Tag: Sermon on the Mount

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Jesus’ teachings replaced the Old Testament commandments.

PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE

Ten CommandmentsAccording to Galatians and the Acts 15 Church Council, the Law of Christ has been nullified and replaced by “the Law of Christ.” However, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”

The purpose of this article series is to explain this apparent contradiction:

All quotes are from the NASB.

THE COMMANDMENTS WILL FALL AWAY.

In Matthew 5, Jesus also said that none of the commandments will ever fall away.  In verse 19, He continues:

“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven”

Some might think that the “commandments” are the same as “the Law” in verse 18 and that verse 19, therefore, confirms that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law of Moses.

However, as discussed in Comments on Matthew 5:17-18, while “the Law” refers to the first five books of the Bible, or to the whole Old Testament, depending on the context, the “commandments” refer to specific commandments, such as the Ten Commandments.

For example, the rich young man asked Christ what he must do to obtain eternal life, Christ responded by telling him to keep “the commandments.”  Jesus continued to list five laws from the Ten Commandments, as well as the second-greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 19:16-22; cf. Matt 22:39).  The word “commandments,” therefore, approximates the meaning of the modern English word “law.”

Different things are, therefore, said in verses 18 and 19:

In verses 17 and 18, the topic is the whole Old Testament; stating that everything in it will be accomplished.

Verse 19 switches the topic more specifically to the “commandments” that are contained in “the Law,” saying that not a single one of these “commandments” will ever be annulled.

Verse 19 functions as the opening phrase for the discussion of the commandments, such as “murder” (Matt 5:21-), “adultery” (Matt 5:27-), and “false vows” (Matt 5:33-) which continues for the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount.

DOES THIS CONTRADICT GALATIANS?

Above we discussed the apparent contradiction between Galatians, which taught that the Law of Moses has been nullified, and Jesus, who said that everything in the Old Testament will be accomplished (Matt 5:17-18).  We solved that contradiction by concluding that the Old Testament foresaw that the Law of Moses will be nullified.

But verse 19 presents us with another challenge, for Jesus said that none of the Old Testament commandments will be nullified while, compared to Galatians, which claims that the Law of Moses has been nullified. We can solve this apparent inconsistency as follows:

Galatians focusses on the ceremonial rituals while Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, spoke only about moral commandments.  Galatians, essentially, teaches that Christians are not obliged to comply with the ceremonial rituals while Jesus said that the Old Testament moral principles are eternal.

However, Galatians does teach that THE WHOLE Law of Moses has been replaced by the Law of Christ. That is because Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, substantially increased the standards; for example, love your enemy. He did not do away with any of the Old Testament moral commandments but He increased the standards so much that, in effect, His teachings came in the place of the moral commandments of the Law of Moses.  Therefore, Paul refers to Christ’s teachings as the “Law of Christ.“

To validate these assertions, we will now continue to show that:

      1. The focus in Galatians is on the ceremonial rituals.
      2. Jesus did not talk about ceremonial rituals.
      3. Jesus did replace the Law of Moses with His teachings.

1. GALATIANS FOCUSSES ON THE CEREMONIAL RITUALS.

Firstly, the Letter to the Galatians focusses primarily on the ceremonial rituals—saying that Christians are not obliged to comply with them.

CIRCUMCISION

The first indication of this is that the main point of controversy in Galatia and in the Acts 15 Church Council, was circumcision, for example:

“Those who … try to compel you to be circumcised” (Gal 6:12).

NOT ABOUT IMMORAL DEEDS

A second indication is that the controversy was not over Gentile Christians committing morally wrong deeds. The context in Galatia was that Jewish Christians came from Jerusalem demanding that the Gentiles must DO CERTAIN THINGS. To ‘do certain things’ does not refer to moral principles, for moral principles, essentially, are matters of the heart.  The things they wanted the Gentiles to do were, therefore, the visible and external rituals and ceremonies of the Law.

WORKS OF THE LAW

This is confirmed by the fact that the things which the Jewish Christians required the Gentile Christians to do are described as the “works of the Law.” The “party of the circumcision” (Gal 2:12) said that Gentiles must be circumcised because “man is … justified by the works of the Law” (Gal 2:16, cf. 3:2, 5, 10). This is explained in the article Doers of the Law. That article contrasts the “works of the Law” with “deeds.” Since “the doers of the Law will be justified” (Rom 2:13), the “deeds” (of the Law) refer to good deeds by which people will be judged. For example:

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10; cf. Rom 2:5-6; 8:13; 2 Cor 5:10; cf. 2 Cor 11:15; 2 Tim 4:14).

