| ฉันเป็นใคร ? | |
| มัทธิว 5:13 | ฉันเป็นเกลือของโลกนี้ |
| มัทธิว 5:14 | ฉันเป็นความสว่างของโลกนี้ |
| ยอห์น 1:12 | ฉันเป็นลูกของพระเจ้า |
| ยอห์น 15:1,5 | ฉันเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของเถาองุ่นแท้ เป็นท่อให้ชีวิตของพระคริสต์ผ่านออกไป |
| ยอห์น 15:15 | ฉันเป็นสหายของพระคริสต์ |
| ยอห์น 15:16 | พระคริสต์ทรงเลือกฉัน และแต่งตั้งฉันไว้ เพื่อให้ผลของพระองค์เกิดขึ้นในชีวิตของฉัน |
| โรม 6:18 | ฉันเป็นทาสของความชอบธรรม |
| โรม 6:22 | ฉันเป็นทาสของพระเจ้า |
| โรม 8:14,15 กาลาเทีย 3:26/4:6 | ฉันเป็นบุตรของพระเจ้า พระเจ้าเป็นพระบิดาฝ่ายวิญญาณของฉัน |
| โรม 8:17 | ฉันเป็นทายาทร่วมกับพระคริสต์ และมีส่วนมรดกร่วมกับพระองค์ |
| 1โครินธ์ 3:16/6:19 | ฉันเป็นพระวิหาร...เป็นที่ประทับของพระเจ้า พระวิญญาณของพระเจ้าดำรงอยู่ในฉัน |
| 1โครินธ์ 6:17 | ฉันผูกพันกับพระเจ้าและมีใจเดียวกับพระองค์ |
| 1โครินธ์ 12:27 เอเฟซัส 5:30 | ฉันเป็นอวัยวะในพระกายของพระคริสต์ |
| 2โครินธ์ 5:17 | ฉันเป็นคนที่ถูกสร้างใหม่แล้ว |
| 2โครินธ์ 5:18,19 | โดยพระคริสต์...ฉันได้คืนดีกับพระเจ้าแล้ว และทรงโปรดให้ฉันช่วยคนอื่นๆให้คืนดีกับพระเจ้าด้วย |
| กาลาเทีย 3:26-28 | ฉันเป็นบุตรของพระเจ้า ร่วมเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกับพระคริสต์ |
| กาลาเทีย 4:6-7 | ฉันเป็นทายาทของพระเจ้า เพราะฉันเป็นบุตรของพระองค์ |
| เอเฟซัส 1:1 1โครินธ์ 1:2 ฟีลิปปี 1:1 โคโลสี 1:2 | ฉันเป็นธรรมิกชนผู้บริสุทธิ์หมดจด |
| เอเฟซัส 2:10 | ฉันเป็นผีพระหัตถ์ของพระเจ้า...ที่ทรงสร้างขึ้น...ในพระเยซูคริสต์...เพื่อให้ทำการดีของพระองค์ |
| เอเฟซัส 2:19 | ฉันเป็นพลเมืองเดียวกับธรรมิกชนบริสุทธิ์คนอื่นๆในครอบครัว ของพระเจ้า |
| เอเฟซัส 3:1/4:1 | ฉันเป็นคนที่ถูกจำจองเพราะเห็นแก่พระเยซูคริสต์ |
| เอเฟซัส 4:24 | ฉันเป็นคนชอบธรรมและบริสุทธิ์ที่แท้จริง |
| ฟีลิปปี 3:20 เอเฟซัส 2:6 | ฉันเป็นชาวสวรรค์ และได้นั่งในสวรรค์ |
| โคโลสี 3:3 | ชีวิตของฉันซ่อนอยู่พระคริสต์ในพระเจ้า |
| โคโลสี 3:4 | ชีวิตฉัน สะท้อนชีวิตของพระคริสต์ เพราะพระองค์ทรงเป็นชีวิตของฉัน |
| โคโลสี 3:12 1เธสะโลนิกา 1:14 | ฉันเป็นผู้ที่พระเจ้าทรงเลือกไว้ให้เป็นคนบริสุทธิ์ และเป็นผู้ที่พระเจ้าทรงรัก |
| 1เธสะโลนิกา 5:5 | ฉันเป็นลูกของความสว่าง มิใช่ลูกของความมืด |
| ฮีบรู 3:1 | ฉันเป็นชนชาติบริสุทธิ์ที่ได้รับการทรงเรียกจากพระเจ้า |
| ฮีบรู 3:14 | ฉันเป็นคนหนึ่งที่มีส่วนร่วมในชีวิตของพระคริสต์ |
| 1เปโตร 2:5 | ฉันเป็นศิลาที่มีชีวิต...ที่กำลังก่อขึ้นเป็นพระนิเวศฝ่ายวิญญาณ |
| 1เปโตร 2:9-10 | ฉันเป็นสมาชิกคนหนึ่งในเผ่าพันธุ์ที่พระองค์ทรงเลือกไว้ เป็นปุโรหิตหลวง และเป็นชนชาติที่บริสุทธิ์ของพระเจ้า |
| 1เปโตร 2:11 | ฉันเป็นคนต่างด้าวต่างแดนที่อาศัยอยู่ในโลกนี้เพียงชั่วคราว |
| 1เปโตร 5:8 | ฉันเป็นปฏิปักษ์กับมารซาตาน |
| 1ยอห์น 3:1-2 | ฉันเป็นบุตรของพระเจ้า และเมื่อพระคริสต์เสด็จกลับมา ฉันจะเป็นเหมือนพระองค์ |
| 1ยอห์น 5:18 | ฉันบังเกิดจากพระเจ้า และมารร้ายแตะต้องฉันไม่ได้ |
| 1โครินธ์ 15:10 | ฉันเป็นอย่างที่เป็นอยู่นี้ ก็เพราะพระคุณของพระเจ้า |
ฉันเป็นใคร ?
How Christians benefit from the Old Testament
An Analysis of 2 Timothy 3:15-17
One day, I got an email from a Christian who seemed genuinely concerned that jihad in the Quran was analogous to hunting down and killing mediums in the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:27 and 1 Samuel 28:3-9). (It is a sad fact that Christians in history have done this, erroneously.) I regularly read Muslim polemics that seek to bind Christians to every aspect of the Old Testament, such as severe punishments of sinners, and holy wars.
If the Bible orders these practices, then who are Christians to complain about jihad in Islam and the Quran’s revival of harsh punishments?
