Law Fulfillment by Christ (Matt.5:17-19)

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zail

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Matthew 5:17-19 "17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 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." What does this verse actually mean?
 

Christina

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It means that Christ never changed one dot of the Law that he came here to fullfill the Law not change it or make it obsolete. There is a difference between Laws and ordances, and stautes you need to understand that The Laws are still the laws and still in effect but they are fufilled in Christ Example the Sabbath Day is no longer a "Day" Sabbath means restChrist has become our Sabbath (rest) we are to rest in him everyday Sabbath is no longer about following the ordances and Stautes set out by Jewish customs or about a what day we are to worship. Christ is our Sabbath now and we are to worship him everyday.
 

zail

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(kriss;41415)
There is a difference between Laws and ordances, and stautes you need to understand that
I want to understand that. You don't happen to have a scripture-based explanation of that do you? Reason being, every time I've heared "The Law" referred to in the New Testament, I've understood it to mean the same thing as the entire "Old Testament", or the entire "Torah", not just certian types of rules within it...
 

zail

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bump... I'm really curious about this study. Does anyone have something more to add? Are we supposed to follow the Law of the Old Testement, or is it just a reference?
 

marksman

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One of the big mistakes that christians and the church make is that we are saved and live under a grace provided new covenant salvation but then we go back to the Old Testament for our directions (see Galatians). Everything that we need to experience the fulness of our salvation is in the new testament, not in the old. You can't pick bits from the old and bits from the new as Jesus came to deliver us from the law of sin and death (the old) and give us the law of the spirit of life (the new). An example is tithing which is an old covenant teaching. It is not in the new. Under the old you tithed 30% of your income (not 10% as we are wrongly taught) in three batches of 10%. Under the new all our money belongs to God and it is our responsibility to make it available to him as he needs it, so therefore all giving must be on the basis of what God tells us to give which is according to how he has blessed us financially.You will not find one reference to tithing in the new covenant (testament). Under the old our relationship with God was via the law and sacrifices. Under the new our relationship with God is direct and made possible by Jesus death on the cross. The only sacrifice that he requires under the new is a broken and contrite heart, not the following of times, seasons, rituals and ordinances) as it says in Galatians. We could not fulfil the law so Jesus had to do it for us on the cross. Therefore as Jesus is accepted by God as the perfect sacrifice, and we are accepted by God through Jesus, the fulfilment of the law has been made by Jesus on our behalf.We do not need to fear keeping the law if we live by the law of the spirit of life because that law is an outworking of Jesus death and resurrection. This means that all we need to do is to hear his voice and follow his instructions. When we do that we cannot break the law as he will never tell us to do anything contrary to his word.
 

zail

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I agree about salvation and grace. This isn't about that. I don't think there's any way around what Christ said: that if we break the Old Testament laws and teach that they should be broken, we're least in the kingdom and if we keep and teach them, we're great in the kingdom. Regardless of grace and everything being lawful (1 Corinthians 10:23) there is still a measure of greatness attributed to following the law. If we're trying to do what's best for ourselves and others, we shoud still try to live by the law, shouldn't we? No, we don't have to; but what's one good reason we don't? This hasn't passed away. None will pass away until (I believe) after the end times (which fulfill the last Feasts of Israel), when Christ has completed the prophacies of scripture. The whole Bible is still in effect. It hasn't passed away because the Messiah hasn't fulfilled it all. Yes, I agree that He fulfilled a great part of it, but you don't throw out a road map half-way to your destination. Those last few roads are important if we're to get to our destination. There's still an earth full of hurting people that don't know how to live to please The Lord. "Even" the Old Testament holds most of the answers.
 

marksman

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The Old Testament doesn't hold most of the answers as if it did we would not need the new as the new is a fulfillment of the old and the reason that we have the new is because we cannot keep the old bearng in mind that if you transgress one part of the law you transgress all of it.The fulfillment of the law is in the two commandments to love God and your neighbour. All the law and prophets find their fulfillment in them. As new covenant believers, the law, instead of being a threat becomes a promise and as a result it sets us free from the law of sin and death which is what the old covenant is.Only the law of the spirit of life which is what the new covenant is can set us free from the yoke of bondage. My focus is not keeping the old testament law. My focus is my love relationship with God in Christ and as a result I am freed from the power of the law to be free to love God and my neighbour. In doing that I am least likely to break old testament law.Conversely, if I try and not break old testament law, I am more likely to do so.
 

