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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: Can you break the OT Law? |
Bible Note: When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). The key to understanding this issue is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians. Some of the laws were to make the Israelites know how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments for example), some of them were to show them how to worship God (the sacrificial system), some of them were to simply make the Israelites different from other nations (the food and clothing rules). None of the Old Testament law applies to us today. If we do the two things I mentioned in my last post and referenced (Love God and love our neighbors), we will be fulfilling all that Christ wants for us to do, and as I said before everything else will fall into place. So it's said that if Jesus did not “abolish” the law (Matthew 5), then it must still be binding.. such components as the Sabbath day requirement must be operative still, along with perhaps numerous other elements of the OT Law. This assumption is grounded upon a misunderstanding of the words and intent of this passage... Christ did not suggest that the binding nature of the law of Moses would remain forever in effect. This view would contradict everything we learn from the balance of the New Testament record (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15) - Stay with me.. The word “abolish” is translated Greek as “kataluo,” literally meaning to “loose down.” The word is found seventeen times in the New Testament. It is used of the destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans (Matthew 26:61; Acts 6:14), and of the dissolving of the human body at death (2 Corinthians 5:1). The term can carry the meaning of “to overthrow,” or to “render vain, deprive of success.” In classical Greek, it was used with institutions, laws, etc., to convey the idea of “to invalidate.” Now.. note how the word is used in Matthew 5:17. In this context, “abolish” is set in opposition to “fulfill.” Christ came “...not to abolish, but to fulfill.” The meaning is this: Jesus did not come to this earth for the purpose of acting as an opponent of the law. His goal was not to prevent its fulfillment. Rather, he revered it, loved it, obeyed it, and brought it to fruition. He fulfilled the law’s prophetic utterances regarding himself (see Luke 24:44). Christ fulfilled the demands of the OT law, which called for perfect obedience, or else imposed a “curse” (see Galatians 3:10 and 3:13). In this sense, the law’s design will ever have an abiding effect. It will always accomplish the purpose for which it was given.. But if the law of Moses bears the same relationship to us today (binding) as it did before Christ came, then it was not fulfilled, and Jesus failed at what he came “to do.” On the other hand, if the Lord did accomplish what he came to accomplish, then the law was fulfilled, and it is not a binding legal institution today. Further, if the law of Moses was not fulfilled by Christ, and thus remains as a binding legal system for today, then it is not just partially binding. Rather, it is totally compelling system. Jesus plainly said that not one “jot or tittle” (representative of the smallest markings of the Hebrew script) would pass away until all was fulfilled. Consequently, nothing of the law was to fail until it had completely accomplished its purpose. Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus fulfilled all of the law. We cannot say that Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but did not fulfill the other aspects of the law. Jesus either fulfilled all of the law, or none of it. What Jesus' death means for the sacrificial system, it also means for the other aspects of the law. |