However, I have never heard a qualified pastor or priest today assert that we should hunt down witches or wage a Christian jihad. Simple hermeneutics (the science of interpretation) can clarify why they do not. When the Old and New Testaments are interpreted carefully and rightly, using Scripture to interpret Scripture, this truth will emerge: Christ has fulfilled the Old Testament in many, many areas.
Christians honor and revere the Old Testament as inspired by God, and they learn timeless truths from it, but many of its passages, like animal sacrifice, no longer apply to today after Jesus ushered in a new era of salvation.
2 Timothy 3:15-17, serving as a gateway for the rest of this article, is analyzed first. Then five other questions are asked and answered, such as "Do progressive revelations damage the universal truths in the Old Testament?"
Having basic theological textbooks for beginners in the background, this article’s purpose is to clarify some issues for both Christians and Muslims alike.
(1) 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says that God has inspired the Scriptures (the Old Testament), so is this holy book still binding on Christians today?
Paul writes to Timothy:
15 . . . You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training for righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This passage perfectly supports the main point of the promise and fulfillment process in the New Testament. All of the clauses are linked by one central theme: Christians learn faith and morals and timeless truths from the Old Testament, which are not bound by time and place. Let’s analyze the passage verse by verse.
Verse 15: You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Abraham is an example in the Old Testament, "who makes us wise for salvation." God promises him a son, and "Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Paul the Apostle finds this passage in Genesis "useful" for showing how faith saves us, and our faith is placed in Christ (Romans 4). So the inspired Old Testament, when used properly, can teach us about salvation through faith in Christ. This is a universal truth that the New Testament applies to us.
Verse 16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training for righteousness . . .
Here are some examples of "rebuking, correcting, and training for righteousness."
First, the inspired authors of Hebrews uses God’s "rest" on the seventh day in Genesis 1-3 to teach us about a divine Sabbath rest that is fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 4). We rest in his atoning good work on the cross, so that we do not have to depend on our righteousness to usher us into heaven. Our own works make us insecure because we are never one hundred percent sure that they are good enough. This lesson from the Old Testament "trains" us to receive the righteousness of Christ, for our own is not good enough. This truth rises above time and place.
Second, Jesus himself uses Scripture to rebuke some chief priests and Pharisees who reject him (Matthew 21:33-46). After telling the Parable of the Tenants, in which the tenants rent out a vineyard, but then kill the son (= Son of God) of the vineyard owner (= Father God), he quotes a passage from the Psalms to drive home the point as a rebuke:
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’ (See Psalm 118:22-23)
The chief priests and the Pharisees (the builders) reject Jesus (the stone-turned-capstone by the Lord’s doing), so they "knew he was talking about them" (Matthew 21:45). Jesus rebukes them with Scripture, just as 2 Timothy 3:16 says. The timeless spiritual message: We would all do well not to reject the stone (the Son of God) that the Lord has made the capstone.
Our final example of "teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training for righteousness" is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Paul quotes Scripture to preserve the holiness of believers, so that they do not mingle excessively closely with darkness and unbelievers. "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord" (6:17; cf. Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; Isaiah 52:11). These passages correct the Corinthian Christians (and us). The passages train them to be more righteous, which teaches us about faith and morals, which are always valid, as 2 Timothy counsels.
Verse 17: . . . so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The main thesis of this verse, seen in the two words "so that," is for the man of God to be equipped for every good work. The examples used in our analysis of verses 16 and 17 show us this kind of equipping. The man of God not only teaches timeless faith and morals in the Old Testament to the church, but he himself walks in righteousness, after being corrected and rebuked by Scripture, if he was tempted to wander off.
Thus, we find that the central theme of the Timothy passage counsels us to learn faith and morals and universal truths about life for followers of Christ. All of these truths come directly from the Old Testament. This book is inspired by God as a promise or prophecy, which finds fulfillment in the New Testament, especially in Christ.
So is the Old Testament still binding on New Testament believers? The word "binding" may be too strong. But the direct answer depends on the doctrine or passage in the Old Testament. When it teaches spiritual and universal truths like how to obey God and have a relationship with him, then it is authoritative for the believer. But other areas like circumcision and animal sacrifice are no longer binding. But even in the case of circumcision Paul uses the practice to teach us about circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:28-29), once again taking an old physical truth from the Old Testament and spiritualizing it. Our hearts are "circumcised" so that we can join the New Covenant. As eating or not eating food "does not bring us near to God" (1 Corinthians 8:8), so "circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing" (7:19; cf. Acts 16:3). These natural and physical things ultimately point to spiritual things, in Christ.
This passage in 2 Timothy can be further clarified with five more questions.
(2) What is the relation between the Old Testament and the New Testament?
A wise adage says: the New Testament is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed. Another one says that the Old Testament is to the New what promise is to fulfillment.
Both of these sayings mean that Old Testament truths find their amplification and explanation and fullness in the New Testament. For example, the animal sacrifices in the Old points toward Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Or the prophecy about the suffering and death of the Anointed Servant in Isaiah 53 points to Christ and his suffering and death. The New Testament makes ample use of the Old in the double theme of prophecy and promise.
(3) What are some major doctrines and themes that are promised and prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament?
Here are four areas in the Old Testament, representing others, that have been fulfilled in the New Testament, through Christ.
(1) Christians no longer wage military warfare as the Old Testament commands. That was relevant to the historical era of the Old Testament. God wanted a small land cleansed of a specific kind of paganism. (See this article and this one on how Old Testament wars differ from Islamic wars of world conquest.) But in the New Covenant believers wage spiritual warfare to fight nonmaterial forces by preaching and praying alone. The inspired Apostle Paul says:
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Paul uses the image of a military war with words like "weapons," "fight," "demolish," and "strongholds." But these verses have nothing to do with fighting people with sharp swords in a physical war. Instead, the verses communicate mental and spiritual warfare, in key words such as "arguments," "pretension," "knowledge," and "thought."
(2) In the Torah, the three main traditional divisions are fulfilled: the moral, ceremonial, and judicial, but only the latter two are analyzed here.
Jesus fulfills the ceremonial or ritual aspect of the Torah (Hebrews 9:11-14).
11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not manmade, that is to say, not part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of heifers sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse out consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we serve the living God.