Christina

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The old testament is the New testament concealed the new the old revealed they are both revelant there is nothing in the New testament that isnt in the old though it may be worded different concealed or it may be a type or forerunner As I have said above Christ came to fulfill the law not change it. We are no longer held to sacrafice and rituals its been fulfilled and now falls under graceWe are saved by grace if we accept it in the name of the fulfiller that is Christ all laws that is ten commandments are still in effect the penalty for breaking them is now fulfilled in Christ. The food laws are still true eating certain things still makes one unhealthy butthey are not sins we can not repent for as Christ died for all sins. So the laws havent changed the penalty is paid in Christ if we accept the grace offered
 

zail

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(marksman;42507)
the reason that we have the new is because we cannot keep the old bearng in mind that if you transgress one part of the law you transgress all of it.
But the verse following the one you referenced, says that we should still "speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." (James 2:10-12). We can't keep it, but we're still supposed to try, as if we will be judged by it. (marksman; 42507)
The fulfillment of the law is in the two commandments to love God and your neighbour. All the law and prophets find their fulfillment in them.
The law hinges on those two commands. Although a hinge is what moves a whole door, a hinge itself isn't a whole door. A hinge is worthless without the door, would you agree? "Love God and your neighbor" is just an intention we need to have. The Law tells us how to love both the Lord and our neighbor. This is why the law hinges on love. They can't work without each other. (marksman; 42507)
Only the law of the spirit of life which is what the new covenant is can set us free from the yoke of bondage.
I totally agree. Keeping the "old" law has nothing to do with salvation or freedom from the yoke of bondage to sin. Thankfully, that's the part of the Law that Christ already fulfilled. Note, my original question is on a verse that doesn't have anything to do with salvation; but everything to do with what's best for us. (marksman; 42507)
My focus is not keeping the old testament law. My focus is my love relationship with God in Christ and as a result I am freed from the power of the law to be free to love God and my neighbour.
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49) "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." (Matthew 5:19) Wanting to love Christ alone doesn't make us magically obey His words. If we love Him, we should obey Him by (in one way) obeying "the old", as He instructed. Instead of being an issue of salvation, it's an issue of "building a solid foundation" and "being called great in the kingdom of heaven." These are results of loving Him by obeying what He said. Kriss, I completely agree with everything you said. Perfect explanation of how things have changed about the Old Testament with the coming of Christ and the New Testament. However, I'm not looking at any requirements from the Law, but only at the benefits from the Law. This is where I'm at: "Why do we trade what pleases the Lord and what's actually better for us in the long run, for 'self-culture'?" Simply because "self-culture" is easier to follow than the Lord while "all things are lawful". I think we do ourselves, the Lord and others around us wrong by choosing that approach though. We tend to forget to apply the information following "all things are lawful" to our beliefs (1 Corinthians 10:23-24). We should do what's actually good for us and especially for the others around us. This brings me back to the origninal scripture of Matthew 5:19. Did Christ really mean how this verse reads? Shouldn't LAw of the Old Testament? Of course we're guilty of it. The reason Christ came is pay for the sin of not being able to obey the Father. The guilt is paid for. That doesn't mean we don't have to obey Him anymore though! I think we abuse grace far too often just because His grace is so amazing. Just because Daddy has a credit card without a limit on it, doesn't mean we should buy as many things as we can that grieve him for us to own. The "money's" only there for what we need. We have our minsets backwards. We're selfish at the expense of His displeasure. We're all in the same boat, but I think we need to TRY. Welcome to Christianity.
 

