Apologetics

Understanding Jesus and the Law: Why Christ Came to Fulfill, Not Abolish

In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus says he didn't come to abolish God's law but to fulfill it. Here is what that means for biblical authority and the righteousness only Christ can give you.

Jeff Reed Sunday, November 30, 2025 5 min read

In a world where moral standards seem to shift with cultural trends and personal preferences, Jesus makes a startling declaration in Matthew 5:17-20. He didn’t come to abolish God’s law but to fulfill it completely. This passage reveals profound truths about divine authority, human righteousness, and our desperate need for a Savior.

What Does It Mean That Jesus Fulfilled the Law?

When Jesus declares He came to fulfill the law, He’s making an extraordinary claim. The word “fulfill” means to complete, to fill up what was already divinely ordained. This isn’t about adding to or altering God’s commands—it’s about perfectly realizing every aspect of God’s unchanging word.

The Crisis of Authority in Modern Culture

Our society suffers from a profound loss of confidence in absolute moral standards. Without divine foundations, human systems devolve into relativism where “my truth” and “your truth” can somehow coexist despite being mutually incompatible. This leads to chaos where right and wrong fluctuate with societal whims or personal feelings.

Jesus confronts this crisis by asserting that the absolute basis for truth, law, and morals is found in God’s eternal law. We ignore or disregard this at our own peril.

Three Ways Jesus Fulfilled the Law

Jesus accomplished every facet of God’s law in three distinct ways:

* The Moral Law: He perfectly obeyed the Ten Commandments in word, deed, and thought—the only person to ever do so.

* The Ceremonial Law: He became the true Passover lamb and final Day of Atonement sacrifice, the very tabernacle where God dwells with humanity.

* The Judicial Law: He rendered to God the perfect righteousness that Israel’s theocracy could never produce.

Why Does God’s Law Matter Today?

The Law’s Eternal Nature

Jesus emphasizes that “until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” This affirms Scripture’s verbal inerrancy—every part lasts, every word, every tense, every form remains divinely inspired and authoritative.

The Bible eternally fits every age because it is God’s perfect, infallible word. It stands as the unchanging standard by which all else is measured. The world resists conformity to Scripture not because the world evolves beyond it, but because Scripture remains immutably opposed to the world’s rebellion against God.

The Danger of Selective Obedience

Jesus warns against “relaxing” even the least of His commandments. This means loosening, annulling, or setting aside God’s standards. Selective obedience is disguised rebellion—a quiet erosion of divine authority.

Many approach the Bible like a spiritual vending machine, inserting problems and extracting soothing verses while avoiding passages that challenge or convict. This approach treats Scripture as comfort food rather than submitting to its full, unyielding authority.

What About Our Righteousness?

The Impossible Standard

Jesus delivers a devastating blow to self-righteousness: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The scribes and Pharisees were known for their meticulous external observance—they even tithed their seasonings grain by grain.

If these religious experts fell short, who can possibly enter God’s kingdom?

The Gift of Imputed Righteousness

This is where the gospel shines brightest. The righteousness we need cannot be achieved by human effort—it must be received as a gift. Christ’s perfect obedience is imputed to us through faith alone. We don’t earn our way to God; we receive His righteousness sovereignly.

The law was never intended as a ladder for self-salvation. It serves as a mirror that shows us where the spiritual dirt is on our faces. But praise God—Jesus alone washes that dirt away.

How Should We Respond to God’s Law?

Honor It Faithfully

As Christ’s followers, we’re called to uphold His commands without relaxation or rationalization. This faithful obedience flows not from self-effort but from grateful hearts resting in the righteousness already received.

We don’t obey out of fear—we obey out of gratitude for what Christ has already accomplished for us.

Avoid the Pharisee’s Mistake

The Pharisees made the fatal error of trusting in their own righteousness. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable who boasted about his religious achievements, they missed the point entirely. Meanwhile, the tax collector who simply cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” went home justified.

External rigor without inner regeneration is pretense and sham. What’s needed is a perfect alien righteousness that no human effort can produce.

Life Application

This week, examine your relationship with God’s Word. Are you approaching Scripture with full submission to its authority, or are you picking and choosing verses that comfort while avoiding those that challenge?

Consider reading one “uncomfortable” chapter of the Bible this week—perhaps a passage that typically makes you squirm. Allow God’s Word to uproot what must die in your life so that true spiritual growth can flourish.

