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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:17-18

Dear friend, the above passage of Scripture spoken by our Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:17-18 is as binding today as it was when He first uttered it over 2,000 years ago. That is, the purpose of His first advent was not to do away with God’s Holy Law, but to fulfill it. In so doing, Jesus brought to clarity how we are then to live as Holy Spirit-indwelt members of the New Covenant (or the NC era), which is the time period from Christ’s sacrificial death until His Second Advent — “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:20-25).

The Law of God, as originally given by YHWH (Yahweh) to Moses on Mount Sinai, was multi-faceted under the duration of the Old Covenant (or the OC era), being the time period from the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai to the crucifixion of our Lord, followed by the shutting down or collapsing of the OC by God with the destruction of the Herodian temple in Jerusalem through the Roman army in 70 AD [Daniel 9:24-27 — "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”].

When I speak of the OC being multi-faceted, I mean that it had a three-fold division in its essence: (1) it was Moral law, (2) it had Civil laws, and (3) it had Ceremonial laws. The Moral law, that is, the moral and spiritual elements of the Decalogue or Ten Commandments, endure until today [SEE Matthew 22:37-40]. The Civil laws are not binding on both people and nations today, although there’s much wisdom in following most of them; and the Ceremonial laws were all fulfilled to completion in Christ — “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”, thus including even the Sabbath laws [Hebrews 4:8-11; cf. Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17]. So, we are left with Genesis through Revelation [2 Timothy 3:16-17] to guide us as members of the NC. May we daily love and crave His Law [Psalm 119:97; 1 Peter 2:2]!

And some final thoughts:

  • “Christ abolished the Law as a means of Justification not by destroying it, but by fulfilling it.” (John Blanchard)

  • “The Law can pursue a man to Calvary, but no farther.” (Anon.)

  • “The gospel does not abrogate God’s Law, but it makes men love it with all their hearts.” (J. Gresham Machen)

In conclusion, let us draw near to God today: first, by paying attention to our heart preparation for encountering the Living God this coming Lord’s Day, through our praises and prayers with His people, and secondly, through our attending to the public reading and preaching of His Holy Word. Come worship with us, in person, this Sunday at 10:30 am – 2601 Audubon Drive, here in Laurel; or visit our website, www.audubonchurch.org, where you can be directed either to our Worship Services online through our YouTube channel, Sermon Audio archive, or our upcoming livestream. Soli Deo Gloria! 

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by email at: pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org