Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20, ESV)
The Messiah’s purpose was not to abolish God’s Law but to fulfill it. When we read only the English translation, this portion of scripture is difficult to understand. People often misinterpret “fulfill” to mean Jesus did it, it’s done, now we don’t have to do any of it. But if we go back to the original Greek text we get a better understanding of what the words mean and what Messiah actually taught.
The Greek word translated as “abolish” is καταλῦσαι (Katalysai), which means “destroy”, “overthrow”, “annul” or “deprive of force”.
The Greek word translated as “fulfill” is πληρῶσαι (Plērōsai), which can mean “to accomplish”, “to carry out”, or “ to fully preach”. Paul used this same word when he wrote:
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”
(Romans 15:17-21, ESV)
If we interpret “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 to mean Jesus completed “the Law” so that it’s now over and done with, then we should also interpret Paul’s statement in Romans 15:19 to mean that he “fulfilled” the ministry of the gospel of Christ so that it is now over and done with. If we understand Paul wasn’t saying he did the ministry of the gospel so that we don’t have to, then why do so many people interpret Jesus as saying he did the Law so that we don’t have to?
Jesus’ teaching is that he didn’t come to destroy or overthrow the Law but to actually do what the Law requires and make it fully preached and fully understood as it was always intended. The rest of the context of Matthew chapter 5 supports this interpretation.
The very next thing Jesus said is none of the Law, not even a single letter, will be done away with until heaven and earth pass away and all things are accomplished. That is, the Law remains until the end of the age when Jesus returns to execute judgement and bring believers into the eternal Kingdom. Both Isaiah and John had prophetic revelations of heaven and earth passing away at the end of the age, at the coming Day of YHWH. Until then, no portion of the Law will pass away. Jesus directly said so.
Next, Jesus taught that anyone who breaks even the least of God’s commandments, and who teaches others to break them, will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Conversely, Jesus taught that anyone who practices the Law and teaches others to do so will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus did not say we have to practice the Law to enter the Kingdom, so it is not a requirement of salvation. But, keeping or breaking the law does determine whether we are great or least in the Kingdom. Keeping the Law is a matter of obedience, which is love for God.
Jesus then taught that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and scribes of the Law. The Pharisees and scribes were the religious elite of the first century. Throughout the gospel books we see Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees and scribes…they added-to and subtracted-from God’s Law with their own, man-made, traditions and rules. We must do better than that if we are to enter the Kingdom. We must not add-to or subtract-from God’s Law. We must not place our own traditions and doctrines above God’s Law. We must not disparage or misrepresent God’s Law. These are the sins of the Pharisees, which spoiled their righteousness and drew Jesus’ rebuke.
For the remainder of the chapter, Jesus expounds on God’s Law. Jesus clarifies God’s Law by addressing what the people heard about it versus what God always intended it to mean. Consistent with an interpretation that “fulfill” actually means to do the Law and make it fully taught and understood, Jesus clarifies common misinterpretations of the Law.
Why Do we Teach “The Law”?
1. YHWH (God) repeatedly said His Torah (or Law) is holy, perfect, and just throughout the Tanakh (“Old Testament”). We believe YHWH, so we believe His law truly is holy, perfect, and just.
2. Scripture repeatedly praises the value of Torah (Law) for gaining wisdom, knowing the will of YHWH, and walking in His ways. We believe what YHWH said about His Torah (Law), and we want the benefits of meditating on His Torah and putting into practice as much as possible.
3. Messiah said the Torah (Law) will remain in effect until the end of the age when he returns. We believe the Messiah, and we are confident heaven and earth have not yet passed away, so we believe every letter of the Torah (Law) is still in effect right now.
4. Messiah said anyone who breaks Torah (Law) and teaches others to do the same will be least in the kingdom. We don’t want to be least in the kingdom, so we don’t want to willfully violate Torah (Law) or teach others to do so.
5. Messiah said anyone who practices Torah (Law) and teaches others to do the same will be great in the kingdom. We want to be great in the kingdom, we want to obey YHWH, and we want YHWH to be pleased with us. So, we want to practice Torah (Law) and teach others to do the same as much as possible.
But We Don’t Obey the Law Perfectly
Yes, we know. We know everyone falls short. We know everyone sins. We know we cannot obey every aspect of the Law with absolute perfection every nanosecond of every day. We know we are guilty of violating the Law, and we know violation of the Law carries a penalty…
That is the entire point of salvation; not that Jesus saved us by getting rid of the Law, but he saved us by paying the penalty for our Lawlessness. And after Jesus paid the penalty of our Lawlessness, he wants us to go and sin no more. Jesus never said he was getting rid of the Law so that we are free to disobey it without penalty; his purpose was to destroy the devil’s work of Lawlessness.
Isn’t Following the Law “Legalism” and “Works-Based Salvation”?
No. Doing what God said to do is obedience, and obeying His commandments is loving Him. Doing the Law because we love God and recognize His Law is His will, given for our benefit, is obedience. Doing the Law with a wrong attitude to be better than other people, to claim a false righteousness, or to act with any other improper motive is when people enter the realm of legalism.
We fully acknowledge that salvation is only received through faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, and we know we don’t get salvation from obeying the Law. However, salvation is just the beginning of the journey and not the end. Through salvation, we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Then, as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven we ought to obey the Laws of the Kingdom.
What is really the point of salvation if we aren’t going to respond by loving God and obeying His will? Jesus had to die because we broke the Law. We don’t respond to Jesus’ sacrifice by going right back to willfully breaking the Law. We respond to Jesus’ sacrifice by making every effort to get better and serve him, knowing that when we fall short we can humble ourselves before him and ask for forgiveness. But how can we ask for forgiveness if we intentionally act Lawless and intend to continue doing so with no desire to change?
Are We Trying to Make Everyone Follow the Law?
No. Bokim Ministries is a teaching and discipleship ministry; we don’t attempt to force anyone to think or do anything. Our purpose is to study scripture, understand it, and teach it to others. We encourage everyone to understand and obey the Bible as it truly is, discarding any human doctrine, creed, or bias that interferes with correctly understanding scripture.
We teach the Law because YHWH gave it to us for our benefit and Messiah said it’s still in effect. We then want people to choose for themselves whether they believe it and want to practice it. If anyone chooses to believe the Law was done away with and we no longer have to obey God, that is his or her decision.
The good news is, Messiah didn’t make obedience to the Law a requirement of salvation. So, anyone who chooses to believe Jesus got rid of the Law can still get in the Kingdom. Such a person will just miss out on blessings, rewards, and experiencing God’s love to the fullest.
The better spiritual question is not “Do I have to obey the Law?” but rather “Why don’t I want to obey the Law?” If the Law is holy, perfect, and just then why do people want to get rid of it? If the Law was a blessing, given for our benefit, then why do people want to get rid of it? Do people not want to obey the Law because they think it’s no good? Do people not want to obey the Law because it forbids something they desire? Or, do people not want to obey the Law because they never really knew or understood it?
What is the underlying motive for wanting to abolish God’s Law?