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NASB | Matthew 5:17 ¶ "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 5:17 ¶ "Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. |
Subject: I CAME TO FULFILL THE LAW |
Bible Note: The reason that I hold that Hebrews 4 is talking about a future rest is that the phrase "do enter" does not necessarily mean "has entered." All those who are believers in Christ DO go to Heaven, but that does not mean that we HAVE gone already. Because the general theme of Hebrews is perseverance and Hebrews 4:11 tells us to be diligent to ENTER that rest, it would seem that we have not entered it already. You wrote: "Gentiles are not under the Mosaic Covenant, and no one was ever expected to really be placed "under the law" in the Mosaic Covenant -- not even the Jews." I disagree: "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law," --Galatians 4:4 Jesus, just like every child born as a descendant of Israel, was born under the Law. He was the only one who fulfilled it completely (thought, word, and deed), and therefore salvation in the Old Testament was through faith in the Atonement to come. However, the ceremonial cleanliness and feasts and sacrifices were a precursor of that Atonement, so the Israelites were not freed from such requirements until Christ's resurrection. The faithfulness of Israel did not come FROM the Law, but it was demonstrated in their heartfelt love for God's law. See Psalm 119 for David's appreciation of the law. He was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, and look how much use he finds in the law. It is too simplistic to say that because we have the Holy Spirit that the written law of God serves no purpose. Jesus, Paul, and James all cite the Torah in giving guidelines for the activities of believers (Mark 12, Romans 13, Galatians 5, Ephesians 6, James 2), so obviously having the Holy Spirit did not mean abandoning the written commandments of God. The fact is that the Holy Spirit works through the written moral law of God, orienting our hearts so that we embrace the moral law as God's standard for righteous living (as David did in Ps 119) and also continuing to use it to accuse us of our continuing unrighteous behavior and cause us to embrace the One who fulfilled the the Law for us. Just this last week, God used James 1:19-20 to convict me of some harsh attitudes I have had toward a very problematic class that I am teaching this year. It was the Holy Spirit at work, but he used law to do it. If the Holy Spirit truly works apart from the moral law of God, we should be able to take a black marker and blot out every commandment from Genesis to Revelation and still live righteously. That's not how He works, though. If ALL Scripture is useful for rebuking and training in righteousness, then the law must be included. Furthermore, how can gospel rebuke someone? God's grace and mercy and Christ's sacrifice tell of God's goodness. It is law which points out our sinfulness. One must distinguish between but never separate the law and the gospel, since they both serve a purpose for the believer. And I issue my challenge once more: name one God-honoring work we can do as believers which is not found in the law of God. --Joe! "Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law." --Romans 3:31 |