And what does that mean?
This is in answer to a question on a social media post.
This is a direct quote from Jesus Christ that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
Matthew 5:17-20 NIV
[17] “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.
[18] For truly I tell you, 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.
[19] Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.
[20] 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.
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.17-20.NIV
It is not error but Biblically correct.
From the above passage we see Christ Jesus fulfilled the law. It is finished. There is no work of the law needed for us to accomplish our own salvation. The Old Testament thru the New and every book of the Bible testifies we are saved by grace alone thru faith NOT by works so no one can boast.
Eph. 2:8-9
I Cor. 13 tells us that love is not proud nor is it self seeking.
When people think they must do works to gain access to heaven or to please God and gain their own self righteousness it is prideful.
Pride is an abomination to God who loves even wicked people such as we and desires our humility before Him and with all others.
Proverbs 16:5-6 ESV
[5] Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. [6] By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.16.5-6.ESV
The difference between King Saul who merely by human judgement missed the time and proper means of sacrifice 1 Sam. 15 and King David who, though it was technically adultery, basically raped Bathsheba who was referred to as an innocent lamb by the prophet Nathan, then to cover his sin had her husband Uriah murdered intentionally thru war, and what was really sick was Uriah was one of David’s 30 personal bodyguards, a close friend, the whole thing beyond disgusting and revolting – but King Saul not only lost the kingdom but eternally worse, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet David thruout Scripture is called “a man after God’s own heart.” How can that be?
Because Saul was arrogant and prideful, more concerned with what people thought of him than what God thought of him and didn’t think his sin was that bad. He did NOT cry and repent when the prophet Samuel confronted him.
King David however loved God even though he certainly had strayed into spiritual blindness which all people I believe do at some point,
For Romans 11:32 ESV
[32] For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.11.32.ESV
David truly repented from his heart when his eyes were opened to his dreadful deeds and guilt. Psalm 51
His concern was not the kingship but that God would leave him and take His Spirit from him. He knew from Scripture the punishment of his sin was death, physical and spiritual and nothing else in that moment mattered to him more than how he had hurt God. The law states a murderer should be killed. Though a lamb in the OT can be offered for sin, not for murder.
Leviticus 24:17, 21-22 ESV
[17] “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.
[21] Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. [22] You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”
https://bible.com/bible/59/lev.24.17-22.ESV
Likewise, the punishment of adultery is death with no exception.
Leviticus 20:10 ESV
[10] “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
https://bible.com/bible/59/lev.20.10.ESV
Note that both the man AND the woman are to be put to death. When the Pharisees brought the woman “caught in the act” to be judged by the law and stoned asking Jesus to condemn her, their hypocrisy and evil was blatant and obvious. Where was the man? Why did they not have him there to be stoned as well? Maybe he had a friend or a bribe…they were not interested in justice at all. Blech. And as Christ Jesus spoke against them they neglected justice and mercy. For the same law that commanded death also stated to love one’s neighbor. Lev. 19:18
David was looking to God and to the Lamb of God to come and received forgiveness of adultery and murder. Even as Christ said of his torturers and murderers, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.
So in the passage where Christ says He came to FULFILL the law we know there is nothing WE can do to help Him get us into heaven. It is finished.
John 6:28-29 ESV
[28] Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” [29] Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.6.28-29.ESV
So the work we are to do is to believe in God’s salvation thru Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV
[20] Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
https://bible.com/bible/59/2co.5.20-21.ESV
So we stop trying to in our flesh do the works of the law and admit that we are incapable and are Beggars humbly desperately needing grace and forgiveness.
We now live in the New Covenant so much better than the Old that depended on works of the law and circumcision. So now we live in the new way by God’s Holy Spirit and we can walk in patience and humility and love, NOT setting aside God’s holy laws as it is written
Vs 19
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.
[20] 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.
So verse 19 instructs believers to teach and practice Christ’s commands for the law is fulfilled, so for example we don’t offer animal sacrifices anymore, but God’s commands against pride, greed, greed, greed (sorry, just find greed is a huge issue in American western society and for me, but it is a horrendous evil sin) immorality and the like shall be CALLED LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
We don’t want that, so let us be eager to work hard not be lazy and care for poor, but NOTE they are STILL 💥IN💥 the kingdom of heaven!🤯🤯 Even the rich can be saved! All things are possible with God! Rejoice! And let’s lay our pride and hypocrisy at the feet of Jesus.
Our eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit loves all his children and deeply desires us to grow in the knowledge of his love.
How could those who continue in sin – pride, greed, immorality etc – still be in the Kingdom of Heaven? Because of verse 20
We need a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Welcome to the cross. Righteousness is a GIFT given us by God. There is no greater joy.
“THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”
Jer. 23:6
Romans 1:16-17 ESV
[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.16-17.ESV
So we rejoice in the eternal rest given us that starts the moment we believe in Christ.
When we see a believer in a sin, we can remind them that that sin and the punishment for the sins of the world was paid for at the cross.
We are no longer bound as slaves to sin, so why live in that slavery any longer? We are children of the Living God baptized, redeemed, and are being taught to obey all Christ’s commands.
Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.28.19-20.ESV
We do not love the world or the things of this world, for faith works by love and faith without works is dead, Gal. 5:6, James 2:17.
So in practical means my friend who was raped from age 3 to 15 ran away to become a prostitute and drug dealer and came to Christ in her late 20s, her sins are forgiven. As she grows she needs much emotional and spiritual healing and much nurturing and will for many years possibly the rest of her life. God loves her passionately and all of heaven rejoices when one sinner turns to Christ. It may take years for the effects of drugs and prostitution to be removed from her mind, but she is saved and God’s spirit little by little over the years brings gentle healing. Her language and appearance might not yet be reflective of Jesus truth and Grace, but she is secure in the Shepherds arms and so long as she is loved by the body of Believers and continues to surrender to Christ’s deep truth and love, she will be safe.
Many have mental illness.
Others come from generations of Christianity but have slid into hypocrisy, judgementalism, self centeredness and greed and are in need of drawing closer into Christ’s commands of working hard to care for the needs of the oppressed and poor, to give fully as He fully gave. But so long as they live in the faith that works by love, their lives are secure in the Shepherd’s arms and if they stray he will seek them.
Each of us will stand before God in Judgement. God looks at the heart, as with King Saul and King David, so we should live fervently in the fear and love of God strive each day to surrender fully to him, prioritizing church, fellowship and godly authority as well as prayer, reading the Bible and living to love God and others, then when we stand before him we will receive a rich reward, for there are eternal rewards for those who diligently seek Him .❤ Heb. 11:6
But our salvation is purely based on what CHRIST has done, not what we have done. So yes, Christ has fulfilled the law. It is Finished.
Hope that helps. God’s peace. 😊❤
Christa Mason - It's Time 