Riff's Christian Journal

Matthew 5:17

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

In the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, Jesus was pointing out all the good things people should do in order to show their righteousness. Then He says,

Matthew 5:16

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Following this comment Jesus made the statement of fulfilling the Law. In other words, He was pointing out to the people their sinfulness in not being able to be obedient to God’s commands, for who could do all these works that Jesus had proclaimed? He even pointed out just how much righteousness they should have by saying this,

Matthew 5:20

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

I can just imagine many of the followers thinking something along the line of, “If that is the case, I will never be able to enter into Heaven.” and they would be speaking the truth.

I wonder how many people caught His little statement of, “But to fulfill,” which actually means – make an end of the Law. How could this be done? He would do so by His obedience.

In Romans 5:19 we read,

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

Jesus made this possible through His obedience to the Law, accomplishing what we could never do. As stated in Romans 8.

Romans 8:3-4

“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.”

In doing for us , what we could never do for ourselves, Jesus made an end of the Law,

Roman’s 10: 4

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

As Jesus stated He would, He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it; that is, to make an end of the Law for righteousness, and He did.

A New Covenant was established, one that no longer depended on man’s self-effort in obedience to the Law, for we can never be fully obedient, but on God’s Grace in saving whom He chooses to save, and to have the righteousness of Jesus imputed to them to provide entrance into Heaven.

In the end, what Jesus promised, Jesus fulfilled.

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