This passage contrasts the sacrificial system in the Old Covenant under a fallible high priest, a temporary tabernacle and the blood of animals with the Christ’s once and for all sacrifice, which ushered in the New Covenant as he entered the perfect, heavenly tabernacle. The Old Testament makes promises by using temporary signs and copies, whereas the New fulfills them with their reality.
Besides the atonement through blood sacrifices, Christians are permitted to eat whatever foods their conscience allows them (Mark 7:14-19). If they voluntarily keep away from traditionally unclean animals like swine, then they are free to do this. But this is not a requirement from Christ or the New Testament authors. In Christ, all foods are ritually clean (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) (See Question no. 1, verse 17).
Second, Jesus fulfills the judicial aspect of the Torah.
The passage from the Epistle to Hebrews just now quoted above discusses the outward cleansing. In the New Covenant, Christ cleanses the inner man. His death on the cross takes away the severe penalty of death for sins like homosexuality and cursing parents because divine wrath for human sins was poured on him on the cross. However, criminals like murderers should be punished, because of the principles of justice behind the particular rules. Both the Old and New Testaments promote good government (Romans 13:1-7). But even they can have their sins forgiven while they suffer the just consequences of their crimes. Jesus and the New Testament authors never rescinded justice. The lives of criminals can be redeemed.
Here is a link to a prison ministry, Prison Fellowship. They preach the gospel to prisoners and help them out in practical ways.
(3) In the Old Covenant, God gave instructions on how to build a mobile tabernacle (Exodus 25-27). Then he gave special permission to Solomon to build a permanent temple (1 Kings 5:1-6:38 and 7:13-8:66). However, Jesus fulfills this earthly temple in his own person and in his church. Jesus says to the Pharisees, referring to himself: "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here" (Matthew 12:6). Jesus said this in the historical and literary context of keeping the law and sacrificing in the temple. He now fulfills the temple sacrifices and becomes a living temple through his new people of God: his church (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Peter 2:4-8). His church is found around the world now, so his living temple is worldwide and not limited to one location. Further, the long passage in Hebrews says that Christ entered a perfect tabernacle, that is, in heaven. So the earthly tabernacle in the Old Covenant has multiple fulfillments: Christ’s person, his church, and heaven. These fulfillments are united in their move away from the literal and obsolete earthly tabernacle under the Old Covenant.
(4) Christ fulfills prophecies that predicted his first coming. This theme relates to a major part of the Old Testament, the Prophets. They promised a new era of salvation, and Jesus fulfills that promise. As noted under Question no. 2, the primary example among many, many others is found in Isaiah 53, which describes the suffering Servant-Messiah. Verse 5 says: "But he was pierced for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." This is a perfect description of Jesus’ death on the cross, since he was wounded and pierced. His death brings us peace from God because it atones or pays for our sins. He fulfills every prophecy that predicted his first coming.
These four areas and others have been explored more fully in this article and this one.
(4) Is there a progression of revelation from the Old Testament to the New Testament?
Progressive revelation is a fact of the Bible.
In Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians he divides the dealings of God before Christ came and after he came. In the past, people were enslaved to basic principles of the world. "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law that we might receive the full rights of sons" (4:4-5).
The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews makes this point very strongly, distinguishing between past revelations and those in the last days. "In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2). In ancient times, God used a variety of means of revelations, even Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22:21-34). Now revelation has progressed up to the Son of God. The New Testament is the final and complete revelation.
Incidentally, for Bible-educated Christians, neither the Quran nor the Book of Mormons is valid or authoritative. They can be studied as cultural artifacts, but their theologies diverge too widely from Jesus Christ as he is presented in the New Testament, whose authors knew him or who stayed close to and researched those who knew him in the apostolic community.
The Epistle to the Hebrews goes on to say that the Old Testament is rooted in history, being encased in earthly and cultural shells, containing many types and shadows and symbols (e.g. Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23). The New Testament, also rooted in history, contains the reality, substance, and fulfillment, being a spiritual revelation. It is a more complete sacred book with mature themes, such as the fullness of the Spirit of God. In the Old Testament, the Spirit was given to a limited number of people and not in his complete power. But in the New Testament, the Spirit is poured out on the universal church, and he dwells in them in a permanent and powerful and full way.
However, the incompleteness of the Old Testament does not mean that it is devoid of some mature teachings. An example is polygamy and monogamy. The Old Testament holds up monogamy in the Garden of Eden, but it also allows polygamy, though it is also honest enough to reveal the problems inhering in this custom (Genesis 16:5 and 1 Samuel 1:6-7). The New Testament affirms the original model in the Garden of Eden: one man and one woman (Matthew 19:3-6). So monogamy represents a mature teaching of the Old Testament, which the New Testament everywhere affirms.
(5) Do progressive revelations damage the divine universal truths in the Old Testament?
Nothing damages divine universal truths. Revelation is given to humans in a form that they can understand in their own culture and language and customs. It is misguided to force, for example, the culture of Corinth in Paul’s day on to the culture of Sinai in Moses’ day. Interpreters of the Bible take each passage in its historical context. But embedded in these various contexts are truths that transcend or rise above time and place. For example, Moses says not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), and Jesus says the same (Matthew 5:27-28).
Here is a cultural-historical example from which we can derive timeless truths even today. Moses sent twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). After their return, ten gave a bad report. No one could conquer that land. But only Joshua and Caleb had enough faith to proclaim that the land is fruitful, and God would give it to them, so they should prepare to take it. But should we apply the passage literally today as if Christians go out and spy and conquer? Rather, the universal truth that we learn is faith and trust in God, which raises our vision beyond our physical surroundings and challenges and obstacles; keeping our eyes focused on them may cause us to doubt. God will help us conquer our own non-literal "land of Canaan" if we put our trust in him and follow him closely.
However, this search for timeless truths does not mean that we discard the historical context of each passage in the Bible. Referencing this context keeps us honest and does not allow us to twist the Scriptures as we want. It is a difficult process to get to know the cultural and social and political context of the Bible, which has been written over a span of fourteen hundred years. So it is imperative to find accessible, understandable commentaries that respect the Bible. Often, Bible translations have commentaries added in, such as the New International Version (NIV) Study Bible. (I find it to be very helpful.)
So the concept of revelations that progress from one era to the next does not damage universal, timeless truths, such as faith, obedience, redemption, salvation, trust, praise and worship, and fellowship with the Lord. These themes run throughout both the Old and New Testaments, regardless of the era. However, the New Testament puts its own stamp on them, such as salvation through Christ and his atoning death of redemption, to which the Old Testament had testified, if only partially and indirectly through animal sacrifices and prophecies concerning the Messiah.
