Question: Are Christians obligated to keep the Mosaic Law?
Answer: In Matthew Chapter 5, verse 17, Jesus says: “Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
So if Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law of Moses, are Christians still under the Old Testament law?
Before you answer, look at what else Jesus adds to that statement:
“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
You might be saying – wait a minute! I thought that Jesus was critical of the Pharisees and their legalism! I thought Jesus told them that “tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him.” (Matthew 21:31-32)
Now Jesus is saying “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
So are we supposed to keep the Law of Moses or not?
The answer is something like “No, not in the old way, but yes, sort of, in a new way.”
Because the key phrase in verse 17 isn’t what Jesus didn’t come to do – He didn’t come to abolish the Law of Moses, or to cancel it, or to destroy it – it’s what He did come to do.
Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Law and to bring about what the commandments said by His sinless life and His sacrificial death.
So that’s how we, as Christians, ultimately fulfill the law, not by following a set of rules, but by walking in the love of Jesus.
Dr. Steve Rahter
Pastor
Praise Tabernacle, Egg Harbor Township
