“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.”
Matthew 5:17
One of the greatest revelations of Jesus’ ministry is that He is the absolute fulfillment of the Old Testament. The New Testament replaced the Old Testament, not by closing it, but by fulfilling it.
Jesus is the New Testament. He is the Perfect Finisher of everything God said. In Him God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen” (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). There is nothing in the Old Testament that Jesus didn’t fulfill. Therefore, the New Testament believers are not “bound” by the Old Testament, but rather associated with Christ who is the fulfillment thereof. Christ is the new law of God. This is a truth that takes a lifetime to be appreciated!
People sometimes try to do what Jesus has already done, namely to fulfill the terms and conditions of the Old Testament. Take hold of Jesus and you take hold of everything that God has ever said!
Reflections
Reflecting on Jesus’s profound declaration in Matthew 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,” we gain deep insights into the continuity and culmination of God’s plan as revealed in the Scriptures. Jesus positions Himself not as a revolutionary discarding the old but as the consummate fulfillment of the Old Testament, embodying its prophecies, laws, and promises in their entirety.
The Old Testament, comprising the Law and the Prophets, is foundational to understanding God’s covenant relationship with His people. These scriptures contain numerous prophecies, laws, and moral directives that guided the lives of the Israelites. Jesus’s ministry, life, death, and resurrection perfectly align with these ancient texts, revealing their ultimate purpose and bringing them to completion. Jesus is the New Testament in the sense that He is the embodiment of all that God promised and intended to accomplish through the old covenant.
The transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament is not about nullification but about fulfillment. In Jesus, every promise of God finds its “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). This means that the promises made throughout the Old Testament — promises of a coming Messiah, redemption, and a new covenant — are realized in Jesus. He fulfills the sacrificial system by being the ultimate sacrifice, He embodies the perfect righteousness required by the Law, and He actualizes the prophetic hope of a restored relationship between God and humanity.
Understanding Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament helps New Testament believers see their faith not as a break from the past but as the culmination of a divine narrative. Jesus’s teachings, His actions, and His very being are the realization of what was foreshadowed and promised in the Old Testament. Therefore, believers are not bound by the Old Testament laws as a means of righteousness, because Jesus has achieved what those laws pointed toward: a perfect, sinless life and sacrificial death that provides righteousness to all who believe in Him.
This realization shifts the focus from trying to achieve righteousness through the Law to embracing the righteousness provided by Jesus. Many people, in an attempt to be faithful, may fall into the trap of legalism, trying to fulfill the Old Testament laws in their own strength. However, Jesus invites us to rest in His finished work. By taking hold of Jesus, we take hold of everything God has ever promised and intended for us. This does not negate the moral and spiritual truths of the Old Testament but brings them into their full, transformative power through Christ.
Christ being the “new law of God” means that our relationship with God is now mediated through Jesus. The commandments and directives given by Jesus in the New Testament encapsulate the essence of the Old Testament laws but are centered on the love and grace revealed through Him. For instance, Jesus summarizes the Law and the Prophets with the commands to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40). This love is both the fulfillment of the Law and the new commandment given by Christ.
This truth takes a lifetime to appreciate fully because it transforms how we live out our faith. It calls us to a dynamic, living relationship with Jesus, where we continually grow in understanding His work and applying His teachings. Rather than a checklist of laws to follow, our faith becomes an ongoing journey of following Jesus, empowered by His Spirit, and growing in His grace.
Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the embodiment of the New Testament reveals the seamless continuity of God’s redemptive plan. Embracing this truth allows believers to rest in the finished work of Christ, finding their identity and righteousness in Him. This understanding transforms our approach to scripture, worship, and daily living, aligning us with the profound reality that in Jesus, all of God’s promises are fulfilled, and in Him, we find our ultimate purpose and peace.
Reference
WORDS OF JESUS FOR MEN
366 REFLECTIONS ON THE WORDS OF JESUS
366 REFLECTIONS ON THE WORDS OF JESUS
