Matthew 5: 17, 18 > Law will not change
| Matthew 5: 17 - 18 ( King James Version ) |
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| Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. |
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| 5: 18 > For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot of one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. |
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| Matthew 5: 17-18 ( New International Version ) |
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| Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them, |
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| v. 18 > I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of the pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. |
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| Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy |
| There are many who try to blend these two systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished; but this is a perversion of the Scriptures. The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ "took . . . out of the way, nailing it to His cross." Colossians 2:14. But concerning the law of Ten Commandments the psalmist declares, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119: 89. And Christ Himself says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law. . . . Verily I say unto you" -- making the assertion as emphatic as possible --"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5: 17, 18. Here He teaches, not merely what the claims of God's law had been, and were then, but that these claims should hold as long as the heavens and the earth remain. The law of God is as immutable as His throne. It will maintain its claims upon mankind in all ages. Patriarchs and Prophets, page 365.1 |
| There are many who claim that by the death of Christ the law was abrogated; but in this they contradict Christ's own words, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. . . . Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law." Matt. 5:17, 18. It was to atone for man's transgression of the law that Christ laid down His life. Could the law have been changed or set aside, then Christ need not have died. By His life on earth He honored the law of God. By His death He established it. He gave His life as a sacrifice, not to destroy God's law, not to create a lower standard, but that justice might be maintained, that the law might be shown to be immutable, that it might stand fast forever. {COL 314.3} |
| In the Sermon on the Mount Christ plainly declared His mission. "Think not," He said, "that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matt. 5:17). He came to carry out literally every specification concerning which the prophets had borne testimony. He who existed with the Father before the creation of the world, Himself gave the prophecies recorded by holy men--the prophecies that He came afterward to fulfill. . . . {TMK 292.3} |
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| Christ did not come into the world to disparage education, for He Himself was the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. Christ came to call the minds of His redeemed people to learn of Him. He will sanctify the human talents that are employed for His glory. He came to make human learning strong and pure and ennobling, and of such a character that He could commend. He came to give it a foundation upon which to stand -- a knowledge of Himself. Christ declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matt. 5:17). He came to give every specification of the law a depth and meaning which the Pharisees had never seen nor understood. Christ is the originator of all the deep thoughts of true philosophy, of every line of that education that will be retained through sanctification of the spirit. True education is that which will not be left behind when He shall come to be admired in all them that believe. {11MR 339.1} |
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| In His life Christ fulfilled every specification of the law. Did He do this that from henceforth the law might be made void and that sinful beings might be given what Satan claimed to be their privilege--freedom from law? Has the enemy of God obtained in this world what he was refused in heaven? No. Christ declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" [Matt. 5:17]. Righteousness was leagued with truth to make unrighteousness appear. {12MR 415.1} |
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| Were the law abolished, then sin, which is the transgression of the law, would be immortalized and the whole question would be given up to Satan; he would have everything he asked for in heaven. His demand was not granted there, and for this reason there was war in heaven and Satan was expelled. Now he comes to the human agents and gains them to his side; he leads them to believe his falsehood, which is directly opposed to the words of Christ, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: for I come not to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" [Matt. 5:17, 18]. {21MR 282.1} |
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| We want Christ and His obedience and we want to drink in of the Spirit of God. I want to be like Him. I want to practice His virtues and be a doer of the Word. And what did He say on the Mount? "Think not"-- on their startled ears fell the words, their very thoughts unrolled before them-- "think not that I am come to destroy the law of the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). He came to fulfill every specification of the law. "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (v. 18). I want you to take this. It is the word of God. You will hear from the word of men that the law is abolished and that it is not binding upon men. And they act just so. But you cannot afford to work against God. "Ye are laborers together with God" (1 Cor. 3:9). I would rather be a laborer with God than to be laboring counter to Him. I see in Him matchless charms. {1SAT 246.1} |
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