Did Jesus End the Law or Not? (Let’s Settle This!!)
09.21.09
Many people that still believe they have to live according to the Old Covenant Laws have thrown Matt 5:17-18 at Grace Preachers to try and prove their case. Let us now therefore look at what the Bible really says about living under the law, and if we are still bound to it, because all scripture has to be interpreted by scripture. First off, let’s start with this week’s main scripture:
[Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 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.]
Peter Ditzel from www.wordofhisgrace.org explains these 2 verses as follows: “Jesus is giving us two either/or conditions here: The law cannot pass until heaven and earth pass OR the law cannot pass until all is accomplished. One or the other can do it. Heaven and earth have not yet passed, so we will leave that aside. But what did Jesus mean by ALL being accomplished? He was referring to what He had just said in the previous sentence: the fulfilling or completing of the law AND the prophets. Once He had completed the law and the prophets, the law could pass. Why is it that so many people who accept that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies have a hard time understanding that in the same way, He fulfilled the Old Testament laws — all of them?”
When you are under a contractual obligation to someone, and you fulfill all the requirements of the contract, the contract is finished & over. But if you simply destroy the contractual agreement before you have fulfilled its requirements, you are not released from its obligations, which is why Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law. But the moment you do fulfill it you are set free from it! In exactly the same way Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but He fulfilled it, see verse 17 above again. Jesus was in all ways 100% obedient to the law for his entire life (isn’t that amazing???), thereby fulfilling its requirements. Let’s look at more verses (and there are many more than the ones below) that prove the law has passed.
[Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.] Because all the righteous requirements of the law have been fulfilled in Jesus, and since we are given the righteousness of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit as a free gift when we put our faith in Jesus, it means that in Christ we have fulfilled the requirements of the law as well, therefore the law has ended for us as well. [Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.]
[Matt 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.] The entire law and the old testament prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah who would forgive the sins of the whole world. The law was our tutor (schoolmaster), teaching us “right living” until we should put our faith in Jesus and begin to live by faith. Now that we put our faith in Jesus, we don’t need the tutor of the law anymore. [Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.]
[Luk 16:16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”] This verse implies that if you still preach law-based living, you are NOT preaching the Kingdom, because you are preaching the things that ended with John the Baptist over 2000 years ago – read the verse again. How much clearer can it get??
[Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.] And also [Gal 3:19 What then is the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions, UNTIL THE SEED SHOULD COME to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.] This verse says that the law was given because of transgressions UNTIL THE SEED should come (and if you will read the story of Israel in Exodus you will see it was specifically the sin of self righteousness). Then when the SEED (Christ) came, the law was fulfilled and we are not under it anymore.
[Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.] This verse says that if there were such a thing as the “court of heaven”, that the law & prophets would have stood up as witnesses, pointed their fingers to us who put our faith in Jesus and said: “This person is righteous!”
We are now not under the law anymore, but instead we live by faith. And here is a shocker, something that will no doubt shut the mouths of those who still try to be justified by obeying the law. Lets look at 2 verses first: [Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith…] and also [Rom 14:23b … for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.] Can you see what it says when you combine these 2 verses? Can you see it??? Since the law is not of faith, and since anything that is not of faith is sin, then it means that those who try to be justified by their own good works and try to live up to some moral code (the law) are actually living in sin!!
Lastly, look at what Jesus said just after this week’s 2 key verses: [Matt 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.] The scribes & Pharisees prided themselves in how well they kept the laws of Moses, it’s what they did for a living! These laws included all the rituals & daily sacrifices, not just the 10 commandments. In fact most people who try to live up to the Law of Moses today would pale in comparison against your average Pharisee. No, the righteousness that Jesus was talking about was not about us trying to live more obedient or more holy, He was talking about a righteousness that comes from God, given to every believer as a free gift at the point of salvation when we put our faith in Jesus, the exact same moment where Jesus is given our sin & transgressions and we are given His perfect righteousness: [2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.]
Yours in Grace Andre van der Merwe
I really do not know what else to say. I love it. Can this be preached or taught enough? As we minister by the grace of God these very truths we often hear “Yes, but God still ‘expects…’” My question is this, are these types of unbelieving believers ‘the stiffnecked self-righteous’ that did not inherit the promises in Deut. 6? Tell me Andre if Im wrong, but my question to those who have the need to cling to ‘laws, ceremonies, feast days etc.’ if Christ is the END of the law for righteousness, and I am DEAD TO THE LAW by the body of Jesus Christ, “WHAT KIND OF (EXPECTATIONS) DOES GOD HAVE OF ME???? Or you Andre?” Or am I just free to live in my freedom from the prison of sin, having become a slave to righteousness, possessing the very perfection in my new nature that the law demanded and have total access to constant, hot and fervant fellowship with God our Father? I love you, KEEP PREACHING THE GOSPEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My brother!! What an encouragement you are!! Thank you thank you! Praise be to God for like-minded warriors, relishing in undeserving Grace!!
I loved your last statement, which was actually a question. Haaa-haaaa!!! That’s sooo goood!!!!