Remember that the Gospel is not a life improvement plan—it’s a death certificate to self. The parts of Scripture that offend your sensibilities are probably targeting your secret sins and areas where you most need to grow.

Questions for Reflection:

Am I treating God’s Word as the ultimate authority in my life, or do I pick and choose which commands to follow?

Where might I be practicing “selective obedience” that’s actually disguised rebellion?

Am I resting in Christ’s righteousness for my salvation, or am I still trying to earn God’s approval through my own efforts?

How can I cultivate a heart of grateful obedience rather than fearful rule-following?

The law points us to our desperate need for Jesus. In Him, we find not just forgiveness for our failures, but the perfect righteousness we could never achieve on our own. This is the hope of Advent—Christ has come to fulfill what we could never accomplish, and He’s coming again to complete His perfect work.

Frequently asked questions

What did Jesus mean when he said he came to fulfill the law?

In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus declares he didn't come to abolish God's law but to fulfill it. The word 'fulfill' means to complete, to fill up what was already divinely ordained. This isn't about adding to or altering God's commands — it's about perfectly realizing every aspect of God's unchanging word. Jesus accomplished every facet of God's law in three distinct ways. First, the Moral Law: he perfectly obeyed the Ten Commandments in word, deed, and thought — the only person ever to do so. Second, the Ceremonial Law: he became the true Passover lamb and the final Day of Atonement sacrifice, the very tabernacle where God dwells with humanity. Third, the Judicial Law: he rendered to God the perfect righteousness that Israel's theocracy could never produce. When Jesus says he came to fulfill, he's claiming to be the living completion of everything Scripture had been pointing to.

Is the Old Testament law still relevant for Christians?

Yes — and Jesus himself says so. He emphasizes that 'until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished' (Matthew 5:18). This affirms Scripture's verbal inerrancy — every part, every word, every tense, every form remains divinely inspired and authoritative. The Bible eternally fits every age because it is God's perfect, infallible word. It stands as the unchanging standard by which all else is measured. The world resists conformity to Scripture not because the world has evolved beyond it, but because Scripture remains immutably opposed to the world's rebellion against God. Christians are not free to discard parts of God's word that feel inconvenient. We are called to honor it faithfully — not from fear, but from gratitude for what Christ has already accomplished for us.

What is selective obedience and why is it dangerous?

Selective obedience is picking and choosing which of God's commands to follow. Jesus warns specifically against 'relaxing' even the least of his commandments — loosening, annulling, or setting aside God's standards. Selective obedience is disguised rebellion. It's a quiet erosion of divine authority, often dressed up as wisdom or cultural sensitivity. Many people approach the Bible like a spiritual vending machine — inserting problems and extracting soothing verses while avoiding passages that challenge or convict. That treats Scripture as comfort food rather than submitting to its full, unyielding authority. Examine your own life this week: are you approaching Scripture with full submission, or are you picking and choosing? Consider reading one 'uncomfortable' chapter — a passage that typically makes you squirm — and let God's Word do its work. The parts of Scripture that offend our sensibilities are usually targeting our secret sins.

How can my righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees?

It can't — not by effort. That's the entire point. Jesus delivers a devastating blow to self-righteousness: 'Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' The Pharisees were known for meticulous external observance — they even tithed their seasonings grain by grain. If these religious experts fell short, who could possibly enter God's kingdom? This is where the gospel shines brightest. The righteousness we need cannot be achieved by human effort — it must be received as a gift. Christ's perfect obedience is imputed to us through faith alone. We don't earn our way to God; we receive his righteousness sovereignly. The law was never intended as a ladder for self-salvation. It serves as a mirror that shows us where the spiritual dirt is on our faces. But praise God — Jesus alone washes that dirt away.

What is imputed righteousness?

Imputed righteousness is the gospel's central gift: Christ's perfect obedience credited to us through faith alone. We don't earn our standing with God by religious performance — we receive it. Like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable who boasted about his religious achievements and missed the point entirely, external rigor without inner regeneration is pretense and sham. Meanwhile, the tax collector who simply cried out, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner,' went home justified. What's needed is a perfect alien righteousness that no human effort can produce — and that righteousness is Christ's, given freely to all who trust in him. This changes everything about how we obey. We don't obey out of fear of losing God's approval. We obey out of gratitude for an approval that's already secured. The Gospel is not a life improvement plan — it's a death certificate to self, and a resurrection to live in Christ's righteousness.

Jeff Reed

Pastoral writing from the team at Christchurch Miami — a faith family on mission in Kendall, Miami.

From the Message