(6) How do we know when the Old Testament applies to us who live under the New Covenant and when it does not apply?
As noted in the previous question, the New Testament guides us as to when to apply or not apply the Old Testament, and this interpretive skill requires careful study. The New Testament sacred books and epistles quote the Old Testament, but their use of it teaches lessons about faith and morals and other timeless themes. Even when a New Testament saint, like Stephen, reviews an historical outline of the Old Testament, the spiritual, moral punch line is not far away (Acts 7:1-8:1). Stephen sketches out the sweep of the Old Testament to rebuke the self-righteous leaders (recall that rebuking is a purpose in 2 Timothy 3:16). The spiritual punch line says that the Jewish establishment in his day was too eager to kill their own fathers and the Righteous One, Jesus Christ (Acts 7:51-52).
But we must not do a simplistic transference of every verse in the Old Testament to our lives, the church, and society today. This has caused all sorts of problems. This example must be repeated. God commands in the Old Testament the execution of adulterers (Leviticus 20:10). However, Paul points out that some in the church were once adulterers (and he adds homosexuals, prostitutes, and idolaters, all of whom were stoned in the Old Testament). But now they have the opportunity of being cleansed: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).
It must not be believed that early Christians really wanted to stone sinners, but they could not because Roman or Jewish law prevented them. Smaller communities within the dominant one could carry out their own brand of justice before the authorities knew about it. Jesus was nearly thrown off a cliff by a mob (Like 4:28-30) and almost stoned by other mobs (John 8:59 and 10:31). Stephen was stoned to death. Jews and Gentiles of Iconium plotted to stone Paul, but he fled their city (Acts 14:5). He was nearly killed by this method in Lystra (Acts 14:19). Finally, a Roman named Gallio, proconsul of Achaia, Greece, who lived in Corinth, showed no concern when some Jews beat Sosthenes the synagogue ruler for supporting Paul. In fact, Gallio told the Jews "settle the matter yourselves" (Acts 18:15). "Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatsoever" (v. 17). Thus, a small community within the large one could take matters in its own hands before the authorities knew about it, and sometimes they explicitly permitted the sub-community to do this.
Incidentally, the purpose of the previous paragraph is to show how Scripture interprets Scripture and how the historical context clarifies the Bible. Though it takes a long time to learn how to do this, which often requires respectful commentaries, it guards us against twisting the Word of God for our own purposes.
To return to our example of how the early Christian church dealt with sinners who would have been stoned under the Old Covenant, the New Covenant ushers in a new way to deal with them. They convert to Christ and are saved and washed and sanctified. But if they do not want this, then that is their free choice. Even in this sad case, Christians wage spiritual warfare by preaching and praying alone. They do not (or should not) threaten or kill sinners by stoning them (or by any other method). Jesus Christ pays for this harsh penalty meted out in the Old Covenant by his death on the cross.
Conclusion
Christians receive great benefit and edification from reading the Old Testament. This sacred book reveals many timeless and universal themes, like faith and salvation, and hope and praise to God. But this book has also been fulfilled in Christ, as God had promised. Now the New Covenant guides the believer in Christ (and the rest of society if it wants). He reads the Old Testament through the eyes of Christ and the New Testament books and epistles. He must never simplistically transfer every verse from the Old Covenant (like executing mediums and adulterers) to the New Covenant, which instead provides forgiveness and reconciliation and restoration.
These words must mean something: Old Covenant and New Covenant; Old Testament and New Testament. Nonetheless, the interrelation between the Old and the New is rich and profound. It takes years of study to see how the two merge and separate, only to merge and separate all over again—the unity and diversity of the Bible over for a span of fourteen hundred years. The Old is to the New what promise is to fulfillment. The New is in the Old concealed; and the Old is in the New revealed.
The key is to know both the Old and New Testaments thoroughly.
Here is the universal truth that emerges from and unifies both Covenants throughout the fourteen hundred years that the Bible was composed: God loves us and offers a relationship with him. Now the fullest relationship comes through Christ and the Spirit.
This article has three companion pieces: How Christ fulfills the Old Testament, The freedom of Christ and the law of Muhammad, and Promise and fulfillment in the Bible.
Copyright by James Malcolm Arlandson.
Articles by James Arlandson
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http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/christian_ot_use.htm
How Jesus Christ fulfills the Old Testament
An Analysis of Matthew 5:17-20
Why don’t Christians sacrifice animals to atone for their sins?
Why aren’t Christians required to keep a kosher diet (unless they want to do so out of free choice)?
Why aren’t Christians required to build a central temple in which to perform carefully prescribed rituals in a land specially chosen for them?
The three-year ministry of Jesus Christ, culminating in his death and resurrection and his establishment of his church, makes all the difference in the transition from the Old Testament or Covenant to the New Testament or Covenant. In those three short years he ushered in a new era of salvation, although the old era contained the seeds of the new.
The most salient and sometimes difficult statement on the relationship between Jesus and his disciples and the Old Covenant is found in Matthew 5:17-20, in the context of the famous Sermon on the Mount. The four verses read as follows in the New International Version:
5:17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is a complex passage because, among other reasons, at first glance it seems that the Law and Prophets (a New Testament way of saying the entire Scriptures; cf. Matt. 22:40; Luke 16:16) is still in full force until heaven and earth pass away. But as we just noted, the Old Covenant prescribes animal sacrifices, whereas Christians no longer perform them in order to pay for their sins. What is happening?
The Old Covenant is to the New Covenant what promise is to fulfillment. How did, does, and shall Jesus Christ fulfill the promises of the Old Covenant?
That story is complex. Christians are commanded to read the Old Testament and are allowed to benefit from it, but they do not take everything in it as final. Christians honor the Old Testament as the Word of God, just as Jesus did. But they read it, ultimately, through the vision of Jesus and the Spirit-inspired authors of the New Testament books and epistles.
Not everything as final? What parts still apply to them today, if any?
Many Christians misunderstand this important issue, so it is not surprising that Muslims do too. On some websites and in articles, Muslim polemicists refer to the Old Testament to justify, for example, executing homosexuals in Islam. The Bible did this, so why do Christians complain? The polemicists seem to imply that all of humanity should march backwards 1,400 years BC via the diluted and distorted old-new law of Muhammad and re-impose the old commands on everyone. But the polemicists fail to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Maybe this article will help clarify this issue for Christians and Muslims alike.
