The One Who fulfills the Law

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.

Matthew 5:17

Jesus came to show us what the Law was meant to do… to draw us in obedient love to God the Father. He was not a destroyer of the Law. He did not cast it aside as useless. Instead, His perfect life would fulfill all the obedience of the Law, and His perfect sacrifice would cover all the sin that the Law demanded by atoned. His resurrection would bring new life, and a new confirmation of His complete fulfillment of the Law, removing by His resurrection all the curses of breaking the Law for all who will believe Him.

Jesus fulfilled the Law by getting to the heart of the Law’s intentions. In fact, His teaching amplified and expanded the intentions behind the Law. Anger was bigger and at the root of murder. Lust was worse than sexual sin and was the root of adultery. Casual commitment was the root of failed marriages. Pride was the root of oath taking. Hateful retaliation and pride were at the root of conflict. Jesus shows light on the motivations and the deep roots of our sin, not just the letter of the law.

Jesus also fulfilled the Law by teaching us to hold to His heart standards as He transforms us. We do not relax either the commandments or His teaching about them (Matthew 5:19). Instead, we rely on a greater righteousness than the mere obedience of the Pharisees. We let the Savior look into our hearts. We let His Spirit and His Word root out our motivations. His redeeming, renewing work gets at our motivations, our deepest musings, our choices, and our hardest feelings. And then, clothed in the righteousness of Christ (because we are so aware of our insufficiencies as our core is exposed), we let His Spirit live in us, transform us, and call us to a better obedience, a better relationship, and a true understanding of our lives with God and with His Word.