I was reading tonight and would like some clarification on this passage. Is Jesus talking about his commandants or the Law or both? I'm curious if this passage is warning againist Christians saying, for example, homosexually is not a sin when we know it is through his commandments? I'd just like someone to help me understand this a little better. Thank you
matthew 5:17-20
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Here is the passage:
“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)
What do you think?
“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)
What do you think?
Grace And The Law
Friday, January 12th, 2007
Q. As always thank you for you willingness to share your thoughts on these matters. My question for you is how do we weigh out the contrast between Matthew 5:17-20 and Acts 15:19-20 (Also the majority of the message of Hebrews). I have a Messianic Jewish friend that dwells very heavily on the Matthew verses, but most denominational churches teach a theology of Grace (and rightfully so) but begin to neglect the law. Is it something deeper than just, “the rules never changed, but the penalty is gone”? I have a hard time meshing that with the lifting of the kosher dietary requirements that Peter had given to him from Heaven, to me that shows that the rule (at least in that case) was changed. I know this is one of those subjects that is easy to run too far to either extreme so I was hoping you could provide a scriptural balance for it. Thank you for your help.
A. In Matt. 5:17-20 the Lord said that the Law and the Prophets would not be abolished by Him, but fulfilled. The Law is the standard of righteous living that God requires of His people. Failure to achieve that standard brings death. Jesus is the only one who could ever meet the standard. By doing so, He qualified to be our redeemer, taking upon Himself the penalty due us for our infractions. It’s not that the penalty is gone, but that it’s been paid in advance for those who accept it. Those who don’t are still held liable and will pay with their lives.
The Prophets told of a coming Redeemer who would do this. They of course spoke of Him. So Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by qualifying us for Eternal life. Since He did this, we no longer have to, but in Acts 15:19-20 we’re told to refrain from blood and from sexual immorality. These are especially offensive to God, since life is in the blood (Leviticus 7:14) and sexual sins are committed with the body in which the Lord also dwells (1 Cor 6:18-20).
Paul’s letters dwell heavily on striving to live a life pleasing to God by adhering to the standards of the Law. But we no longer do this out of fear to attain life. We do it out of joy to express our gratitude for having received it. This is a distinction that some in the Messianic movement fail to make.
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/grace-and-the-law/
Friday, January 12th, 2007
Q. As always thank you for you willingness to share your thoughts on these matters. My question for you is how do we weigh out the contrast between Matthew 5:17-20 and Acts 15:19-20 (Also the majority of the message of Hebrews). I have a Messianic Jewish friend that dwells very heavily on the Matthew verses, but most denominational churches teach a theology of Grace (and rightfully so) but begin to neglect the law. Is it something deeper than just, “the rules never changed, but the penalty is gone”? I have a hard time meshing that with the lifting of the kosher dietary requirements that Peter had given to him from Heaven, to me that shows that the rule (at least in that case) was changed. I know this is one of those subjects that is easy to run too far to either extreme so I was hoping you could provide a scriptural balance for it. Thank you for your help.
A. In Matt. 5:17-20 the Lord said that the Law and the Prophets would not be abolished by Him, but fulfilled. The Law is the standard of righteous living that God requires of His people. Failure to achieve that standard brings death. Jesus is the only one who could ever meet the standard. By doing so, He qualified to be our redeemer, taking upon Himself the penalty due us for our infractions. It’s not that the penalty is gone, but that it’s been paid in advance for those who accept it. Those who don’t are still held liable and will pay with their lives.
The Prophets told of a coming Redeemer who would do this. They of course spoke of Him. So Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by qualifying us for Eternal life. Since He did this, we no longer have to, but in Acts 15:19-20 we’re told to refrain from blood and from sexual immorality. These are especially offensive to God, since life is in the blood (Leviticus 7:14) and sexual sins are committed with the body in which the Lord also dwells (1 Cor 6:18-20).
Paul’s letters dwell heavily on striving to live a life pleasing to God by adhering to the standards of the Law. But we no longer do this out of fear to attain life. We do it out of joy to express our gratitude for having received it. This is a distinction that some in the Messianic movement fail to make.
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/grace-and-the-law/
mattfivefour
Well-Known Member
First of all, the Law is the Mosaic Law: ALL that which is contained in the first five books of the Bible. And Jesus DID fulfill the entire Law. No man on earth could do it. To fulfill the Law would be to live entirely sinlessly as long as life endured, from first cry to final breath—an impossibility for us. But Christ did it. To fulfill the Prophets would be to be the Messiah—a role no man could fill. But Jesus not only led a sinless life but fulfilled ALL that the prophets said Messiah would do.
But there is also another aspect to this: the Ten Commandments are an image of God's character. As we more and more are conformed into the image of Christ, we more and more reflect His character. Thus in Christ we do fulfill the Law. All true pastors will preach the necessity of seeking holiness in our lives and encouraging surrender to the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification.
As to the Levitical law— it was intended to be a series of pictures of Christ, His sacrifice, the various aspects of his atoning work, and the life in Christ God designed for us to have. In Christ we enjoy all of it. (And if we do not, it is because even though we are saved we are not yet fully yielded to Him.)
Thus Christ's words in Matthew 5:17-20 have been fulfilled in Christ and are eventually fulfilled in each saint. And nobody who does not have CHRIST's righteousness WILL enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
I pray that helps.
ETA: The post by Steve53 is also a good response.
mattfivefour
Well-Known Member
The Pharisees (the strict law keepers of that day) taught that the Law was divided into greater and lesser commandments and prided themselves on keeping even the least of the least to the exact fraction. Others not of their sect denied that precise necessity. Jesus was saying that anybody who in any way lessened or annulled even one of the least commandments would be called least in Heaven. I do not think He was specifying a single commandment per se, but was specifying ANY commandment that a man thought not as important as another. In other words, Jesus was saying that ANY commandment given by God was important, regardless of what man might think
Hol
Worships Him
One that strikes me as 'least of these commandments' is honoring our parents. His audience at that time practiced ignoring parent's needs in favor of giving tithes in-lieu of. Maybe not a 'big' violation, and it had become a standard taught to encourage the practice, but He saw that as a big a violation as any other
Really though, are we to categorize shades of sin, when He alone perfectly chose to obey our Heavenly Father? Me, I've totally disobeyed, yet His grace is transforming wretches like me (guess I could have started with a disclaimer that my sinfulness doesn't relate to shades thereof). He is alone righteous & able to redeem even those who have committed the smallest sin
Hol
Worships Him
Oops! We have simultaneous postings! Pastor Adrian (aka Mattfivefour) has the best answer!
Andrew
Well known member
A lot of good responses! I look at it quite simplistically, if you are trying to get into heaven on your own merit, then you need to satisfy the whole. Nothing can be disregarded as it requires absolute perfection and obedience. Thank The Lord the He satisfied the requirements completely!