The historical and literary contexts of Matthew 5:17-20
It is imperative to analyze a sacred text in its historical and literary contexts.Historical context
The following two cultural facts are relevant to Matthew 5:17-20.
First, the sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem were still valid at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The entire commands in the Torah (the law) and the rest of the Old Testament were still valid at that time. In fact, the sacrifices do not stop until AD 70, when the Romans under General Titus, son of the Emperor Vespasian (ruled AD 69-79), destroyed the Temple—a relevant image since Jesus says that he did not come to destroy the Old Testament, as we shall see in the next major section. The sacrificial system means that Jesus will use words and ideas that contrast with it as a means of attaining righteousness before God. He will become the once-and-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. However, Jesus sometimes speaks to the people in terms of the entire law still being valid, but in the Gospel of Matthew he gradually reveals that he is in the process of reinterpreting the Old Testament and raising the people’s vision to his own words and commands. Such are the last words he speaks before he goes up into heaven (Matt. 28:16-20). Jesus is causing a transition from the Old Covenant to the New, and he must do this in a way that people can receive and without destroying the Old.
Second, Matthew 5:20 says that the righteousness of Jesus’ disciples must surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. These are two different groups, but many scribes were Pharisees. This latter group came from an extra-devout movement that began long before Jesus was born. They were non-priestly and committed to the oral law that explained the rules of conduct based on the law or Torah in the Bible. In some ways, oral law became as equally binding as the Torah—at least on the commoners, most of whom could not read or could barely read. They were certainly not experts in the law, so they depended on their leaders for guidance. As for the teachers of the law, they are often called scribes. Their work was not so much copying out Old Testament manuscripts as it was teaching the Torah and the rulings that piled up on it. Since civil law and religious law were tied together, some were lawyers of sorts who could explain the law in a dispute, for example (Carson, pp. 33-34; 87).
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Pharisees and teachers of the law typify doing external actions in order to please God and appear righteous in the eyes of humans, while forgetting inner righteousness. For example, in Matt. 23:1-38 Jesus pronounces seven woes on them, which contrast their inner and outer righteousness. Verse 25 says: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence."
This second cultural fact is important because Jesus calls everyone to a more radical righteousness than that of these two groups of religious leaders. This call is based on God’s righteousness imparted freely to all who ask for it through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the high point of Matthew’s Gospel and of the other three Gospels as well.
Literary context
The literary context is divided into two parts: the entire Gospel of Matthew and the smaller section called the Sermon on the Mount.
The entire Gospel of Matthew is laid out in narrative or story form. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, various parts of the Gospel interact with others. No part of the Gospel is an arbitrary collection of sayings and events, but they are deliberately designed to flow together, with a plot, from beginning to end. So the structure and development is important, not only the individual pieces—as often in the Quran, where the context is not always in the book, but in asbabi nuzul (occasion of revelation), which is found outside of the Quran. The Gospel story has a beginning (Christ’s birth), a middle (his three-year ministry) and a climatic ending (his death and resurrection). Jesus gradually and subtly reveals his priority and authority over the Old Testament in this story, but without destroying the older text. Matt. 5:17-20, our target verses, must be read in this large context because Jesus fulfills the Hebrew Bible through this divine story—and he is still fulfilling it today. But Matt. 5:17-20 must also be interpreted in the immediate literary context in the Sermon on the Mount, early in Jesus’ ministry.
The immediate context of Matt. 5:17-20 in the Sermon on the Mount is explored first.
Jesus delivers the Sermon to his disciples on a mountainside. He lays out the ethics and proper conduct for members of God’s kingdom. One aspect of the Sermon contrasts the way of Jesus with the legalistic oral traditions and sometimes the Old Testament itself (Matt. 5:21-48). Jesus uses a formula or a variation of it: "You disciples have heard from long ago . . . but I say to you." This means that Jesus is reinterpreting the traditions of the elders or the Torah itself. Thus, Christians read the Old Testament through the vision of Jesus. Our target passage in Matt. 5:17-20 sets up this contrast in Matt. 5:21-48. Jesus did not come to destroy the sacred text, but to fulfill it in a variety of ways, as seen in the next major section.
Matt. 5:17-20 must also be viewed in light of the entire Gospel, in three stages.
First, it should be recalled that near the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. 5:18 says that the Old Testament shall not pass away until heaven and earth do and until "everything is accomplished" (key words that will be explained in the next major section). At the end of the Sermon Jesus shifts attention away from the oral traditions and the Old Testament towards his own words—but without destroying the Old Testament. His last words in the Sermon show the shift (Matt. 7:24-26):
7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice . . . 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice . . . .
Jesus reveals to his disciples that his own words early in his ministry are beginning to take priority over all the words that have been uttered in sacred traditions and texts.
Second, to repeat, Matt. 5:18 says that the Old Testament shall not pass away until heaven and earth do and "until everything is accomplished." Jesus said this at the beginning of his ministry. At the end of his ministry, he makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem where God has ordained that Jesus would die. He predicts the terrible events that will happen just before the Last Day (Matt. 24:1-35). He nails down the certainty of his predictions with words that reflect those in Matt. 5:18. Matt. 24:35 has a universal aspect that rises above the long discourse on the Last Days that he just spoke:
24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The difference between Matt. 5:18 and 24:35 is subtle, but important. Matt. 5:18 places time restrictions on the Old Covenant. Its words shall not pass away until heaven and earth do and "until everything is accomplished." On the other hand, Matt. 24:35 says that Jesus’ words will never pass away, even when heaven and earth do. This places no time restrictions on his words. His words subtly and quietly take authority over previous sacred texts.
The third and final stage in the larger literary context takes place after Jesus’ death and resurrection (Matt. 28:16-20). It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of these two unified events in terms of his fulfillment of the Old Covenant. By them he fulfills most of the promises, but he is still fulfilling others. Some will not be fulfilled until his Second Coming. But he himself ushers in this fulfillment. Be that as it may, after his death and resurrection, his mission is complete and final. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (which raises him much higher than a mere prophet). Before he ascends into heaven, he instructs his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Then he tells his disciples which words to teach the nations:
28:20 [Teach] them to obey everything I have commanded you.
The revelation to his disciples about Jesus’ authority in words is now complete. He commands his disciples to teach all nations his words first and foremost. But he does not destroy the Old Testament—far from it. His followers are encouraged—commanded—to read it. But Jesus’ words take priority in the Christian’s life. The disciples read the Old Testament through Christ’s words and the rest of the New Testament. A longstanding adage wisely says: The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.