The “works” are something different. Since the focus in Galatians was specifically on circumcision, and since Paul stated that “man is NOT justified by the works of the Law” (Gal 2:16), “works” DO NOT REFER TO good deeds but to circumcision and similar external ceremonies and rituals of the Law of Moses. The Jews believed that these mechanical rituals somehow has the power to save.

PAUL INSTIGATED CHANGE.

As stated above, the church, initially, was a sect of Judaism and all Christians lived according to the Law of Moses. When the first non-Jews accepted Christ, the Jewish Christians attempted to maintain the status quo concerning the Jewish Law by ensuring that these non-Jews comply with the Law.  Paul, on the other hand, sought to change things. However, moral principles, by definition, are eternal and cannot change. It is an essential attribute of the species.  Moral principles keep the species healthy. That which Paul sought to change, and that which the controversy was over, therefore, cannot be moral principles and must be the ceremonial rituals.

THE CHURCH COUNCIL SET NO RULES.

The Acts 15 Church Council set only a very limited number of basic requirements that were, in any case, later repudiated by Paul. In other words, the council assumed that the moral principles of the Old Testament are eternal and remain valid. James concluded the council with by saying:

“Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Acts 15:21). 

In those very early days, Gentile Christians still attended synagogue meetings on the Sabbath. In the quote above, James said that the Gentiles, in those meetings, would hear and learn the moral principles contained in “Moses.”

CONCLUSION

in Galatians, and, therefore, also in the Acts 15 Church Council, the focus was not on the moral requirements of the Law of Moses; the controversy was only about “the works of the Law.” 

2. JESUS DID NOT TALK ABOUT THE CEREMONIAL RITUALS.

Jesus, on the other hand, in the Sermon on the Mount, did not talk about the ceremonial rituals. After Jesus said that not one of the least of “these commandments” will be nullified (Matt 5:19), He continued to discuss “these commandments.” He mentioned several, such as murder, adultery & divorce, false vows, “an eye for an eye,” love for one’s neighbor, good deeds, prayer, and fasting, but NEVER ONCE did He tell His followers, in that sermon at least, to comply with the ceremonies and rituals of the Law of Moses. Jesus ONLY SPOKE ABOUT THE MORAL COMMANDMENTS of the Law of Moses. By implication, the ceremonies and rituals are not included in “these commandments” that will never be annulled.

The apparent contradiction between Galatians and the Sermon on the Mount is therefore partly because the context and primary focus were different. Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians specifically to refute the demand that Gentiles submit to circumcision and comply with the ceremonial rituals of the Law. In His sermon, Jesus was not concerned with these rituals. 

3. JESUS DID REPLACE THE OT MORAL COMMANDMENTS

However, Paul did not only set the ceremonial rituals aside: As shown above, he set the entire Law of Moses aside. To reconcile this with what Jesus said, namely that not one of the Old Testament commandments will ever be annulled, we will show that Jesus did replace the Old Testament Moral Commandments.

BUT I SAY TO YOU

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentioned several Old Testament commandments and, for each one, said, “but I say to you” and then gave moral commandments at a much higher moral level (Matt. 5:43-44; compare with Matt 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-34, 38-39).

For example, God gave to Moses the rule “AN EYE FOR AN EYE, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matt 5:38), but Christ continued, “but I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matt 5:39).

As another example, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies” (Matt 5:43-44).

One way to explain this is to say that Christ is merely interpreting the Law beyond mere physical obedience, making obedience to those laws a matter of one’s heart, i.e., one’s thoughts, motives, and intent.

However, Jesus explicitly contrasted His own teachings with the Law of Moses and, in practice, replaced the Old Testament moral principles with far higher principles.  Since Christians are subject to what Jesus taught, the Christian ‘laws’ are these heightened standards; not the Old Testament moral commandments. 

JESUS EMPHASIZED HIS COMMANDMENTS

To this, we can add that Jesus emphasized His own commandments as if to say that the Old Testament commandments have been nullified. He said:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (John 13:34).

 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15; cf. 12:21; 15:10, 12).

And His final instructions to His disciples were:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20).

WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY

The Old Testament prescribes the death penalty for Sabbath-breaking (Exo 31:14), murder (Exo 21:12), striking or cursing one’s father or mother (Exo 21:15; 21:17), adultery (Lev 20:10), blaspheming the name of the LORD (Lev 24:16) and various other transgressions.  But when the Jews brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, He merely said to her, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11). This is another indication that Christ nullified the system of Law in the Old Testament.

Based on these factors I propose that Jesus, through His teachings, in effect, replaced the Law of Moses with something very different.  I do not think that the Scribes and the Pharisees of His day, such as Saul (later Paul), listening to Jesus, would have agreed that He is merely interpreting the Old Testament Commandments.  I think they would say that what Jesus taught is different from the Law.

CHRISTIANS ARE SUBJECT TO MOSES’ LAW.

Jesus did say that none of “these commandments” will ever be annulled (Matt 5:19). Christians, therefore, are subject to “these (Old Testament) commandments.”

For example, when Jesus spoke about the commandment against “murder,” He said that “everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty” (Matt 5:22). However, murder remains a sin. What Jesus explained about the various Old Testament commandments does not negate or nullify the Old Testament commandments.  However:

      1. This applies only to the moral demands of the Law of Moses for that was what Jesus discussed in the Sermon on the Mount.
      2. Christ increased the standards infinitely. Christians are subject to all that Jesus commanded, which is always more than the moral demands of the Law of Moses; never less.

It is for these reasons that the letter to the Galatians indicates that even the moral commandments of the Old Testament have been nullified and replaced by “the Law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). 

Personally, I keep the Seventh Day Sabbath, but not because it is in the Law of Moses.  The weekly day of rest was instituted at creation and kept by Noah and other fathers before the Law was given at Sinai. The fact that the Sabbath was included in the Ten Commandment with 9 other eternal ethical principles and stored inside “the ark of His covenant,” is additional support for my view. But, by far, the strongest support I have for my view of the Sabbath is what Jesus taught about the Sabbath.

 

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How did Jesus fulfill “the Law and the Prophets?” (Matt 5:17-18)

PURPOSE

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law” (Matt 5:17-18). Given this, the purpose of this article series is to explain why the church council in Acts 15, a decade or two later, decided that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law.  The articles in this series are:

1. Jesus came to fulfill the Law. – Current article
2. Sermon on the Mount 
3. Not the smallest letter shall pass from the Law.

Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from the NASB.

SUMMARY

ACTS 15 CHURCH COUNCIL

Some Jewish Christians taught that, unless Gentile Christians are circumcised, they cannot be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed passionately, causing a huge argument. The apostles and the elders then convened in Jerusalem to discuss this question.

After some discussions, Peter stood up and pointed out that God gave the Holy Spirit to uncircumcised Gentiles, just as to circumcised Jews at Pentecost. God made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Peter said that God saves both groups by faith through grace. Gentiles, therefore, do not need to be circumcised.

To conclude the meeting, James summarized the consensus of the meeting as that “we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:19). In other words, Gentiles do not have to be circumcised and they, consequently, do not have to abide by the Law of Moses.

DID NOT COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW (v17)

Jesus said that He did not come “to abolish the Law or the Prophets” (Matt 5:17).

“The Law and the Prophets” was a term that the Jews used to refer to the entire Old Testament. “The Law” in verse 18 does not refer to God’s commandments per se.  HELPS Word-studies explains “the Law” ‘as Scripture, with emphasis on the first five books of Scripture’. Since verse 18 explains Matthew 5:17, and since the context in verse 17 is the whole Old Testament, “the Law” in verse 18 also refers to the whole Old Testament.

CAME TO FULFILL THE LAW (Matt 5:17)

Jesus added that He came to “fulfill” “the Law and the Prophets.”

The Greek word pléroó, which is translated as “fulfill” in this verse, is explained by Strong’s Concordance as “to make full, to complete.” “Fulfill,” therefore, is an action that completes something that previously was not complete. What did Jesus mean when He said that He came to complete the Old Testament?

Matthew uses pléroó seventeen times, and in fifteen of them, it clearly refers to prophecy being fulfilled or coming to pass through some event. “Fulfill,” therefore, is used in Matthew 5:17 to say that Jesus came to make true what was prophesied in the Old Testament, for example:

“… that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44).

Jesus did not come to fulfill a few isolated predictions in the Old Testament. Rather, the Old Testament is essentially about Jesus. As Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me” (John 5:39).