Latter-day Saint

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I see the Law of Moses as being a subset of the law of Christ, that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ that existed from the beginning. In Matthew 5:19, Jesus speaks of the consequences of disobedience to the fulfilled law, that is, the higher law of Christ. While the Law of Moses was good, it was only a preparatory law to lead the children of Israel to Christ and did not contain the fulness of salvation. Thus, while some parts of the law of Moses are still applicable today, such as the Ten Commandments, Christ fulfilled parts of the law so that we no longer need to live those parts.In Romans chapter three, verse 20, Paul explains that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight," speaking specifically of the Law of Moses. We are not justified by the Law of Moses. Paul goes on to say that "a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" in verse 28. I think in this context, Paul is speaking of faith as the new covenant, or the law of Christ that replaced the Law of Moses.God is not only the God of the Jews, but also the God of the Gentiles (verse 29), and therefore one does not need to live the Law of Moses to be part of God's kingdom. Paul then goes back to the idea that Jesus did not destory the law but rather fulfilled it. Verse 31: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." It was necessary for the Jews to follow the Law of Moses until the higher law was given. Obedience to the higher law of Christ shows our faith in the Lawgiver.The key for us today is that we need to recognize that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (verse 23). We need both faith and works in order to access the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Thanks for your thoughts, Zail. They have been very profitable.
 

zail

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Thanks for responding Saint, I think I already agreed though... that the law no longer has anything to do with atonement, salvation, entering the Kingdom, justification, covering of sin, peace with God or any of "those terms" to describe what Christ fulfilled. Those debts have all been paid. I understand that. Haha, at this point, I feel like everyone's avoiding my first question just to remind me of the same miracle of Christ's death and ressurection that I already understand fulfilled parts of the law. It's kinda frustrating
smile.gif
My previous post, and my remaining question (still unmet) is more about the benifit of still following the other parts of the law that have nothing to do with salvation, but have eveything to do with being great or least in the Kingdom. This is something that Christ Himself taught, so I see no reason we should do away with following God's voice, which is Christ, which is the incarnation of both the law fulfilled and the law yet to be fulfilled. Can someone respond to the idea that Christ implied it's still in our best interest to live by the law and teach it? This thread isn't supposed to be about "needing" to follow laws that have already been fulfilled. I want to talk about how the law can still be good, should we choose to keep it. Did Christ mean what He said? ...maybe nobody else here has read Matthew 5:17-19, which would explain why I'm only getting responses nearly telling me that I'm silly for still thinking the Old Testement still applies in some way to us today... EDIT: nevermind, I'm done here.
 

Latter-day Saint

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Okay, here is the answer to your real question, in a last-ditch effort to keep you from being frustrated out of the forum.The Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 5:21 reads:"Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so to do, he shall in no wise be saved in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach these commandments of the law until it be fulfilled, the same shall be called great, and shall be saved in the kingdom of heaven."I think the translation answers your question without any of my interpretation.
 

Christina

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The law is the commandments all Ten of them Not the entire old testament. It is the Word of God. The rituals, ordinances and Law are fulfilled in Christ.Thus he became our sacrifice. We are no longer to be killed for adultery for Example we are to repent. We are now under GraceWe are to repent of our sin in the name of Christ the old testament people couldn't do this so they had rituals and ordinances that served as substitutes until Christ could come and fulfill these things (to be a type of what was to come)
 

marksman

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Can someone respond to the idea that Christ implied it's still in our best interest to live by the law and teach it? This thread isn't supposed to be about "needing" to follow laws that have already been fulfilled. I want to talk about how the law can still be good, should we choose to keep it. Did Christ mean what He said?
When Jesus said he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfil, meaning that he came not only to fulfil the type and prophecies by his actions and sufferings, but also to perform perfect obedience to the law of God in his own person and to enforce and explain it fully by his doctrine. Thus he has full satisfied the requirements of the law.In Matt. 5:17 Jesus said that they were to keep the law until everything was fulfilled. When he died on the cross, everything was fulfilled as he was the perfect sacrifice and that was the whole purpose of coming to earth. Until he died they had to keep the law. When he died they were no longer required to keep the law as the fulfillment of the Law was in Christ. When we are "in Christ" we are keeping the law through his vicarious sacrifice on calvary. That is why we are not judged according to our sins but accepted because of his death.The bottom line is that his death fulfilled the law meaning that the law of sin and death was superceded by the law of the spirit of life.In respect of the law Kriss, the ten commandments are not the whole law. There are 73 clauses altogether and Jesus told off the Pharisees because they added another 173 clauses of their own.
 