In Grace
Andre
I fully agree!! but, this verse in john 14:15 came to mind, “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.” what commandments do you think Jesus referred to?
Here is the commandment:
[1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment].
Jesus’ disciples also asked what are the works that they should do:
[John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent].”
Hope this helped?
In Grace
Andre
The righteousness of the law is fulfilled through faith in Christ by walking after the spirit, and not after the flesh. The bible tells us if we love God we will keep his commandments. This is his commandment, that we believe upon Jesus and love one another as we love ourself. I, too, don’t understand why so many seek to please God with their own works of righteousness in the flesh through natural wisdom and understanding. We cannot possibly please God in the flesh. Without faith, it is impossible to please him. The law indeed is fulfilled in Christ, not by our own works of righteousness in the flesh, but through faith in the son of God. We must all study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Here is a great bible study website that unlocks the hidden, spiritual wisdom of the word of God.
Thank you very much for your insight and foresight it’s inspiring.
I just have one question that i think I may have the answer to but would like your opinion nonetheless:) Do you think his question is contradictory to what you have stated above?
Rom 7:1 Or are ye ignorant, brethren (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law hath dominion over a man for so long time as he liveth?
Hi Jamie
The answer is found a few verses later (see especially verse 4 and verse 6)
[Rom 7:1 Or are you ignorant, brothers; for I speak to those who know the Law; that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman was bound by law to the living husband. But if the husband is dead, she is set free from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she is married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress by becoming another man's wife. 4 So, my brothers, you also have become dead to the law by the body of Christ so that you should be married to Another, even to Him raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sin worked in our members through the law to bring forth fruit to death. 6 But now we having been set free from the Law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of the letter] (MKJV).
Rom 6 tells us that we DIE with Christ the day we become born again. Our old sinful nature is crucified with Him. We therefore die to the Law with it’s constant demands of “right living”. We are then married to our new husband: Jesus Christ.
This implies that if we try to go back to the old husband (the Law) after being married to Christ, we are actually committing spiritual adultary.
In Grace
Andre
Thanks for putting this out there. It is everything I believe and know to be true. Bless you!
Jesus’ last words were ‘it is finished’. I suspect He was remembering MAT 15:18 when He said it.
Thank you very much for the word of the kingdom Ande, infact Christ is the end of the law to those who believe,when we talk about methew 5:17, he came to fillfull the law and the prophecies, if you open your bible in the book of Luke 24:44 juses is speaking to his diciples that all things writen in the book of the law, prophets and psalms are filled.
24:44 Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. this means as he said in methew 5:17 he said he came to fillfull the law.
in the book of act 13:28-29
13:28 And although they could find no cause deserving death with which to charge Him, yet they asked Pilate to have Him executed and put out of the way.
13:29 And when they had finished and fulfilled everything that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
so evrything of the law was fulfilled as he said by hanging hing on the cross and took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
so brother let us not be entangled by yok of slaverly again as we are born of God.
Love your teaching been studying this subject for a couple of weeks now and I have found nothing more precious than living by the Spirit instead of the righteousness of the law. I pray that the Lord may reveal this to His church in these tough times.
what are the implications of the end to the law ? we cannot say that we are free from our obligation to obey the sabbath as it is the fourth commandment. i distinguish a law from a commandment.
are we free to eat pork ? our preacher preaches that as long as he blesses his food he is free to eat whatever he likes, and moreover, i am not to call it unclean.
my take on that is that if it is alive and running around, all the more power to it, but i don’t have to pray over it or eat it. matter of fact, i won’t eat it, nor will i eat fried chicken, or beef, or fish. i’m a vegetarian, and a conservationist. and i am still maintaining my high school weight through my forties. i can’t say that about any of the other members of our congregation.
the caveat with the end to the law has to do with tithes. although the preacher will stand at the pulpit and bless the pork chops and fried chicken, he won’t come out and admit that the ten percent is part of the law that Christ did away with. he’s still standing at the pulpit telling us about our obligatory ten percent, which i think is just outright specious. and a mistake. more than this, we are free to donate to whichever charity we want. peta is a good one, but i will give mine to sea shepherd, as my perception is that they are doing the best they can to protect a little piece of the earth from greedy unscrupulous hypocrites.
matter of fact, Jesus preached “render therefore unto caesar the things which are caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” what he was saying is that it’s ok to give the government tax money, but give your soul to God. he never told them to give the money to him.
very truly your,
hamid mazuji
shiloh missionary baptist church
tavares, florida
Dear Hamid
You cannot choose to obey certain of the Old Testament commands and others not. If you want to live under the law, you have to obey EVERY single command. There was a total of 614 commands given to Israel from Exodus 20 to the end of Deuteronomy and you will have to obey every single one PERFECTLY for the rest of your life if you want God to bless you.
Jam 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
On the other hand, when you realise that you a free from the law, you will see that you are free from the ENTIRE law, and free to now serve God in love and come to Him BOLDLY without any fear.
1John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.
Dear Hamid
Let’s say you’re right about keeping the Sabbath. Can you tell me when you observe your Sabbath and what restrictions you follow on that day?
Best wishes
Jeremy