UNTIL ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED (v18)

Verse 18 confirms the conclusion that pléroó means that Jesus came to put in effect what the Old Testament promised. This verse explains the ‘I came to fulfill’ statement in Matthew 5:17 and uses “accomplished” as a synonym for “fulfill.”

Since “the Law” refers to the Old Testament, the statement “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:18) does not mean that all of God’s commandments, as recorded in the Old Testament will always remain applicable. It, rather, means that everything that is promised or predicted in the Old Testament will come true through Christ.

 – END OF SUMMARY – 

THE ACTS 15 CHURCH COUNCIL

Some Jewish Christians came from Judea to Antioch and taught:

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 14:26; 15:1). 

All Jewish Christian males were already circumcised. These Jewish Christians demanded that Gentile Christians also be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas passionately disagreed with them, resulting in a huge debate (Acts 15:2). The church in Antioch then sent Paul and Barnabas and some others up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders to get finality on this matter (v2). When they arrived in Jerusalem, some Pharisees, who have become Christians, repeated their stance:

“It is necessary to circumcise them and
to direct them to observe the Law of Moses” (Acts 15:4-5).

PETER’S TESTIMONY

The apostles and the elders met to discuss this matter. There was much debate. Eventually, Peter stood up and said that God, “in the early days,” choose him (Peter) to preach the gospel to Gentiles. He continued:

“God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” (Acts 15:6-11)

His point is that it was not necessary to circumcise the Gentiles because God gave the Holy Spirit to the uncircumcised Gentiles in exactly the same way as He gave the Spirit to the circumcised Jews on Pentecost. God “made no distinction.” 

While some Christian Pharisees claimed, “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 14:26), Peter said that Jews and Gentiles are all saved by grace through faith; a point which Paul also emphasizes in his letters. In other words, it is not necessary to circumcise the Gentile believers.

Gentiles were always allowed to convert to Judaism through circumcision. What these Christian Pharisees actually sought was that Gentile Christians also convert to Judaism. Consequently, what Peter argued was that one does not have to become a Jew to be saved.  God, “who knows the heart,” accepted the Gentiles without circumcision.

Then everybody kept silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told them what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12).

JAMES’ CONCLUSION

James, who apparently chaired the meeting, then summarized the consensus of the meeting as follows:

“It is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:19).

The council then agreed to send men with a message to Antioch, saying that the men who previously came from Judea to Antioch had no mandate from the church leaders in Jerusalem (Acts 15:24). The message asked the Gentile Christians to refrain from some things that were particularly repulsive to Jews, but the main point is that Gentiles do not have to be circumcised or adopt a Jewish lifestyle (Acts 15:28).

THE LAW WILL NOT PASS AWAY.

However, a decade or two earlier, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

“Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law” (Matt 5:18).

The purpose of this article is to ask, if the smallest letter of the Law will remain “until heaven and earth pass away,” why do Gentiles not have to comply with the Law?

MATTHEW 5:17-19

Let us read Jesus’ words in more detail. He said:

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill“ (Matt 5:17).

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:18).

The four phrases in bold are explained below.

THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS (Matt. 5:17)

“The Law and the Prophets” was a term which the Jews used to refer to the entire Old Testament, for example:

“On these two commandments (love for God and love for your neighbor) depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:40).

“After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying …” (Acts 13:15).

“Treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12; cf. Luke 16:16; John 1:45).

In Matthew 5:17, quoted above, Jesus said that He came to “fulfill” the Law and the Prophets. He later said:

“How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (Matt 26:54)

Here He used the word “Scriptures,” rather than “Law and the Prophets” together with “fulfill.” Since the “Scriptures” are the Old Testament, this again confirms that the “Law and the Prophets” refers to the entire Old Testament.

THE LAW (Matt 5:18)

The “Law” in the phrase “the Law or the Prophets” (Matt 5:17) refers to the first five books of the Bible, namely the books that were written by Moses:

The Greek word is nomos. Strong’s defines it as: “that which is assigned, usage, law.”

HELPS Word-studies explains nomos as:
1. the Law (Scripture), with emphasis on the first five books of Scripture; or
2. any system of religious thinking (theology)

“The Law” in Matt 5:18, therefore, does not specifically refer to God’s commandments. It is a name for the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  

Furthermore, verse 18 explains verse 17. Since verse 17 refers to “the Law and the Prophets,” “the Law” in verse 18 is an abbreviation for “the Law and the Prophets” and, therefore, also speaks of the entire Old Testament.

