Law under Grace
Abolish, Affirmed, Biblical Authority, Blog, Ceremonial Law, Erik Garthe, Fulfill, God’s Word, Grace, Inerrancy, Inspiration, Judicial Law, Law, Law under Grace, love, Moral Law, No Longer Conformed, Obeyed, Valued
0 Comment
Are Christians to keep the Old Testament law? Matthew 5:17-20 indicates that our faith is related to Jesus’ relationship to the law. First, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law—“I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (v. 17) Two words
become important: abolish, which means “to set aside” and fulfill, which means “to bring to completion.” Jesus came to fill the law, to reveal the full meaning as intended. What the law sketched Christ painted completely. He did not alter the moral content of the law. He was not giving a new law or modifying an old law. He explained by His life the true significance of Moses’ law and the rest of the Old Testament. (a) Jesus fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly. (b) He fulfilled the ceremonial law by embodying its types, or pictures. (c) He fulfilled the judicial law by personifying perfect justice. Second, Jesus valued the law—“not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law.” (v. 18) Jesus affirmed the authority of all Scripture. He emphasized the inspiration of Scripture, and the inerrancy of the Old Testament. All ceremonial requirements of the law were fulfilled in Christ and are no longer observed by Christians. Yet, the underlying principles of those Scriptures remain. God’s Word speaks to every situation or issue of life, either by direct command or principle of truth. Third, Jesus Christ obeyed the law—“whoever does them and teaches them.” (v. 19) Jesus put doing before teaching. The teacher must apply the doctrine to himself before he is qualified to teach others. Fourth, Jesus Christ affirmed the law—“unless your righteousness exceeds.” (v. 20) His followers had to do better than the scribes and the Pharisees: love response versus legal requirement. He calls His followers to obey God’s Word as a response to His love for them. Christians have the Spirit’s power to do it. If you do not obey God’s Word, you have a love problem.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
