Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.?

Question

How is it the legalists insist this is saying the law (commandments) remain in force when there are no commandments located in "the prophets"? How can there be the potential to destroy commandments where there are no commandments?

Skipping "the prophets" part? What is the law as a whole, but the entire old covenant?

Answer 1

Well the entire book of Galations was written for the purpose of showing that in fact the dispensation of law has passed.

Galatians 3:24-26 (King James Version)
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus

God bless

Answer 2

It says the law OR the prophets. Jesus here wanted to make it clear that He has authority apart from the Law of Moses, but not in contradiction to it. Jesus added nothing to the law except one thing that no man had ever added to the law: perfect obedience. This is certainly one way Jesus came to fulfill the law. Jesus also fulfilled the predictive prophecy of the law in that He is the Promised One.

The law is :

1- The Ten Commandments, or Moral Law, (Ex.20, Deut.5),

2- The Ordinances or the Ceremonial Law (Ex.25-40, Lev.1-10,16,23),

3- The Judgments, or the Social Law (Lev.10-22, Ex.21-24).

Jesus plainly said that not one “jot or tittle” (representative of the smallest markings of the Hebrew script) would pass away until all was fulfilled. Consequently, nothing of the law was to fail until it had completely accomplished its purpose. Jesus fulfilled all of the law. We cannot say that Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but did not fulfill the other aspects of the law.

In place of the Old Testament law, we are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) which is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). If we do those two things faithfully, everything else will fall into place.

Answer 3

You misread. Or misunderstand. The old testament is the Law and the Prophets. Deut 20 and Leviticus. But Jesus didn't come to destroy but fulfill. What that means is that we who believe in Him and have the Holy Spirit living in us aren't governed by them. We will have such a desire to obey. It isn't a burden for us because we don't spend our time resisting. But tell me this, would you like to see the world over run by murderers and thiefs. Yes of course there are many but if it wasn't in the majority of us (a law unto ourselves) not to be like that we would destroy the panet. What I'm saying is that most people whether Christian, Jew or not have a sense of what is right in them already and our concience pricks us when we act wrongly.

Answer 4

Skipping the "law" part of that verse? Ignoring that little English conjunction "or"?

As for the "prophets" part of the verse... This is a reference to all of the testimonies of the prophets as to God's Will for mankind. Meaning, Jesus wanted us to understand that nothing He said while alive on this earth was in any way a replacement for anything God said through His prophets in the Old Testament.

Answer 5

We still have the Ten Commandments, Jesus added onto them, and told us to love our enemy, and love one another as we are loved through Christ, do never throw out Gods commandments.

Answer 6

the prophets made predictions....Christ fulfilled them all.....
the law has the commandments...Christ fulfilled that too....

Answer 7

Jesus said that He didn't come to overturn the law, but to fulfill it.

God bless!

Answer 8

You don't read much of the old testaments, do you. It's all right there in Zacharia and Nehemiah