Thomas D

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Jesus made His attitude toward God’s Law plain in the “Sermon on the Mount.”Jesus made three emphatic declarations about The Law.1.)In Mat. 5:17 Jesus said “Do not (even) think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. The word “fulfill” in this verse means“to make full, to fill, to fill up, to fill to the full, or to render full i.e. to complete” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2002. Strong’s # 4137)2.)In Mat. 5:18 Jesus said “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till ALL is fulfilled.” The word fulfilled in this verse means “to become, to come into existence, or to come to pass[/U]” Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Strong’s #1096.3.)In Mat. 5:19 Jesus said “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least (by those) in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” In Gal. 5:19-21 We read 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.Jesus came to teach the full intent of The Law, the spirit of The Law. After saying that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees to inter the Kingdom in Mat. 5:20-22 He began to teach that just not committing murder was not good enough. Jesus taught that even hating was the same thing. Then in verses 27-28 He teaches the same thing about adultery and lust. In doing this Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy in Isa. 42:21 where He was prophesied to “exalt” or “magnify” The Law and make it honorable. Jesus was giving us the true intent of the law, not what the teachers of His day had distorted it into.This in no way means that we can earn salvation. We can’t do anything in our short, pathetic, weak lives to earn salvation. We have nothing in this life that is worth eternal life.Only God’s grace and mercy can cause Him to give us eternal life. But God has made it more that plane that He will not give eternal life to anyone He can not trust or rule.
 

treeoflife

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(zail;42149)
bump... I'm really curious about this study. Does anyone have something more to add? Are we supposed to follow the Law of the Old Testement, or is it just a reference?
Well, simply, we shouldn't toy around with God's gift that we have in Christ. Hopefully if we love God and have believed in His Son, that goes without saying. We should not sin, simply because we love God and He has given us eternal life. Why would we want to sin? His commandments are not hard to keep. Jesus fulfills all law.
 

Jackie D

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...John 1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.Christ is the Word.If Christ told us that if we teach others to break even the least of the law we become least in the Kingdom of Heaven, then He means it and we should keep the law, yet not live by the Law but by Christ. For if the Word is Christ and Christ is the Word, the Law was written by the Word and remains until ALL is fulfilled. For He is, was and is to come.
 

marksman

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Jesus taught that even hating was the same thing.
In Matt 5:20 Jesus said our righteousness had to surpass that of the scribes and pharisees. An example was that the law taught that we should not kill, but Jesus said we were not even allowed to hate (which is not in the law).It was obvious that keeping the law was not going to save people otherwise Jesus need not have die on the cross. Salvation went beyond the law to grace and through this he gives us the abiltiy not only not to kill but not to hate. Under the law, we are still suceptable to hate and killing so the law is useless to the believer in Christ. Under the law you won't achieve anything that is required under grace.In Matt 6:33 we are told to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, not the law. In Romans 3:21 it talks about a righteousness from God made known apart from the law and it comes through faith in Christ.In Romans 5:21 it talks about grace reigning through righteousness (not the law).In Romans 10:4 it says that Christ is the end of the law so that there is righteousness for everyone who believes. In Romans 10:5 it says that if you are trying to obtain righteousness by the law you have to follow the law (not grace). In Romans 14:7 it says that the KoG is not a matter of eating and drinking but righteousness, peace and joy (not the law).In Galatians 2:21 it says that if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.Phillipians 3:9 talks about not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but through faith in Christ.There are many more along this vein. What we have to realise is that the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible and although there seems to be teaching that says you have to keep the law after conversion, in matters of righteousness, the law is useless as our standing in Christ comes through his death on the cross, not by keeping the law.As it says in Galatians 2:21 that Christ died for nothing if our righteousness can be gained through keeping the law. the Jews believed that they could gain God's acceptance by keeping the law.The law is a threat...if you don't do this then this will happen. Grace is a promise...you will fulfill the law and more becuase I have paid the price for your sin and your righteousness is based on my sacrifice and faith in my redemption which is a daily epxerience. The benefits of the law is based on what I do. The benefits of grace is based on what God has done through Jesus.