Faith First Media

Jesus Fulfilled the Law

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

God gave Moses the Hebrew Law - recorded in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy - as a set of rules for all Jews (descendants of Abraham) to observe. Yet Paul writes in his epistles that obeying the Law isn't necessary anymore.

This is not a contradiction. Yes, Jesus said taught his disciples to observe the Law. And there is biblical evidence from the book of Acts that the apostles did so even after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. But they did so out of tradition, not because they believed it was necessary for salvation. The Apostle Paul made this clear, as I will explain in further detail below. One thing that is important to remember is that Christ's ministry was to the Jews. Jesus was a Jew, he taught to the Jews, and his entire ministry was focused on Judaism. It was not until after the ascension of Jesus - when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost - that Gentiles received the Holy Spirit and were welcomed into the early "church" (although at first, Christianity was more like a branch of Judaism than a church separate from Judaism). These Gentiles didn't observe the Law.

Because the early church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), there was a lot of debate over whether or not Gentiles should observe the Hebrew Law. In the early church, Jews continued to observe the Law out of tradition, but the Apostle Paul made it clear that observing the Law is not necessary for salvation. It cannot be, because Jesus taught some things that are in direct contradiction to the Law. For example, the Law teaches "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," but Jesus taught "love your enemies" (read the Sermon on the Mount starting in Matthew chapter 5 for more examples). Therefore one cannot follow the Law in it's entirety and still follow Jesus.

Does this mean that the Law has been abolished? Absolutely not. The Greek word translated "abolish" in Matthew 5:17 literally means "to destroy". Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Before the coming of Christ, people were judged by how well the obeyed the Law. The problem with this is that no one ever succeeded in obeying the law perfectly - everyone who ever lived sinned. Because of this, Christ had to come and give himself as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. After the coming of Christ, the Apostle Paul made it clear that we are no longer justified by obedience to the Law, but by obedience to the teachings of Jesus. The Law is full of ceremonial procedures that were rendered obsolete by Jesus (for example, animal sacrifices are no longer practiced because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, so there is no need for animal sacrifices anymore). Nobody in the early Christian church sacrificed animals, but other ceremonial observances were still carried on by many Hebrew members of the early church. Many of the Jews who believed in Christ thought that in order to be saved people had to obey the Law's regulations of Sabbath days, other holy days, and what foods the Law allows and forbids. But the Apostle Paul made it clear that this isn't the case. We are saved when we follow Jesus, not the Law. Even so, the Apostle Paul said not to judge others on what they eat or drink, or what days they observe as holy. If people want to observe a certain holy day, or follow a certain dietary regulation, that's perfectly fine. But it's not required for salvation.

The Law has not been destroyed. It is still very relevant and important today, because it reveals to us our need for a savior. Before Jesus, people were justified by their obedience to the Law. This was a burden too great for them to bear - no one could obey the Law perfectly, and everyone kept sinning. The people needed a savior to take away this sin. All of the great prophets prophesied of the coming of a Messiah who would do just that. Jesus is that Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecies, cleansing people of their sin and teaching them how to live a holy life that they can actually succeed in living. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Salvation can only be found through him - by making Jesus our Lord. Jesus did not destroy the Law - it still serves an important purpose today in helping us appreciate what Jesus has done for us, and by teaching us the blessings of obedience to God, and the curse of disobedience (see Deuteronomy 27-28). Jesus taught his Jewish disciples to obey the Law. But he also gave them new commandments that are higher than the Law. For example, the Law teaches to love friends and hate enemies, but Jesus taught that people should love everyone, even enemies. The Law taught revenge (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth) but Jesus taught mercy. Jews who follows Jesus in the early church obeyed the Law in its entirety EXCEPT for those the new commandments Jesus had given that were higher than the Law. In those cases, they obeyed Jesus over the Law. When Gentiles entered the early church, the question arose of how much of the Law they should follow. Should they follow the entire Law except for the new commandments Jesus gave, or should they only obey the teachings of Jesus instead of the Law? There was no reason for Gentiles to follow the Law because the Law had been given to Moses to the descendants of Abraham (the Hebrew people), and to the descendants of Abraham only. Yet some Jews insisted that if the Gentiles were going to be saved, they would have to start following the Law also. The Apostle Paul settled this debate by making it clear that following Jesus as Lord is all that is required for salvation. No matter who you are - Hebrew or Gentile - obedience to the Law will not gain you salvation. Following Jesus as Lord will.

See also:

Free From the Law!