Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.<4137>
Yahushua tells us to not even THINK he came to destroy the law or prophets. Let alone believe it!
If you say that He came and abolished the law, then you are saying He came to destroy. In fact, the dictionary defines the word “Abolish” as “To destroy completely”.
The meaning of fulfill here is to “obey”. For instance, if I told my daughter to do something and she did it, then she has “fulfilled” or obeyed my request. Here is an instance of Yahushua fulfilling something:
Matt 8:16 (KJV) When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled <4137> which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare [our] sicknesses.”
You see, Yahushua fulfilled or “obeyed” the scripture that was speaking of Him. He also obeyed the law. If I told my son to bring me a glass of water, and he did it, he “fulfilled” my request. This means he obeyed me. So “fulfill” simply means “to obey.”
We should also obey the law. In fact, we are told specifically to fulfill the law:
Romans 13:8 – Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loves another has fulfilled the law.
Therefore, we are also to fulfill the law just as He did.
1 John 2:6 – He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
Continuing in Matthew 5:
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.<1096>
Now here is a little trick by the translators. They translate the word “fulfill” here again even though it does not come from the same Greek word as the “fulfill” above. They try to get us to believe that since Messiah fulfilled the law, that one jot and one tittle has passed from the law (or been taken away).
This Greek word for “fulfilled” in this instance is translated “be” 253 times, “come to pass” 82 times and “fulfilled” 3 times. It is never used in reference to Yahushua fulfilling anything in the law and prophets.
Therefore the meaning of this is that not one iota of the law will pass away until everything comes to pass.
Clearly there is more to come. The Messiah must rule until every enemy is under His feet, defeating both sin and death. At that time men will have no need for the law and prophets because the sinful nature will be no more.
Until then, we all have this sinful nature that we must fight and overcome by the power of Yahushua in us. Therefore we still need the law and prophets to help guide us into the path of righteousness.
Many say that we need no law since we have Yahweh’s Spirit. If that were the case, you would not need any of the commandments in the New Testament either. But the New Testament is full of commands, with the Dake’s Annotated Reference bible listing over 1,000 of them!
The truth is that Yahweh’s words ARE Spirit and are life. (John 6:63) Surely David had Yahweh’s Spirit (Psalms 51:11) and yet he still looked to the Law for guidance (e.g. Psalm 19).
Continuing in Matthew 5, it says:
Matthew 5:19 – Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Notice here it says “these” commandments! What are “these” commandments?
The commandments found in the law and prophets!