These three stages should not be misinterpreted. It is not as if Jesus grows in his authority. He always had it. Rather, he reveals his authority gradually. That was his way. He did not boast to the world about his true nature as the Son of God, but he kept it a secret for the most part. He accepted the popular (but ultimately inadequate) titles of Prophet, Teacher, and Rabbi, but to his inner circle and sometimes to those on the outside he revealed his true status as the Son of God (Matt. 16:15-20 and 26:63-64).
But these three stages reveal a subtle shift from the Old Covenant (without destroying it) to the New Covenant and Jesus’ new leadership. He is in the process of unfolding God’s plan of salvation to the world, and he does this gradually.
But now we must return to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when he first discusses the Old Testament in terms that his disciples can understand. The Old Covenant is in full force during the Sermon on the Mount, and he moves gradually to shift their attention to the New Covenant.
An Exegesis of Matthew 5:17-20
Matt. 5:17-20 is best analyzed verse by verse, sometimes clause by clause, and even word by word.17 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.
Antinomianism means to oppose law that regulates life. Jesus was not an antinomian. He was not against the law. As a devout Jew he honored it. But he must make the change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, from the law of Moses to the law of Christ. That is his mission.
The following three clauses and words in verse 17 are important for understanding this verse.
I have come: These words make the entire four verses Christ-centered. Indeed, this fits into the four Gospels. He is the one who fulfills the Old Testament by his sinless life. He is the one to fulfill its prophecies about his first coming. He fulfills it by his death and resurrection. He is the one to fulfill it by the establishment of his worldwide church. And he will fulfill it at his Second Coming.
Abolish: this translation is appropriate for a literary context, but it does not express the full meaning. The Greek word is kataluô, whose primary meaning is "destroy," "demolish," "dismantle" as in a house or temple, or "detach a stone from a building." It is found in the context of destroying the temple in Jerusalem (Matt. 24:2; 26:61). But outside of the New Testament in a literary context, it can mean to rescind not a law here or a law there, but the whole law at once, thus destroying the People of God (2 Maccabees 2:22; 4:11; 4 Maccabees 5:33) (Meier p. 70). This is revealing of Matt. 5:17. Jesus does not destroy the law as a whole, but he does fulfill passages, such as animal sacrifices.
Maybe an analogy or illustration will help. Let’s suppose that an Old House represents the Old Covenant Scriptures, and a New House represents the New Covenant and Christ’s ministry and the New Testament. Christ does not demolish the Old House, but he keeps it intact. Instead, he builds his New House next to it or even connected to it, sharing the same divine foundation. Christians live in the New House, which is grander and taller and has newer furnishings. They are allowed to visit the Old House. That is, they may read Psalms, Proverbs, the prophets, histories, the Torah, and so on. They may be edified by the stories and principles found there, just as a visitor to the grand Old House can learn a lot from and enjoy the old furnishings and old-style architecture. But the Old House does not hold them in. They live in the New House.
All analogies are flawed, and in this case the New House may not accurately represent the organic connection to the Old House (as a tree would, cf. Romans 11:11-24). Also, the analogy should not be misinterpreted. The Old House does not represent the house built on sand, nor does the New House represent the house built on the rock (Matt. 7:24-27). Both the Old Testament and the New Testament share the same bedrock foundation of divine inspiration. But in favor of the analogy, it shows how to preserve the Old House and not destroy it, while the New House can exist next to it or even connected to it. Jesus was a carpenter in his earthly life, and now he is a spiritual carpenter, so to speak.
Fulfill: This word means to complete a promise or a prophecy or a prediction. The Old Covenant is to the New Covenant what promise is to fulfillment. The Old Testament contained types and shadows, which find their full meaning and substance in Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment in his very being and in his coming to earth.
What are some of the areas or themes in the Old Testament that Christ fulfills? The following five major ones represent others.
(1) In the Torah, the three main traditional divisions are fulfilled: the moral, judicial, and ceremonial.
First, Jesus fulfills the moral law. This is the foundation of the Old Testament. It demanded that the people of God keep of the commands, but could they? Even the most devout may have been good, but they were not good enough. However, Christ in his sinless life fulfills all of the demands because he walked in perfect love. One day, an expert in the law sought to trap Jesus, asking him what the greatest commandment was. Jesus replied:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matt. 22:37-40).
Jesus fulfilled both of them perfectly. Now we ask for His Spirit so we can do the same, always depending on his love and mercy when we fail.
Some Christian scholars and pastors believe that the Ten Commandments are still binding on them because they contain the essence of the moral law. That is a plausible interpretation. However, it may be better if all Christians focused on loving their neighbors. That is the best way to fulfill all of the moral law in obedience to Christ. In Romans 13:8-10 the inspired Apostle Paul repeats some of the Ten Commandments (e.g. do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, and do not covet), but he concludes that "love is the fulfillment of the law" (v. 10).
Second, Jesus fulfills the ceremonial or ritual aspect of the Torah.
Aaron was the foremost high priest of the Old Covenant, but he could not compare with the great High Priest [Jesus Christ] of the New Covenant. Aaron entered the earthly tabernacle, but Christ entered the heavenly. Aaron entered once a year, but Christ for all time . . . Aaron offered many sacrifices, Christ only one [himself]. Aaron sacrificed for his own sin, Christ only for the sins of others . . . (MacArthur, p. 258)
Besides the atonement or blood sacrifices, Christians are permitted to eat whatever foods their conscience allows them (Mark 7:14-19). If they voluntarily keep away from traditionally unclean animals like swine, then they are free to do this. But this is not a requirement from Christ or the New Testament authors. In Christ, all foods are ritually clean. After he ascended into heaven, he sent a vision to Peter about animals becoming clean. A voice from heaven said to the lead Apostle: "Do not call anything impure what God has made clean" (Acts 10:15).
Third, Jesus fulfills the judicial aspect of the Torah. His death on the cross takes away the severe penalty of death for sins like homosexuality and cursing parents. His death takes their place because divine wrath for human sins was poured on him on the cross. Criminals like thieves and murderers should be punished, because of the principles of justice behind the particular rules. But they can have their sins forgiven while they suffer the just consequences of their crimes. Jesus and the New Testament authors never rescinded justice.
