Did Jesus Do Away With the Old Testament Law?

should Christians keep the Old Testament law or did Jesus do away with the law when he completed his work on the cross when we talk about the Old Testament law we're referring to what scripture often calls the law of God or law of Moses it's called the law of Moses because Moses was the prophet who wrote it down this law is also called the Torah because Torah is the Hebrew word for law God's law can be found in the books of Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy it commands things like resting on the seventh day of the week not eating pork and shellfish and loving your neighbor as yourself in the Old Testament God's people were expected to follow his Torah the law of Moses but many believe that this expectation changed in the New Testament they claim that when Jesus died on the cross the law was done away with but is that true can we ignore the Torah Now That We are following Christ Jesus gives a direct answer to this question in Matthew 5 17-20 Jesus said do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets the word abolish codaluo means to cause to be no longer in force so Jesus says explicitly that he did not come to cause the law or prophets to be no longer in force instead he said I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them now some take this to mean that Jesus rendered the law obsolete by fulfilling it in the words of Christian Author Andy Stanley Jesus did not abolish the law when he fulfilled it but in fulfilling it he made it obsolete so Jesus didn't abolish the law but he did make it obsolete this interpretation doesn't make much sense there's no difference between abolishing something and making it obsolete the end result is exactly the same the word fulfill can't mean the same thing as abolish a better understanding of the word fulfill in Matthew 5 17 is bring to full expression that is to show it forth in its true meaning in other words Jesus fulfills the law by teaching and demonstrating how to properly keep it not only does this provide an actual contrast to the word abolish but it also fits much better with the rest of Matthew chapter 5. throughout this chapter Jesus expounds upon the law bringing out its true application and meaning in the very next verse Jesus says that not an Iota or dot would pass away from the law until Heaven and Earth pass away and all is accomplished that is to say nothing from the law will pass away until the end of the age and the arrival of the new heavens and new Earth when the present created Universe passes away so not only does Jesus say he did not come to abolish the law but also he says that it will remain relevant as long as Heaven and Earth exist it's not going to go away anytime soon in verse 19 Jesus admonished his followers to do and teach even the least of The Commandments of the law Jesus warns that whoever relaxes even the least of The Commandments will be least in the Kingdom what does it mean to relax a commandment relaxes is the Greek word luo which is related to kataluo the word translated abolish in verse 17. essentially Jesus says that since he did not come to abolish the law neither should his followers finally in verse 20 Jesus calls his followers to a way of righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees in other words we need to keep the law better than they did how did Jesus's followers keep the law better than the scribes and Pharisees by keeping it the way that Jesus taught us to keep it that's what the Sermon on the Mount is all about Jesus taught the correct way to keep the law and explained why his way was better than the ways of the scribes and Pharisees so should Christians keep the Old Testament law it looks like Jesus gives us a clear answer in Matthew 5. Christian scholar Dr Carmen Iams gives a great summary of Jesus's answer Jesus does not do away with the Old Testament law he calls people back to it and he holds them to it now obviously there is more to the Bible than just Matthew chapter 5. so what do we do about other Bible verses that seem to say that Christians should not keep the law of Moses well when we are confronted with an apparent contradiction in Scripture A good hermeneutical principle is to interpret difficult passages in light of clear passages Matthew 5 17-20 is an example of a clear passage as New Testament scholar Dr J Andrew Overman writes quote although this passage is the subject of lively controversy it is unambiguous and does indeed command obedience to the whole Torah in contrast to the simple straightforward statement by Jesus the statements that Paul makes are more complex for instance in Romans 6 14 Paul says that we are not under the law but under grace but then in Romans 7 22 he says that he Delights in the law of God in Galatians 5 18 Paul says that those who are led by the spirit are not under the law but just a few verses later he justifies the Fruit of the Spirit by saying they are not against the law Paul's arguments are nuanced and sometimes difficult to follow we should interpret them in light of Matthew 5 17-20 instead of the other way around rest assured there is a way to reconcile these difficult passages in Galatians and Romans with Jesus's teaching in Matthew 5 17-20 Christian scholar Dr Daniel block provides some good insights in Romans and Galatians Paul's argumentation addresses those who would pervert the law a narrow legalistic interpretation of Hebrew Torah into a means of Salvation rather than treating it as a response to Salvation as Moses perceived it while on the surface Paul's responses to this heresy often appear to contradict Moses these statements should be interpreted in context in as rhetorical responses to his opponents in his own disposition toward the law he was in perfect step with Moses obedience to the law was not a means for gaining salvation but a willing and grateful response to Salvation already received as we can see Paul considered the law itself to be a good thing when we read Paul's statements in context we discover that Paul did not oppose the law he opposed the misuse of the law Paul wanted to emphasize that we are saved by grace through faith but Paul also says do we then overthrow the law by this Faith by no means on the contrary we uphold the law we want to invite you to look at the scriptures with fresh eyes and consider this issue in light of Jesus's clear statement on the matter how 119 Ministries we have many in-depth teachings on this topic that you might find helpful so did Jesus do away with the law not at all God's law the Torah is still relevant today and we as Christians should be keeping it [Music] thank you

Channel: 119Ministries

Views: 25,212

Keywords: 119Ministries, torah, bible, hebrew roots, Did Jesus do away with the Old Testament Law?, Matthew 5:17-20, heaven and earth pass away, abolish or fulfill, pleroo, God's Law, Law of Moses, The Law of Moses, OT Law, Old Testament Law, New Testament, Grace, Faith, Yeshua, The Sabbath, The 7th day sabbath, Shabbat, Dietary Laws, Messianic, Christianity, Salvation, Apologetics, Messiah

Id: RNF_WJcBAB4

Length: 7min 32sec (452 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 10 2023