Here to Stay – The Use of the Law

Here to Stay

Matthew 5:17-19

“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. Therefore whoever relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus rejected the religious leaders and their silly notions of what the Law of God meant and how it should be used. The danger existed, therefore, that the people might think that, in condemning the religious leaders of the day and much of their teaching, Jesus was also throwing out the source on which their teaching drew: the Law of God and the teachings of the prophets.

Thus, at the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus made it clear that He intended nothing of the sort. The Law was here to stay. He would fulfill it, and He intended those who followed Him to make obedience to the Law their aim as well. Nothing has changed in this regard from His day to ours (1 John 2:1-6).

Doing and teaching the Law of God is the way to Kingdom greatness. Period.

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law of God. He accomplished the righteousness which God requires for all who would be saved. That righteousness is ours through faith in Jesus, by appealing to Him for our salvation. How should gratitude for what Christ has done move us to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:1-6)?

Lord Jesus, thank You…

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.