(2) Christ fulfills a geographical promise. God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham, the father of the ancient Hebrews (Genesis 17:8). That promise was repeated to Moses (Exodus 6:4). Joshua, the successor of Moses, spent most of his later life purging the land of debased and degraded Canaanites. However, Jesus said in Matt. 28:18-20 that he sends his disciples to all nations. He raises his vision higher than a small geographical region, up to the entire world. Now Christians are called to wage spiritual warfare (not military warfare) by preaching the gospel to everyone. The calling of the first Joshua after Moses is spiritually fulfilled by the later Joshua—Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Joshua.
(3) In the Old Covenant, God gave commands on how to build a mobile tabernacle (Exodus 25-27). Then he gave special permission to Solomon to build a permanent temple (1 Kings 5:1-6:38 and 7:13-8:66). However, Jesus fulfills this earthly temple in his own person and in his church. Jesus says to the Pharisees, referring to himself: "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here" (Matt. 12:6). Jesus said this in the context of keeping the law and sacrificing in the temple. He now fulfills the temple sacrifices and becomes a living temple through his new people of God: his church (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Peter 2:4-8). His church is found around the world now, so his living temple is worldwide.
(4) Christ fulfills prophecies that predicted his first coming. This theme relates to a major part of the Old Testament in Matt. 5:17—the "Prophets." They promised a new era of salvation, and Jesus fulfills that promise. The primary example among many, many others is found in Isaiah 53, which describes the suffering Servant-Messiah. Verse 5 says: "But he was pierced for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." This is a perfect description of Jesus’ death on the cross, since he was wounded and pierced. His death brings us peace from God because it atones or pays for our sins. He fulfills every prophecy that predicted his first coming.
(5) Besides Christ’s first coming, some prophecies have been partially fulfilled and are still in the process of being fulfilled. They will be completely fulfilled in the future at his Second Coming. Joel 2:28-32 is a good example. God promises his people restoration after divine judgment. He promises them that he will pour out his Spirit on them to restore and bless them:
2:28 I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
In the New Testament the Apostle Peter applies this prophecy to the church that Jesus established. It is the Day of Pentecost, a celebratory feast (see Exodus 23:16). God sends his Holy Spirit like a mighty wind and fills everyone who was praying in an upper room. Acts 2:1-4 describes the blessed scene:
2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This is a holy moment. Joel promised that God would send his Sprit to his people, and Jesus promised that he would also do this (John 16:5-16). That promise was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4. Peter understands this, so he applies the prophecy in Joel to this holy moment (Acts 2:16-21). And it is still being fulfilled. God continues to send his Spirit into people who ask him.
But there is another part of the prophecy in Joel that awaits fulfillment. God through Joel describes what will happen in the Last Days. God will show wonders in the heavens and on earth—blood and fire and billows of smoke. Then the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood (Joel 2:30-31). But the good news follows: "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (v. 32). Jesus repeats this prophecy as valid and still waiting fulfillment (Matt. 24:29; cf. Isaiah 27:13; 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7). It will happen just before he returns in his Second Coming.
To sum up, Jesus has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and shall completely fulfill the entire Old Testament. The Old Covenant is to the New what promise is to fulfillment. He has ushered in the new era of salvation in the flow of God’s plan of salvation begun in the Old Testament. All the promises of God are absorbed in Christ’s life and being. He becomes the fulfillment of the Old Testament without destroying it.
The Old Testament remains until heaven and earth pass away and "until everything is accomplished."
18 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.
This verse demonstrates that the Old Testament has an expiration date that has not yet arrived. The two "until" clauses offer us hints on when that date will come.
The first "until" clause says: "until heaven and earth disappear." There is nothing complicated here. God’s Word remains until the physical universe is wrapped up. Peter the Apostle, under the inspiration of the Spirit, agrees (2 Peter 3:10):
3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night [unpredicted]. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (See also Hebrews 12:27)
However, it should be recalled that the very words of Jesus Christ will remain even after the universe disappears: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matt. 24:35). This means that Jesus Christ supercedes the Old Testament, fulfilling it back then, now, and in the future.
The next "until" clause says: "until everything is accomplished." Matthew is writing the life of Christ in narrative or story form. Matthew quotes many Old Testament references to Christ throughout his narrative. We should therefore understand the word "everything" in that light. Jesus Christ fulfills the Hebrew Bible at his birth. He fulfills it during his life and ministry. He fulfills it especially in his death on the cross and his resurrection because these two events ratify and confirm all else that precedes them. Next, he fulfills the promises in the Hebrew Bible in the new age of salvation, through his church and through historical events (though this last category is harder to detect). He will fulfill everything in the Hebrew Bible at his Second Coming. Finally, the Old Testament will become completely null and void only when God himself will wrap up the universe like a mantle of clothing, tossing it aside.
This is what "until heaven and earth disappear" and "until everything is accomplished" mean. God’s Old Covenant Word—every smallest letter and stroke of the pen—will last as long as the universe does.
19 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.
This verse is divided into two main clauses: (1) those who break the commandments and teach others to do so; and (2) those who practice the commandments and teach others to do the same.
The first clause is easier to understand. The analogy of the Two Houses may clarify matters. When Christians go back to the Old House (the Old Testament), they are not allowed to break items in the Old House. They must not pick up an old dish (a command) and smash it on the floor. Instead, they should leave things as they found them when they return to the New House (New Testament). Leaving things alone is not the same as breaking them. Above all, if Christians become teachers, they should not teach others to break items in the Old House. Rather, they teach their fellow Christians to respect and honor the Old House as a whole, and the items found in it.
The second clause in verse 19 is a little more difficult to understand, but reading this verse in the context of the two preceding verses and of the entire Gospel of Matthew will make things clear.
In verses 17 and 18 (analyzed in the two previous sections), we learned that Jesus has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and shall completely fulfill the promises in the Old Testament. Therefore, he must be our interpretive guide as we read, practice, and teach the commandments. To use the Old and New Houses again, when we enter the Old House, we look at it through the vision of Jesus and through his fulfillment. He is our authoritative tour guide, so to speak. We obey the commands as they have been conditioned by his new era of salvation.
This conditioning is the theme of the entire sweep of Matthew’s Gospel. As noted in the section "historical and literary contexts," in verse 19, Jesus is speaking the Sermon on the Mount to disciples still living under the Old Covenant. After the Sermon is over, he gradually reveals a new direction. He is making a transition from the Old to the New, building the New House without destroying the Old One. When the Gospel culminates in the last chapter, Jesus instructs his disciples to teach all nations everything he commands (Matt. 28:20). As the fulfiller of the promises of God, he must take priority.
