Chart #23

Matthew 5:17-18 - Fulfilling the Law

Matthew 5:17-18 - "17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Observations:

1. Jesus did not come to destroy the law prophets but he came to fulfill them.
   - To destroy, as used here, means to ruin, or subvert; to deny its divine authority; to set man free from its obligations; to prevent its fulfillment.
   - Destroy is not used here in antithesis with perpetuate or continue.  Destroy is used here n contrast with fulfill.
    - Christ did not come to deny that God had given had given the law or spoken through the prophets.  He did not come to frustrate the design of the law or to make the prophecies of the prophets fail.  He came "to complete the design; to fill up what was predicated ; to accomplish who was intended in them."  Christ is not speaking of the length of time they are to be in force; but rather he is speaking of the certainty of their fulfillment.  One translation reads, "Heaven and earth shall sooner perish than one iota or one title of the law shall perish without attaining its end." McKnight, Campbell and Dodridge Translation.
2. Jesus came to fulfil the law & the prophets.  He came to accomplish what was in the law and the prophets!
   - To fulfil means to complete the design or purpose; to fill up what prophesied; to accomplish what was intended in the law & prophets.
   - If Jesus Christ had prevented the fulfillment of the law & prophets he would have destroyed them.  He did not!
   - Jesus came to fulfil the types & purposes of the law & to fulfil all unfulfilled prophecies of the prophets!
3. "Till heaven and earth pass", not even the smallest particle would pass from the law till all be fulfilled!
   - Explain Mr. Benton's abuse of Matthew 5:17-18 - "has heaven passed away?"  "Has the earth passed away?"  His conclusion then neither has the law passed away.
   - Jesus did not say that the law would not pass away till heaven & earth pass!
   - Jesus said the law would not pass away not all be fulfilled! It would not pass till all things were accomplished by the law that God had in mind.  At would then pass away!
        - Cf. Luke 17:8 - "...serve me, till I have eaten and drunken..."
        - Cf. Matthew 10:23 - " ...till the Son of Man be come."
        -  Cf. Matthew 16:28 (cf. Mark 9:1) - "...there be some of you standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."
        - Cf. Matthew 23:39 - "...Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
        - Cf. Matthew 24:34 - "...this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
   - How did Christ fulfill the Law and the Prophets?
      1. By complete obedience to God.
      2. By bearing the penalty of the law for us.  Galatians 3:13
      3. By accomplishing everything which had been predicted concerning Him, etc.
   - If it has not been fulfilled, Jesus did not accomplish what He came to do. John 17:4
      Hence, Jesus fulfilled all of the law and the Prophets.
      Therefore all the law and prophets have passed.
   - But lets see where Mr. Benton has put himself.
      1. Christ said that none of it would pass away till all be fulfilled.  Hence, if any of it has passed away, all of it has passed, for none was to pass until all be fulfilled.
      2. On the other hand if any part of the law or the prophets have not yet been fulfilled and is still in force then all of the law and the prophets are still in force.
      3. Mr. Benton has part of them fulfilled and not in force, while yet binding some of them as being in force.  Thus He violated the passage in both directions.
4. Mr. Thurman agrees that Jesus fulfilled the law.  He said: "Jesus did exactly that regarding the law of God.  He accomplished the purpose of God's law.  He satisfied the claims of that holy stead and by living a perfect life Himself, free from sin.  He performed every precept.  Every prophecy of Himself was brought to pass exactly as it had been spoken years before."  The Sabbath Today, p. 23
5. Since Jesus fulfilled the law, accomplishing the purposes of God, the law passed as Jesus said it would!
6. No one I know claims that "fulfill" means "to abrogate God's law."  That is ridiculous! Mr. Thurman knows better than that!
7. The law "was added because of transgressions, till the seed (which was Christ should come..." Colossians 3:19
   - Paul said: "wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:24-25)