Today I want to explain Matthew 5:17. I already made a video on this but for those who like to read, here’s the written version.
Matthew 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Many people quote this verse to say the law still applies to us today. But they stop too soon – they don’t keep reading, and they miss the full meaning of what Jesus said.
Jesus did not come to keep the law going. He came to fulfill it to bring it to its intended completion. Before the law could be abolished, it had to be fulfilled.
Scripture explains this clearly in Luke 24:44:
Luke 24:44
These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Everything in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms pointed to Jesus Himself: His life, His death, His resurrection.
When He went to the cross, He fulfilled it all. At the cross, the purpose of the law was completed. Once something is fulfilled, it no longer continues – it’s accomplished.
Two passages make this absolutely clear:
Ephesians 2:15
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.
Colossians 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
At the cross, Jesus abolished the law and nailed it to His cross. That includes all 613 commandments not just the ceremonial law, but also the so called “moral law,” including the Ten Commandments.
We have died with Christ; therefore, we are dead to the law (Romans 7:4). The law’s demands, threats, and punishments no longer apply to those who are in Christ.
Because of what Jesus did at the cross, we are completely free from the law. We don’t live under tablets of stone; we live in union with the risen Christ.
I pray this helps you understand what Jesus really meant. He didn’t come to keep the law alive. He came to finish it, fulfill it, and set you free. You are not under the law – you are under grace.
Here is the video I did on this verse: