SOnTheM 13

“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. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

The Law, in case you aren’t sure, refers to the Levitical Law found in the five books of the Bible. It is what God gave to Moses way back in the day after the Israelites escaped from Egypt (of course, men added to the Law and seemed to turn it into a list of do’s and don’t’s which were to be followed). What was the purpose of the Law? Was it so that we could do everything in it and then be righteous? NO! The purpose of the Law was to show us that we CAN’T do everything in it to be called righteous. The purpose of the Law was to show men that God would have to intervene for them to have a relationship with Him.
Does that mean that Jesus first coming should remove the Law? Jesus said it doesn’t meant that at all. He was saying the Law will stand until “everything is accomplished.” That could refer to everything concerning the life of Jesus, His birth, life, death, and resurrection, or, I think, it could refer to more things to come—that is, the end of days. I could see the argument for both sides of that. However, one thing is certain, the Law was not removed simply because the Messiah had arrived. The Law was still very important, as Jesus goes on to talk about further in the chapter, only He expounds on the spirit of the Law, instead of setting rigid rules based on the letter of the Law.

Today, may you know that the Law proves that you cannot be righteous without Christ, and that Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for you, so that you would not be subject to the Law of Moses, but to the grace of Jesus Christ.