Abolish or Fulfill Revisited

Matthew 5:17-18 – “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.”
Many have quoted this verse to back up their claim that the Older Covenant has been superceded by the Newer Covenant and all law has been completed – there is nothing left for anyone to accomplish and one is no longer “under the law”. In doing so, they have grossly misinterpreted the meaning.

Many continue to teach that the Law, the Torah, and the Older Covenant, have been replaced by the Newer Covenant – that the Torah has been abolished, negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced. In doing so, they ignore both Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,” and Matthew 5: 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 Torah until everything is accomplished.”

Both of these teachings are not in accordance with scripture.

Definitions
Fulfill [πληρόω plēroō G4137] means: to fill to the full, to make complete in every particular, to render perfect, to accomplish, carry out, or bring to realization.
Abolish [καταλύω katalyō G2647] means: to dissolve (what has been joined together), to destroy, demolish, to subvert, overthrow, to deprive of force, annul, abrogate, or discard; to do away completely with something.
Law [νόμος nomos G3551] means: anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command. Biblically speaking, it means: the Torah-Law (of Moses and of Yahweh), including the volume, Psalms, and the Prophets.

By taking these definitions and making an interpretation, they come up with the notion that Yeshua has done it all and now we don’t have to even try! One can do whatever one wants, and his sacrifice covers it. Utter nonsense.

These definitions give us a starting point, but are they enough? Let’s examine further:

Hebrew Idioms
The key to proper interpretation of this verse is that the phrases “fulfill the law” and “abolish the law” are Hebrew idioms which apply specifically to the Torah. Like all idioms, simply using a dictionary to define the words and then making up an interpretation by those definitions will make no more sense than defining the word kick (forcefully move with the foot) and the word bucket (a cylindrical object used to carry a liquid substance) and then saying “he kicked the bucket” means “some dude vigorously moved a can of water”! when one is actually saying “he died”.

Fulfill the law is a Hebrew idiom meaning: to properly interpret, to show how to apply the Torah, to do it rightly. In other words, to fulfill the law is to properly interpret Torah so that people can obey it as Yahweh intends for it to be obeyed, thus allowing Yahweh’s promises to be fully received. Abolish the law is just the opposite, meaning: to misinterpret, to misapply the Torah, to do it wrongly, thus bringing down judgment.

Yeshua’s Actions
Matthew 5:21-48 – “You have heard it said . . . But I say . . .”
Yeshua always makes known the true meaning of Yahweh’s commands. Where the Pharisees and Sadducees interpret the Torah to mean to physically obey, Yeshua interprets it to mean spiritually obey. The Pharisees and Sadducees interpreted Do Not Commit Adultery simply to mean don’t have sex outside of marriage. Yeshua declares the true meaning is don’t even lust in your mind!

By diminishing the Torah to mere physical obedience of rules, the Pharisees and Sadducees were the ones who were abolishing the Torah. Yeshua, on the other hand, was fulfilling the Torah by rightly showing the true intent of the Torah. Yeshua negates any notion that one can obey the Torah in one’s own strength – Torah examines the secret thoughts and motives, not just the actions that are the result of those thoughts and motives.

Adding To The Torah
Yeshua never added to nor subtracted from, nor altered the Torah – he fully and rightly interpreted the Torah – he fulfilled it to a tee. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Jews, on the other hand, considered Torah less than explicit and attached dozens, if not hundreds, of oral and written traditions to enhance it and explain it! In doing so, they misinterpreted its real, original intent, and thus abolished the Torah rather than fulfilled it.

No Torah Means No Sin
The scriptures regarding no law, therefore no sin, are found in Romans 4:15 – “Where there is no Torah [G3551], neither is there transgression or sin,” in Romans 5:13 – “For until the Torah sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no Torah [G3551],” and in Romans 7:8 – “For without the Torah [G3551] sin is dead.” If the Torah has been abolished, negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced, then there is no more any sin. Bluntly put, NO Torah, No sin. And this is not at all what the scriptures teach. Scripture clearly teaches that all fall short (Romans 3:23), and that sin is still in the world, and will continue to grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 2:13). Since sin is still present and in fact is growing worse then the law, or Torah, is still in effect.

Matthew 5:18 agrees. In this verse Yeshua states very clearly: “For verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, not one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke (jot or tittle) shall in any way pass away from the Torah, until all things are accomplished.” There are many things still to be accomplished so the Torah is not abolished negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced. It is still in full effect, down to the least jot and tittle, the smallest letter or tiny pen stroke!

A New Covenant Replaces The Old Covenant
Exodus 24:12 – “Yahweh said to Moshe, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with the Torah and the mitzvot I have written on them’.”
Jeremiah 31:33 – “ ‘For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days’, says Yahweh: ‘I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people’.”
The scripture that some use to claim that the “new” covenant replaces the old covenant is found in Hebrews 8:6-13, which is a quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34!, and ONLY refers to a very specific case: The OLD covenant wrote the laws on stone tablets (Exodus 24:12). The NEW covenant writes those very same laws on the mind and on the heart! The law is not negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced. It is ONLY written in a NEW place! (see also Ezekiel 11:19 & 36:26; Hebrews 8:10; and 2 Corinthians3:3).

The NEW covenant Yeshua refers to at the Last Supper with his Disciples also pertains to only a very specific case: the judicial penalty and payment required by the Torah for committing a sin. That payment has been paid in full by Yeshua’s sacrifice and spilt blood. Hebrews 9:15 puts it this way: our transgressions committed under the first covenant have been paid for by Yeshua’s death. Now, instead of receiving death, or having to pay for our own sins, we receive an eternal inheritance.

Again, a very specific application, not a general negation, removal, cancellation, or replacement of the entire Torah or older covenant! With this, 2 Corinthians 3:6 agrees fully, stating: “Yahweh made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The Torah has only been taken out of the physical, letter mode and placed in the Spirit mode – it has not been in any way negated, done away with, canceled, or replaced.

Conclusions
Galatians 5:14 – “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.”
Many teach that Torah need no longer be obeyed, believing that Yeshua has fully accomplished everything the law demands and one no longer is bound to obey it – all one’s sins have been forgiven! And, yes, Yeshua obeyed all Torah and paid the price of one’s rebellion and sin.

The term fulfill the law is a Hebrew idiom that has far greater reach. Fulfilling the law means interpreting, obeying, and teaching others the right way to live life, exactly as Yeshua did. Yeshua did not abolish, destroy, or eliminate the Torah. Just the opposite – Torah will last even beyond the disappearance of heaven and earth.

The contention that the Older Covenant and the Law has been done away with simply does not conform to the teaching of the scriptures. Sin is still here and growing worse. Many things need to still be accomplished. Each mention of a “new” covenant applies only to a specific case or application of the Older Covenant, not a general negation, removal, cancellation, or replacement of the entire older covenant, the Law, or the Torah!

Final Thought for 2023
The stage for Yeshua’s return is being set. Prophecy continues to unfold in an escalating pattern as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. The season of the birth pains is here – they are burgeoning and not going away. Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – be sure you have salvation in Yeshua and keep busy reaching the lost.

NOTE: Originally posted in February 2015