Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fullfill it, we know that, but a question is begging to get answered... What is to "abolish"? What did Jesus ment with that? Did he mean he came to do away with? Maybe He fulfill as in "it is done and finished"? Let's answer this, because in this verse lies a great point...
Lets see, first, to abolish is "to do away with, to finish, to discard". If he did not come to discard the law, what did he came for? Well, a translation of fulfill can be "to complete", another is "to carry out as required or pledged" This is quite interesting, because it poses a question, if Jesus did not come to "discard" the law, but to "carry it out as intended" then, should WE also live by Mosaic law? Should WE, and by "we" I mean 21st century non-jewish christians, also keep the sabbath? Should we eat Pork? should we carry on with Jewish law? after all, according to Jesus, He never discarded the law, and if He never discarded the law, then it should still be in full effect, Right? ....
This issue admittedly is kinda "sticky" (thats proper english for hard if you dont want to get technical), however, this iussue is at the heart of most churches, even if we dont consider it. Questions like "why we worship on sunday and not saturday?" "Why Jews dont eat pork but we do?" are very real issues, and I AM NOT going to delve into such questions now, but lets see what does Jesus say about the law...
First, what is the law? was all law given at the same time? Did the law came originallly through Moses? Well, to answer the latter 2, No, the Law existed since the Garden of Eden.
The Law can be divided into the Law of God, and the Law of Moses (this also commonly refered to as the Ritual Law) The law of God, is the Law that God wrote, Himself, into the hearts of Adam and Even, and latter, the Law that He did not trust even moses to write, this are the 10 commandments. This Law, is eternal (as God is.) and it does not appear at Mt. Sinai as this law appeared way earlier in the history of man, before the Law was given to moses in the wilderness, proving that God's Law is eternal, some examples clear examples are below, but you can skip them if you wish.
Lets see, first, to abolish is "to do away with, to finish, to discard". If he did not come to discard the law, what did he came for? Well, a translation of fulfill can be "to complete", another is "to carry out as required or pledged" This is quite interesting, because it poses a question, if Jesus did not come to "discard" the law, but to "carry it out as intended" then, should WE also live by Mosaic law? Should WE, and by "we" I mean 21st century non-jewish christians, also keep the sabbath? Should we eat Pork? should we carry on with Jewish law? after all, according to Jesus, He never discarded the law, and if He never discarded the law, then it should still be in full effect, Right? ....
This issue admittedly is kinda "sticky" (thats proper english for hard if you dont want to get technical), however, this iussue is at the heart of most churches, even if we dont consider it. Questions like "why we worship on sunday and not saturday?" "Why Jews dont eat pork but we do?" are very real issues, and I AM NOT going to delve into such questions now, but lets see what does Jesus say about the law...
First, what is the law? was all law given at the same time? Did the law came originallly through Moses? Well, to answer the latter 2, No, the Law existed since the Garden of Eden.
The Law can be divided into the Law of God, and the Law of Moses (this also commonly refered to as the Ritual Law) The law of God, is the Law that God wrote, Himself, into the hearts of Adam and Even, and latter, the Law that He did not trust even moses to write, this are the 10 commandments. This Law, is eternal (as God is.) and it does not appear at Mt. Sinai as this law appeared way earlier in the history of man, before the Law was given to moses in the wilderness, proving that God's Law is eternal, some examples clear examples are below, but you can skip them if you wish.
1st Commandment:
This one can be seen all throughout Genesis and early Exodus when God stablishes Himself as the only true God of the universe, an example is Exodus 4:3, were Moses turns his staff into a snake (an egyptian symbol of Royal Power and Authority), and even if the magicians could turn thiers into snakes as well, Moses' ate the others, proving the one true God, powerful, sovereign and with all authority.