FULFILL (Matt 5:17)

TO MAKE FULL, TO COMPLETE

The word “fulfill” is translated from the Greek word pléroó (Strong’s 4137). Strong’s Concordance defines this word as “to make full, to complete.” 

Pléroó, therefore, does not mean ‘do away with’.  That is also quite clear from Jesus’ statement, “I did not come to abolish” (Matt 5:17).

The following are instances in Matthew where pléroó is used in the sense of “to make full, to complete:”

“It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15).

Jesus told a parable of “a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled …” (Matt 13:47-48)

Jesus said to the “scribes and Pharisees,” “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers” (Matt 23:29, 32).

“Fulfill,” therefore, is an action that fills up something that previously was not full; in these instances, righteousness, a dragnet and guilt. In what sense did Jesus fill up or complete the Old Testament?

DEMONSTRATE THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

This is sometimes explained as that Jesus came to show the true purpose of the law; to show how God intended a human being to be; that Jesus showed us, through His life and death, what a person is like who loves God with his whole heart and his neighbors as himself. 

TO FULFILL OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY

However, Matthew uses this word pléroó seventeen times, and in fifteen of them, it clearly refers to prophecy being fulfilled or coming to pass through some event. For example:

“All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” (Matt 1:22).

“This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet” (Matt 4:14).

“Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled” (Matt 2:17).

As another example, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, and one of the disciples cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave with his sword, Jesus told His disciple to put his sword away, saying, “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (Matt 26:54).

Other such examples can be found in Matthew 2:14, 23; 8:17; 12:17; 13:14, 35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9).  [Incidentally, note again in these quotes the references to “the Scriptures,” “the prophet,” and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. This confirms that the phrase “the Law and the Prophets” refers to the Old Testament.]

Since “fulfill” is mostly used in Matthew to describe things done to Christ or by Christ to make true what was prophesied in the Old Testament, we conclude that “fulfill” in 2:17 also has that meaning. As Jesus stated in Luke 24:44:

“All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44).

TESTIFY ABOUT ME

This conclusion is explained by other statements that do not use the word pléroó (fulfill) but that express the same concept in different words, for example:

After His resurrection, Jesus met two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus and, “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27; cf. v32).

To the Pharisees, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me” (John 5:39).

Jesus did not come to fulfill a few isolated predictions in the Old Testament. Rather, the Old Testament is essentially about Jesus. He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Old Testament promised Christ as the Savior of the world and He came to convert promise into reality.

UNTIL ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED (v18)

This conclusion, that Jesus came to put in effect what the Old Testament promised, is also confirmed by verse 18. Note that this verse explains the ‘I came to fulfill’ statement in verse 17 and uses “accomplished” as a synonym for “fulfill:”

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. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

“Accomplished” is not translated from a different Greek word. Other translations render this word as follows:

      • “Till all is fulfilled” (NKJV).
      • “Until everything is accomplished” (NIV)
      • “Till all come to pass” (DNT)
      • “Before everything has come true” (GWT)
      • “Until everything has happened” (NCV)

In all these translations the meaning is that everything that is predicted will certainly happen.

Since “the Law” refers to the entire Old Testament, the statement “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (verse 18) does not mean that all of God’s commandments, as recorded in the Old Testament will always remain applicable. It, rather, means that everything that is predicted in the Old Testament will come true. This confirms the interpretation above of “fulfill.”

If Jesus made the Old Testament come true, does that mean that the Old Testament is now done away with?  Obviously not. Everything in the Old Testament must come true, including the promised end-time events, such as the “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). But all things will become true “In Christ.”

ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES

Jesus came to fulfill the Law. – A study of Matthew 5:17-18 – Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill the Law and the prophets. What are “the Law and the Prophets” and how did Jesus fulfill them?

Sermon on the Mount – Jesus taught His followers what kind of people they must be to be rewarded with eternal life. Jesus did not believe that people have essential immortality and taught that they will be judged by their deeds.

Not the smallest letter shall pass from the Law.  Jesus said that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Why then did the Acts 15 Church Council, a decade or two later, decide that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law? Paul’s letter to the Galatians explains the decision.

Articles on Galatians – Since Galatians explains the decision of the Church Council, these articles are, in a sense, part of the series on Galatians.