On the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5), Jesus stated that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Law keeping “Christians” latch on to this and they attempt to put their bondage on other Christians. They tell you that Christians are supposed to keep the Old Testament law otherwise you are not genuinely following Christ. Is that true? Or is that the same legalizing doctrine that Paul fought so hard against in the early church?
This article investigates the sermon on the mount, specifically Matthew 5:17-18.
Matthew 5:17-18
Matthew 5:17-18:
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Gr. Plerosai).
18 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 (Gr. Genetai).
Here is what Matthew 5:17-18 does NOT say:
I did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Until heaven and earth pass away, you are required to keep the law because I fulfilled it.
Jesus did NOT say WE are required to KEEP the law. He only said that HE was going to FULFILL it.
He also hinted that the law would pass away. He said it shall not pass away UNTIL it is fulfilled. This means that as soon as the law is fulfilled, it will pass.
If I said “I will not quit my job until I am financially secure”, this does not mean that everyone must do my job until the end of time. Yet that’s how some people interpret Matthew 5:17-18. It simply means that once the condition is met (I am financially secure), I will quit my job.
Once the law is fulfilled, it will pass away. And Jesus came to fulfill the law. Therefore as soon as that has happened, the law will pass.
So did Jesus fulfill the law as yet?
Romans 8:3-4:
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Greek Words in Matthew 5
There are 2 Greek words being translated as fulfilled in Matthew 5:17-18. Plerosai means to make full or complete. Genetai means to come to pass (as in a prophesy). For example, Matthew 1:22; 21:4, 26:56 say,
These things were done (Genetai) to fulfill (Plerosai) the scripture …
The two words are clearly strongly related to each other. Thus Matthew 5:17-18 could easily be paraphrased:
Jesus came to fulfill (Plerosai) the Law and Prophets so it can be fulfilled or come to pass (Genetai).
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Extended Context of Matthew 5
Vs 13-16:
You are salt and light, do good works so others will see and glorify GodVs 17-18:
I came to fulfill the law so it can be fulfilledVs 19-20:
You are not to break even the smallest commandment, your righteousness must exceed the Pharisees (the ultimate law keepers)Vs 21-48:
Examples of true righteousness. It’s not just outward keeping of the law, but your inward attitude and heart condition must be right.
It may appear that in Matthew 5:19, Jesus is saying that we must keep all the commandments. But that is based on a superficial reading of one verse without studying the context. True righteousness is NOT merely keeping the commandments. True righteousness goes beyond that. True righteousness is inward. Your heart must be right. If however, you want to accomplish righteousness like the Pharisees (through keeping the law), then you must keep all of it – every last dot.
On the sermon on the mount, Jesus was setting it up to show us that we simply cannot keep the law. We will fail. That is why He fulfilled the law on our behalf. Now the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in us through faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t let people put you in bondage.
Extent of Matthew 5
Some law keepers say that Jesus only fulfilled part of the law – namely the animal sacrifices. But the rest of the law remain intact, and we must keep the 10 commandments, the food laws, the feast days, the Sabbath. Can you feel the bondage coming on you as you read that?
Let me ask you this question: if Jesus wanted to limit the scope of His statements, why did He use broad terminology like “The law and the prophets” (Matthew 5)? Why didn’t Jesus say, “The ceremonial law”? It’s because He never intended to limit the scope of His atonement. He came to free us from the bondage of the entire law.
Ways in which Jesus fulfilled the law
Here is a partial list of the other ways in which Jesus fulfilled the law:
The Sabbath day?
Jesus provides a rest for His people – a salvation where we cease from our labor (Hebrews 4).
The feast days?
Jesus is our passover lamb. He is the firstfruits of our resurrection.
The blood sacrifices
He shed His blood for the remission of our sins.
The 10 commandments or the moral law
The righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in Christ (Romans 8:3).
What about Romans 3:31?
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
You would need to study the first 8 chapters of Romans to see how Romans 3:31 fits into context. Yes we who are in Christ do establish the law. But this does not mean that we must keep every line and precept of it. It means that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us through Christ. We establish the true purpose of the law – the true way to keep the law (through Christ).
So in the end, a Christian who is walking in the Spirit will live righteously. But that righteousness is not defined by Old Testament laws. That righteousness goes beyond that of the Pharisees. It goes beyond the Laws.
My favorite car is a Mercedes Benz SLK convertible. The new models run on gasolene. But older models ran on diesel. Now if you take a gasolene car and a diesel car and put them next to each other, they would look almost identical. They would both take you from A to B, and both would feel extremely luxurious. But the difference is HOW they take you from A to B. One burns gas, the other burns diesel. But the end result is the same.
Law keepers attempt to keep the law as a means of displaying their righteousness. Jesus said they are required to keep every dot of the law. Grace believers on the other hand meet the righteous requirements of the law by living in Christ and walking in the Spirit. One is burdensome, the other is easy and liberating. You decide which one you want.
Conclusion
If you are genuinely in Christ, you will achieve righteousness apart from the law (Romans 3:21-22). You no longer have to try to keep the ten commandments. You no longer have to keep the Sabbath, feast days and food laws. You will automatically live out God’s righteousness from your heart without trying. It’s not in trying, but in trusting. Be free indeed.