4th Commandment:
If we see the creation story, not only we see God sancrifying and hallowing the 7th day, but also, in a literary sense, Adam names every animal, and starts "doing stuff" AFTER, God rested, we could assume then, that this was AFTER the 7th day. Also, more clearly, in Exodus Chapter 5, verse 4, Pharaoh asks Moses "Why do you take the people away from their work? Now get back to your burdens" and immediatly he says "Behold, the people are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens" Granted, they were talking about taking a break later to go 3 days into the wilderness so that's what many christians assume this is talking about, yet Pharaoh is saying that the people have been resting from their burdens, and that they have already stopped working, this would not fit with the "its talking about the 3 day journey" idea, but it does fit with the idea that Moses is making the people remember the Sabbath.
Also, in Exodus 16 verses 4 through 5, and 22 to 26 we are told how God made Bread abvailable for the people to go and pick up and eat, BUT ONLY 6 DAYS, and they should only pick up for that day, because the left overs would be rancid the next day, but on the 6th day, they should pick up double, and the left overs would be ok the next day, so that they might rest on the sabbath.
6th Commandment:
In for example Genesis 4 verse 8 through 10 we see how Cain killed Abel and How God as clearly mad at him for having done such a thing, in as much that he cursed abel forever.
Now, we know the 10 Commandments were present then Before Mt. Sinai, but was the Ritual Law present? well, it doesnt seem so. We can see that the distinction between clean and unclean animals already existed, as it is written in Genesis chapter 7 verse 2: Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate.
And we can see that burnt offering were something God did like (Genesis 8 verses 20 to 21), however, we do not see tithes, neither ritual uncleaness, nor tabernacle, nor temple, nor yearly religious holidays, etc.
Also, another difference between this two sets of law are present in the ark of the covenant, were the Law of God, the 10 Commandments are written in stone and are INSIDE the Ark, while the Law of Moses goes in the side of the Ark as seen in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26 "Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, [...]" This is pretty telling that this are two separate kinds of Law, one, the Law of God, the ones written in the hearts of Adam and Eve, the one practiced before any Law of Man was ever set, the Law that reigned the Garden and that Even God abided by (He rested on the 7th Day), and then we see the Law of Moses wich is important, it is still close to the ark, but not inside of it, its Besides, on by the side of.
Now, "Great..." you might say, "But aren't we under Grace and not the Law?" which I'd say yes, but not as you except it. It is true that romans 6:14 stablishes that we are not under the Law but under sin... but under Which law we are no longer under? because that verse is not plural, and we know we have 2 sets of law, the Original 10 Commandments, and the laws of Moses that expand on them, well, the truth is that this is not refering to if the Law of God is no longer importand, but rather how we become saved.
In the Law of Moses, faith has little to do with anything, it is much more about ritual cleanlyness (which I have another post on) and being pure, and if you were not, then doing something to correct it. Paul in contrast, in his letter to the Romans is saying "Guys, dont be worried about pesky burnt offerings and goats, and such things, you are no longer under the law, you are under grace, you are clean and sanctified by Grace alone, by Jesus' sacrifice alone!"
This also makes a whole lot of sense. If God were to say 3000 years ago X is bad, but Y is good, and then come and say, nevermid, Y is bad, now X is good, this wouldnt be an unchanging, eternal God, but rather a moody, temperamental and erratic god (like the pagans had).
Friends, all things consider, Jesus didnt come to throw away the commandments, he came to respect them, in a way that is so powerful that by his sacrifice the law of Moses loses meaning for us. Now, all those commandments about how to become clean, how to be right with God, how to be forgiven have become into accepting Christ, this however doesnt change the 10 Laws of God, those were there before man was, and will be there after this earth and this heaven pass away.
In the Words of the Creator of all "Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass" Meaning, not a single dot, nor a single crossing of a "t" from the Law will be changed. We might not need all the rituals and detailed law that was given by Moses, but we can trust that the Law that God Himself wrote is as in effect today as ever.
May God Bless y'all!
Post script:
How nice, we say that something is "set/written in stone" when we think that is eternal, unchanging, no way we can tweak it, and we also know that God is unchanging, eternal, the begining and the End, and in the 10 Commandments, God quite literally sets his Law in Stone. I think there's something quite poetical there about how this Law is forever and ever.
