Christ Didn’t Abolish the Law, He Fulfilled It!

In the Gospel According to Matthew, we read that Christ told his disciples: “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So, if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (5:17-19, New Living Translation here and throughout this post unless otherwise indicated)

Unfortunately, a few folks have suggested that these words of Jesus prove that Christians are still obligated to observe the tenets of the Law of Moses, and that a majority of the writings of the Old Testament prophets are still awaiting fulfillment. In reality, however, Christ was speaking about his mission in coming to the earth. Notice that he said that he “came to accomplish their purpose” OR In the words of the old King James Version, “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

In this connection, it is instructive to note that the Hebrew word translated into “fulfil” meant “to make full, to fill up, i.e., to fill to the full, to render full, i.e., to complete, to consummate, to carry into effect, bring to realization, realize, to fulfil, i.e. to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment” see Blue Letter Bible's entry for "pleroo" In other words, Christ came to literally fulfill the requirements of the law and the prophecies contained in the Hebrew Scriptures.

It is also interesting to note that the entire New Testament is written in such a way as to demonstrate that Christ was the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies related to the Messiah, kingdom, and salvation. For instance, the accounts of Christ’s genealogy (although clearly different) in Matthew and Luke were obviously intended to demonstrate that he was a descendant of David (clearly meant to harken back to God’s promise to David and the prophecy recorded in the eleventh chapter of the book of Isaiah). And, take just a moment to consider just how many times the gospels refer to Christ fulfilling a particular prophecy (see Matthew 2:15, 23, 4:14, 8:17, 12:17, 13:14, 35, 26:54, 27:9, Mark 4:12, Luke 4:21, 8:10, 22:37, 24:44, John 13:18, 15:25, 19:24). Over the centuries, Christian theologians have also recognized numerous other Old Testament Scriptures that clearly refer to Christ (e.g., Genesis 3:15).

There were also numerous features of the Torah which clearly symbolized and/or foreshadowed Christ and his work. In my recent post on “The Lord’s Appointed Festivals,” I underscored how the Holy Days pointed to Christ and his work. For instance, we know that the Passover Lamb was symbolic of Christ, and we talked about how he was a kind of “firstfruits.” Evangelist Ron Dart wrote about how Christ’s offering of himself was foreshadowed by the Wave Sheaf Offering. Likewise, it has been pointed out that Trumpets foreshadowed the coming/return of the king (Jesus). In times past, this blog has also explored how the symbolism of the Day of Atonement pointed to Christ and his work – the removal of our sins and the reconciliation of man to God. In similar fashion, we have also explored the deep symbolism inherent in Christ’s tabernacling in the flesh, and what that means for our own sojourn in these temporary dwellings which we currently inhabit. Finally, from the perspective of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we know that both the Temple and the High Priest pointed to Jesus Christ.

And there is the matter of the post which immediately preceded this one, “Christ As An Offering and Sacrifice,” which discussed how all of the sacrifices and offerings outlined in the Torah pointed to the death of Jesus Christ as payment of the penalty for our sins. In other words, Christ’s offering represented the ultimate expression of the sacrificial system and satisfaction of the requirement that all things be cleansed and sanctified by the shedding of blood. Indeed, Christ’s sacrifice comprehended ALL of the different kinds of offerings/sacrifices contained in the Law. Moreover, in this connection, it is interesting to note that Christ’s sacrifice rendered those other offerings/sacrifices UNNECCESSARY. It wasn’t that Christ abolished those sacrifices. In fulfilling their purpose, in meeting God’s requirement, they were made superfluous! It’s like meeting the requirements for obtaining a Driver’s License – Once you’ve met them, you receive your license. You have satisfied the state’s requirements - NOT negated or done away with them!

As relates to the other demands of the Law, there is yet another sense in which Christ filled it to the full. Through his teaching, Christ expanded both the application of the Law and underscored the greater spiritual principles which underpinned it. Going forward, it was no longer just enough to refrain from physically murdering someone – Christ demanded that his followers not harbor anger and resentment toward each other (see Matthew 5:21-26). In the same way, he expanded the reach of the Torah’s teachings on adultery, divorce, vows, revenge, and the obligation to love our enemies (see verses 27-48). In fact, Christ even focused on expanding the application of the Ten Commandments (like the Sabbath – see Matthew 12:1-12, Mark 2:23-28, 3:2-4, Luke 6:1-9, 13:10-16, 14:1-5, John 5:1-18 and 7:21-23) and summarizing them as two great principles – Love for God and love for neighbor (see Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-37). Thus, we can see that Christ’s teachings fulfilled the Law.

Finally, Christ also fulfilled the Law by keeping it perfectly himself! Remember, the prophet Isaiah had predicted that the Messiah would be completely innocent – without sin (see Isaiah 53:1-11). Paul wrote to the saints at Corinth that Christ had “never sinned” (II Corinthians 5:21). Likewise, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote that Christ had been tempted in all the ways that are common to humans “yet he did not sin” (4:15). Also, the First Epistle of Peter refers to Jesus as “the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (I:19). Hence, by always obeying the precepts of the Law, Jesus Christ once again filled it the full/realized its potential/consummated or completed it. In other words, Jesus Christ did what no other human has been able to do: He observed the Law and fulfilled all of its requirements without ever violating any of its precepts. Indeed, one of the central tenets of the Christian faith is that he did this on our behalf – for us. In this way, as a complete innocent, he could take the penalty for our sins (our lawbreaking) onto himself and make us righteous before God (something our own attempts at obedience could NEVER accomplish).

Thus, we can see that Christ really did fill the Law and Prophets to the full. He didn’t abrogate, destroy, nullify or do away with the Law. Jesus Christ simply fulfilled it – which renders our imperfect attempts to fulfill its requirements superfluous/unnecessary/meaningless/vanity! As with sacrifices and offerings, Christ didn’t do away with them. Instead, he became THE ultimate sacrifice/offering. Likewise, Christ didn’t do away with the Sabbath and festivals, he achieved their realization! And, when we understand these things, it gives new meaning to Christ’s final words on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). In that moment, Christ knew that he had fulfilled everything that God had commanded him to do, and what God had caused others to prophesy about him!

Hence, I ask again: Do any of us (Christians) really believe that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in the year 70 C.E. was a coincidence? In other words, why would God allow that to happen (an event which rendered it impossible to fully obey and implement the requirements of the Torah) if “He” intended for folks to continue to implement those standards?

Some folks like to debate the whole Law vs Grace thing, but wouldn’t it be a much better idea to look at this issue from the perspective of what Jesus Christ actually accomplished during his lifetime on this planet? After all, if Christ really did fulfill the Law and the Prophets, what else do we really have to talk about?