{"id":744,"date":"2011-01-15T04:45:37","date_gmt":"2011-01-15T04:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aaronmatthew.com\/thoughts\/?p=744"},"modified":"2011-07-30T19:10:05","modified_gmt":"2011-07-30T19:10:05","slug":"reconciled-and-our-debt-paid-through-the-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aaronmatthew.com\/blog\/2011\/reconciled-and-our-debt-paid-through-the-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Reconciled and Our Debt Paid Through the Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

A friend of mine and I had a friendly discussion regarding Matthew 5:17-19<\/strong> <\/em>where Jesus explains explain how He came to fulfill<\/strong><\/em> the law of Moses and not abolish it. The question is then how can we live by grace if Jesus and have freedom in Christ if He did not come to abolish the law? Understanding this is the key to interpreting the Sermon on the Mount and the ministry of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Matthew 5:17-19<\/strong>
17 \u201cDo 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 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first thing we should do is have handle on what the word \u201cfulfill<\/em><\/strong>\u201d means?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise.<\/li>\n
  2. to perform or do, as duty; obey or follow, as commands<\/li>\n
  3. to satisfy (requirements, obligations, etc.):a book that fulfills a long-felt need.<\/li>\n
  4. to bring to an end; finish or complete, as a period of time:\u00a0He felt that life was over when one had fulfilled his threescore years<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Jesus \u201cfulfills<\/em><\/strong>\u201d all of the Old Testament in that it all points to him, not only in its specific predictions of a Messiah, but also in its sacrificial system, which was to be satisfied through the cross. Jesus was also declaring that the Old Testament as a body of \u201cGod-breathed\u201d literature would not be set aside or abolished. The questions are then, are we bound to the law and doesn\u2019t this then contradict Paul\u2019s letters in the New Testament?<\/p>\n

    Colossians 2:14<\/strong>
    14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Ephesians 2:15-16<\/strong>
    15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The key here is verse 16 \u201creconcile us both to God\u2026through the cross<\/strong><\/em>\u201c. Jesus paid the debt of our sin and the requirements of the law through the cross. Jesus didn\u2019t destroy the Law, but satisfied\/fulfilled it so we would no longer be bound by it. Let\u2019s take this further by reading what the Bible says about this to help us see the context of this scripture.<\/p>\n

    No one (except for Jesus) has ever succeeded in keeping the law<\/p>\n

    Acts 15:10-11<\/strong>
    10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    It is\u00a0One Law\u00a0containing the whole package of rituals and sacrifices as well as the Ten Commandments.<\/p>\n

    Galatians 3:10-13<\/strong>
    10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, \u201cCursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.\u201d 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for \u201cThe righteous shall live by faith.\u201d 12 But the law is not of faith, rather \u201cThe one who does them shall live by them.\u201d 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us\u2014for it is written, \u201cCursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree\u201d\u2014<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Our sin was a debt that had to be paid, just as if you had committed a crime. Jesus came, not to destroy the law that you broke, but instead place Himself between you and the law so you would never have to face punishment or serve time to pay for your crimes\/sins. The cross pays our debt and reconciles us to God. That is an incredible thing, Jesus became our scapegoat and took our blame so we would never have to deal with keeping the law. This means we are free from works of the law and trying to justify ourselves through self-imposed standards and ordinances because the law cannot bring salvation.<\/p>\n

    Romans 3:20<\/strong>
    For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Does this mean we are to be lawless and does grace give us the license to sin?<\/p>\n

    Romans 3:31<\/strong>
    31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If you stop there, then you miss the context of what Paul is trying to say. He shows that because Abraham had faith in God and believed, he was made righteous by his faith. Paul also warns that basing your Christian walk on law, legalism, and works you make the promise null and void because it all depends on something we can\u2019t hold unto; faith.<\/p>\n

    Romans 4:14-16<\/strong>
    14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring\u2014not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Now this still doesn\u2019t quite explain by what Jesus and Paul meant by upholding the law if we are free from the law through the cross, by God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n

    If we go back to Matthew 5 we find that Jesus show the problems with the law and why it doesn\u2019t work. Jesus gives the example of being angry enough to murder your brother, but you do not murder, thus keeping the law, however your heart if filled with anger, murder and hate. In God\u2019s eyes you are still sinning. He also gives another example of wanting to commit adultery, but you don\u2019t, thus keeping the law, but you still have lust in your heart and in God\u2019s eyes you commit the sin in your heart.<\/p>\n

    Jesus wants us to be changed in our hearts and minds by His spirit. He wants us to overcome our sins, rather than avoiding them through laws and standards, for we are to overcome by the blood of the lamb and the promise we have in Jesus. How awesome is our God who took on our debits of sin and paid it for us?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A friend of mine and I had a friendly discussion regarding Matthew 5:17-19 where Jesus explains explain how He came to fulfill the law of Moses and not abolish it. The question is then how can we live by grace if Jesus and have freedom in Christ if He did not come to abolish the … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “Reconciled and Our Debt Paid Through the Cross”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nReconciled and Our Debt Paid Through the Cross - Talking About Jesus<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aaronmatthew.com\/blog\/2011\/reconciled-and-our-debt-paid-through-the-cross\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reconciled and Our Debt Paid Through the Cross - Talking About Jesus\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A friend of mine and I had a friendly discussion regarding Matthew 5:17-19 where Jesus explains explain how He came to fulfill the law of Moses and not abolish it. 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