If we see the creation story, not only we see God sancrifying and hallowing the 7th day, but also, in a literary sense, Adam names every animal, and starts "doing stuff" AFTER, God rested, we could assume then, that this was AFTER the 7th day. Also, more clearly, in Exodus Chapter 5, verse 4, Pharaoh asks Moses "Why do you take the people away from their work? Now get back to your burdens" and immediatly he says "Behold, the people are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens" Granted, they were talking about taking a break later to go 3 days into the wilderness so that's what many christians assume this is talking about, yet Pharaoh is saying that the people have been resting from their burdens, and that they have already stopped working, this would not fit with the "its talking about the 3 day journey" idea, but it does fit with the idea that Moses is making the people remember the Sabbath.
Also, in Exodus 16 verses 4 through 5, and 22 to 26 we are told how God made Bread abvailable for the people to go and pick up and eat, BUT ONLY 6 DAYS, and they should only pick up for that day, because the left overs would be rancid the next day, but on the 6th day, they should pick up double, and the left overs would be ok the next day, so that they might rest on the sabbath.
6th Commandment:
In for example Genesis 4 verse 8 through 10 we see how Cain killed Abel and How God as clearly mad at him for having done such a thing, in as much that he cursed abel forever.
Now, we know the 10 Commandments were present then Before Mt. Sinai, but was the Ritual Law present? well, it doesnt seem so. We can see that the distinction between clean and unclean animals already existed, as it is written in Genesis chapter 7 verse 2: Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate.
And we can see that burnt offering were something God did like (Genesis 8 verses 20 to 21), however, we do not see tithes, neither ritual uncleaness, nor tabernacle, nor temple, nor yearly religious holidays, etc.
Also, another difference between this two sets of law are present in the ark of the covenant, were the Law of God, the 10 Commandments are written in stone and are INSIDE the Ark, while the Law of Moses goes in the side of the Ark as seen in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26 "Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, [...]" This is pretty telling that this are two separate kinds of Law, one, the Law of God, the ones written in the hearts of Adam and Eve, the one practiced before any Law of Man was ever set, the Law that reigned the Garden and that Even God abided by (He rested on the 7th Day), and then we see the Law of Moses wich is important, it is still close to the ark, but not inside of it, its Besides, on by the side of.
Now, "Great..." you might say, "But aren't we under Grace and not the Law?" which I'd say yes, but not as you except it. It is true that romans 6:14 stablishes that we are not under the Law but under sin... but under Which law we are no longer under? because that verse is not plural, and we know we have 2 sets of law, the Original 10 Commandments, and the laws of Moses that expand on them, well, the truth is that this is not refering to if the Law of God is no longer importand, but rather how we become saved.
In the Law of Moses, faith has little to do with anything, it is much more about ritual cleanlyness (which I have another post on) and being pure, and if you were not, then doing something to correct it. Paul in contrast, in his letter to the Romans is saying "Guys, dont be worried about pesky burnt offerings and goats, and such things, you are no longer under the law, you are under grace, you are clean and sanctified by Grace alone, by Jesus' sacrifice alone!"
This also makes a whole lot of sense. If God were to say 3000 years ago X is bad, but Y is good, and then come and say, nevermid, Y is bad, now X is good, this wouldnt be an unchanging, eternal God, but rather a moody, temperamental and erratic god (like the pagans had).
Friends, all things consider, Jesus didnt come to throw away the commandments, he came to respect them, in a way that is so powerful that by his sacrifice the law of Moses loses meaning for us. Now, all those commandments about how to become clean, how to be right with God, how to be forgiven have become into accepting Christ, this however doesnt change the 10 Laws of God, those were there before man was, and will be there after this earth and this heaven pass away.
In the Words of the Creator of all "Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass" Meaning, not a single dot, nor a single crossing of a "t" from the Law will be changed. We might not need all the rituals and detailed law that was given by Moses, but we can trust that the Law that God Himself wrote is as in effect today as ever.
May God Bless y'all!
Post script:
How nice, we say that something is "set/written in stone" when we think that is eternal, unchanging, no way we can tweak it, and we also know that God is unchanging, eternal, the begining and the End, and in the 10 Commandments, God quite literally sets his Law in Stone. I think there's something quite poetical there about how this Law is forever and ever.
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