What is Jesus' meaning in this New Testament passage?

Question

"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.

"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

"Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 5:17-19 [part of the Sermon on the Mount])

Particularly what does Jesus mean in the context of my earlier question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071220175344AAZI47g&r=w

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MORGANIE: How do you determine which scripture to follow? If all is inspired and worthy of teaching, which do you dismiss?

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Answer 1

So the Old Testament laws still do apply. Oh shoot because my 11 year old daughter has been real mouthy lately. I don't want to kill her.

Answer 2

The old testament laws are part of a covenant that God made with Israel. That covenant required these laws be obeyed. Obviously they were not so how could God justify fulfilling his end of the deal? Jesus fulfilled the Israelites part of the bargain so that God could create a new covenant that could be accepted by all of mankind. If you take a look at the life of Jesus it mirrors many of the sacrafices and rituals the Israelites were supposed to perform. Jesus was the final and perfect sacrafice making the first covenant complete.
Galatians 3:16-18
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed,"[a] meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
This passage doesn't answer your question but it does give insight into the purpaose of the law. The fact is the law was not kept and is now beyond the possibility of keeping as certain rites were to be performed in the tabernacle which no longer exists. Hebrews 8:6-8 Also consider Matthew 22
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Instead of rules and regulations the new covenant rests on love. The original laws were the guidelines for putting God first and others above ourselves.

Answer 3

At the time He said these things, He had not gone to the cross. But after His death and Resurrection, the law had been fulfilled.

That's how it was done. Christians respect the fact the Jesus' blood is sufficient to cover all our sins.
That to try to offer up sacrifices now to God for our sins would actually be an insult to Him.And EVERYBODY knows that you cannot live by the law without sacrificing some animals.

Answer 4

It means exactly what it says. Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill the law. He has fulfilled the law completely to every jot and title' of as your translation puts it to the smallest letter and stroke of the pen. Christ has fulfilled the whole law. He has NOT destroyed it. Now if you want to stay under that law and try to fulfill it yourself that is fine. It is that law that will judge you and you better keep it all. On the other hand if you want to accept Christ's gift of fulfilling the law for you and taking the punishment for your sin then that law cannot condemn you because He has already fulfilled the whole law for you and dealt with the penalty for your sin. I hope you come to the realization of the truth before you pass into eternity because then it will be too late for you.

Answer 5

Simple, Jesus didn't get rid of the law but fulfilled it, we cannot walk perfectly before God so as a born again Christian you have Faith in what Jesus has done for us therefore we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us. See even though we cannot do it ourselves by our Faith in Jesus it is as if we are keeping the law flawlessly.

Answer 6

Jesus was prophesied about in the Old Testament about His coming His death His birth. He fulfilled all prophecy written about Him.
And as far a the law goes He taught that if you had love for one another there wouldn't need to be any law.
For instance if you loved your neighbor you would never kill your neighbor, steal from your neighbor, or covet him.
So with love in your heart you wouldn't need a law to guide you.
I hope I've helped you with the wisdom from above.
God Bless and have a Merry Christmas!

Answer 7

If the Old Testament was abolished then so would the need for a sin sacrifice be abolished. If the sin sacrifice were to be abolished, Christ would become useless.

Answer 8

We as Christians are not bound by the old laws set in ancient times but are now bound by morals. But Jesus is expanding what that means when he said things like u have heard u are not to murder but if u hate it is just as bad because hate can lead to murder if acted on or we are not to commit adultery but if we are looking at someones mate or wishing we had someone like that it can lead to sin that is what he is saying MORALS!

Answer 9

In regards to Deuteronomy 23:1, it is talking about a eunuch however:

Isaiah 56:3-5 ".....neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off."

Isaiah 53-55 is a prophecy of the work that Jesus, the suffering servant of God will perform on the cross. Because of the work that Jesus has done, the written code is cancelled.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross"
- Colossians 2:13-15

Praise the almighty LORD!!

Answer 10

EVERY jot and tittle was fulfilled IN Jesus Christ. He is the embodiment of the "law" of God which basically, as He told us is: Love God with all... and your neighbor as yourself.., He said "this" above quotation fulfills all the law and the prophets. All the law could do was to bring people morally to a place where they could live and await the "Savior"; Immanuel; the one promised; the Messiah. They still misunderstood.., and basicallly still do, because they thought the Savior was a literal king who would set them free from Roman rule.
"In the fullness of time", God brought the Jews to a place where basically they were colonized under Roman rule. The kingdom of God is in the Earth/world system to colonize it. We are Christians whose headquarters is in heaven, whose homeland is heaven, whose king is in heaven, etc. God expects us to be loyal to our kingdom rule just like any ambassador in another country. When we choose Jesus to be our Lord, we are expected then to be good ambassadors for Him and heaven.
The LAW, meaning the law and prophet's, is embodied in the life of Jesus and His "law of love and grace" Jesus actually didn't change anything, except to move the entire human race from "rules and behavior modification"; an adolescent way of living, to principles of love which is the mature way of living by having the 'heart intent' to serve and give and love.., just like our "Master and Shepherd" example. There are actually 4 principles that have been from the beginning of creation; rules for Adam, which he broke and behaved treasonously. Four principles embodied into the 10 commandments and the instructions about animal sacrifice/offering life/blood of animals and for all the Gentile world who didn't have the 10 commandments and then, God's only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ to set the world again right with it's/their Creator; so God could reclaim His creation; Mankind.
Everything that God needed to accomplish WAS done through the birth, life, death (His own sacrifice of leaving heaven, giving up his deity, submitting to crucifixion) and resurrection (because He could not be held by death since He had no personal sin) from the dead to set up God's eternal kingdom in the hearts of men to bring back ALL that had been given to the devil by Adam.
Nothing God has ever said or done can be lost or disappear or change. The only thing that can resist the will of God is mankind.., each individual has the right by his freewill choice to resist or deny or reject His Creator. IF the devil did not blind the hearts and minds of men and women, IF he did not lie to them against God, NO ONE would choose to reject God and all His blessings and eternity of glory with God.., but they are deceived and blinded and lied to, and get the devil, satan, by default as their lord and master and will go into eternity to his reward of eternal punishment.
Jesus FULFILLED them ALL.., and if we allow Him to be our substitute for our sin, HE is our Lord and Savior; He is our God.
Hope this helps. Choose life and blessings, in Christ. He fulfilled it all FOR YOU AND ME. This is what He meant on the cross when He said, "It is finished". His/God's part was finished, our part is to believe it/Him, receive it/Him, confess Him AS our choice of Lord and God.

Answer 11

But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. Psalm 50:16-17