our cloke as well. As we indicated, these words are spiritual, and therefore we need to understand these from spiritual perspective. It does not mean that literally when someone slaps us on the right cheek, we are to turn the left cheek for him to slap. All that the Lord is telling us is that we must yield to whatever circumstance in which find ourselves, knowing that it will work out for our good since the Lord is the one in charge.  

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Not resisting evil does not means that we should allow our rights to be trampled upon. In the Book of Acts, we see Paul emphasizing his rights when he was treated badly as a Roman citizen.

Act 16:36  And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. 
Act 16:37  But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. 
Act 16:38  And the servants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. 
Act 16:39  And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
Act 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. 

Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 

The Law of Moses always focuses on what is necessary to fulfill the law. This is so, because we are driven by the flesh. However, with the law of the spirit of life, we are moved by the spirit of the Lord, and therefore we go beyond what our natural thinking and capability will take us. The story of the good Samaritan shows us what the Lord had in mind when He told us to go beyond what we are compelled. 

Luk 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
Luk 10:31  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 
Luk 10:32  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 
Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 
Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 
Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

We can see clearly that the good Samaritan went beyond what was necessary in rescuing the man who was left half dead. He not only bound up his wounds but brought the man to the inn and also paid his expenses. What distinguished the good Samaritan from others is the simple fact that he had compassion on the man (verse  33). Compassion involves showing mercy as we see in verse 37.  It is through the Lord’s compassion that we are not consumed.

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 
Lam 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

Through the mercy that we have received, we are to learn to also show mercy or compassion to people. When we are driven by compassion, we fulfill the law of the spirit of life as we go beyond what is needful, according to the law of Moses. Throughout our lives here on earth, the Lord is always showing mercy to us. It is this mercy being shown to us which serves as the foundation of the mercy we are to show humanity during the lake of fire age. If we do not learn to be merciful, then it means we cannot be saviors of humanity.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.  

In verse 42, the Lord wants us to give when asked and to lend to those who come to us to borrow. This is all part of the law of the spirit of life. Of course, we cannot give what we do not have. The fact that we must give does not means that even if we have a need pending, we must by all means give and fall into trouble. Verse 42 has been abused by many of the Babylonian preachers for their financial gains.

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

Giving here is not restricted to only money. Spiritually, giving entails supporting those who are weak as shown in the following verse:

Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.  

In terms of lending, we are aware that the people of this world also lend, but with interest or usury. The law of the spirit of life teaches us not to lend with usury as do the people of this world. In our lending, we should do it such that we are not expecting anything back. That is what pleases the Lord. This implies that we cannot lend what we do not have, and if we have an urgent  need, then is not an option. If we have enough to lend, then we must lend not expecting anything back.  

Luk 6:34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
Luk 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 

Love Your Enemies

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 
Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 
Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 
Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

The law of the spirit of life enjoins us to love our enemies, to bless them when we are cursed, do good to them that hate us and pray for them that despise us and persecute us. This is of a far higher standard than the law of Moses which is based on an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 

Exo 21:22  If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 
Exo 21:23  And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
Exo 21:24  Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

We can see that in the law of Moses there is no mercy. However, in the law of the spirit of life or the law of liberty as indicated by Apostle James, mercy triumphs over judgment. In other words, mercy overrules judgment. 

Jas 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 
Jas 2:11  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 
Jas 2:12  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 
Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.  

In walking in the flesh, it is impossible to love your enemies and to go to the extent of praying for them who persecute you and blessing those who curse you. However, as the word of the Lord says, we, His elect, are strengthened by His spirit so that we do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. As a result, our mortal bodies are quickened by the Lord’s Spirit such that we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. 

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 
Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 
Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

Here in these verses, the focus is on the spirit which quickens our mortal bodies to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh. From a comprehensive view of the word of the Lord, we know that the judgment we go through destroys the flesh and its desires, while the spirit strengthens us to live a life pleasing to the Lord. That is when we can walk in the spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh. 

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

In conclusion, the Lord is telling us in verse 48 to become perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. What we need to know is that perfection is a process we are all going through in this life and will become complete when we are resurrected from the dead. 

1Co 15:42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 
1Co 15:43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 
1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 

May the Name of the Lord be Praised. Amen!!