However, does this mean that the entire Old Testament has been canceled, abrogated, annulled, demolished, dismantled, or destroyed (words that translate the Greek word kataluô in v. 17)? Not "until heaven and earth disappear" and not "until everything is accomplished." The Old House is still standing without one piece missing or taken from it. All the items and furnishings are still in it. Rather, Jesus lifts our vision to the New House and calls us into it. Every commandment that is contained in the Old Testament can still be read, taught, and practiced for edification and blessing. But they must now be read through the fulfillment process and through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
For example, when Christians read about animal sacrifices in Leviticus, they focus on Christ’s sacrifice, realizing that the old sacrificial system pointed to him. They "practice" it by offering a sacrifice of praise to God: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:15). This Spirit-inspired verse was written in the context of Christ’s sacrifice of his blood on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Also, Paul says we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices: "holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1). Jesus Christ inspires all believers to lift their vision beyond the literal sacrifice of animals and look to him, the literal and once-and-for-all and unique sacrifice for all times. Then they "practice" their own spiritual sacrifice. Therefore, the Old Testament has been fulfilled in this area.
Thus, it always wise to let surrounding verses interpret a target verse. In this case, verses 17 and 18 interpret the target verse 19. And it is always wise to interpret a target verse in light of the entire text where it is found: the Gospel of Matthew.
A prominent New Testament scholar correctly says of verse 19 and Christ’s fulfillment process being our interpretive guide:
The law pointed forward to Jesus and his teaching; so it is properly obeyed by conforming to his word. As it points to him, so he, in fulfilling it, establishes what continuity it has . . . (Carson, p. 146)
Another reputable theologian agrees:
In v. 19, then, the continuing practice of the commandments of the law must be viewed in light of their fulfillment by Jesus. It is the law as fulfilled by Jesus that must be done, not the law in the original form. (Moo, p. 353, emphasis original)
Jesus conditions and interprets the old commandments that we teach and practice. We look at them through his vision.
5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
In this verse Jesus raises the standards for citizens (and future citizens) of the kingdom of God. Their righteousness must surpass or excel that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. This verse can best be explained by the next section in the Sermon on the Mount (5:21-48).
Jesus reinterprets (not cancels or abrogates) the Torah and the traditions of the elders. He uses this formula or a variation of it: "You disciples have heard from long ago . . . but I say to you." In Greek this last clause "but I say to you" is emphatic. It is contrasted with the teaching of Jesus’ predecessors. He restricts their meaning even further, using six examples.
(1) Jesus cites the sixth commandment of the Ten, which prohibits murder (Exodus 20:13), but then he tightens it up by going straight to the heart. If anyone has anger in his heart towards a brother, then he will be subject to judgment. He then counsels reconciliation (Matt. 5:21-26).
(2) Jesus refers to the seventh commandment, which prohibits adultery (Exodus 20:14), but then he tightens it up with the problem of the heart. If anyone entertains lust, he has already committed adultery (Matt. 5:27-30).
(3) Divorces were easy to get in first-century Israel, and this put the woman at risk if she did not have her father’s household to which she could return. It certainly put a strain on her paternal family. Jesus tightens up this easy divorce procedure, which favored the man (Matt. 5:31-32).
(4) Jesus references verses in the Torah about swearing oaths (Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21), but he says that his followers should not swear at all because they have integrity in their hearts (Matt. 5:33-37).
(5) Jesus refers to the lex talionis or law of retaliation (Exodus 21:24), but he says it is better not to seek revenge. The citizen of the kingdom must be ready to forgive and go the extra mile.
(6) Finally, he cites a command and a tradition that says a kingdom citizen should love his neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), but hate his enemy (a tradition or popular belief). However, Jesus says a kingdom citizen should also love his enemy and pray for his persecutor.
In each of these six examples Jesus deepens the outward act—where the stereotypical Pharisee and teacher of the law lived—into the heart and mind. That is the theme that unifies each example.
That is how the righteousness of the citizens of the kingdom must surpass or excel that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. This is how we Christians examine the Torah and the whole Old Testament. We use the wisdom and vision of Christ, as he fulfills the entire Hebrew Bible. The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.
Conclusion
If Christians want to practice the commandments in the Old Testament, they should learn from Christ’s wisdom revealed in Matt. 22:24-40. As noted in the analysis of Matt. 5:17, the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus with words, so one of them, an expert in the law, asked him which commandment was the greatest.22:37 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Jesus boils down all the commandments in the Old Testament to these two. They are the best way to obey all of them. Jesus’ followers should live a life of divine love through the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is in perfect agreement with his Lord and Savior, using the key words "fulfilled" and "fulfillment" (Romans 13:8-10):
13:8 [F]or he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to the neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Only the life and love of Jesus Christ that he sends into our hearts through the Holy Spirit can enable us to walk in divine love. Our love for God cannot be self-initiated. God draws us to love him by his Spirit. This is the first great commandment. Only as we love him, we love others. That is the second greatest commandment. As for righteousness coming from keeping the two greatest commandments, only his righteousness that he offers us freely after his death on the cross and resurrection can save us. Our own righteousness cannot.
We must trust in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit and his righteousness in his name.
We Christians honor and revere the Old Testament, but we interpret it through Jesus Christ and the new era of salvation and fulfillment that he ushered in on the day he was born.
This article has three companion pieces: The freedom of Christ and the law of Muhammad, Promise and fulfillment in the Bible, and How Christians benefit from the Old Testament.
References
Allen, W. C. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to S. Matthew. Third edition. T & T Clark, 1912.
Bruce, F. F. "Interpretation." In Baker's Dictionary of Theology. Ed. E. F. Harrison, et al. Baker Book House, 1960.
Carson, D. A. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew. Vol. 8. Zondervan, 1984.
Gundry, R. H. Matthew: A Commentary on His Literary and Theological Art. Eerdmans, 1982.
MacArthur, J. Matthew 1-7. Moody, 1985.
Meier, J. P. Law and History in Matthew’s Gospel. Rome: Biblical Institute, 1976.
Moo, D. J. "The Law of Christ as the Fulfillment of the Law of Moses." In Five Views on the Law and Gospel. Ed. Stanley N. Gundry. Zondervan, 1996.
Copyright by James Malcolm Arlandson.
Articles by James Arlandson
Answering Islam Home Page
http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/fulfilled.htm
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