The Whole Truth

Matthew 5:17-18 (KJV) Says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 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."

The above verses of scripture were spoken by Jesus as he made it clear he had not come to destroy the law. He wanted it understood that the New Testament gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament law. Note that Jesus used the word verily which means truly or certainly, when making clear the Old Testament law will stand until heaven and earth pass. In order to emphasize that he meant every part of the law he stated not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the Old Testament law until every statement even the smallest of them is fulfilled. A jot is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and a tittle is a small projection on the edge of certain Hebrew letters to distinguish them from one another.

The Old Testament laws were to be taken seriously, and therefore Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping even the smallest of them. He did not mean however that the law should become a burden on the souls of men. Let me explain with an example. The Pharisees were so focused on the law, and abiding by it that the Jews of Jesus' day thought them to be the most religious in all Israel. There religion, however, was for the most part an outward show of self-righteousness.

Jesus wanted to make sure we understand the contrasts between the outward behavior demanded by the law, and the inner attitude of the heart desired by God. When we opt to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we have the desire in our hearts to live our lives in a righteous manner which is of course pleasing to God. As we do this we are fulfilling the law, and it is no burden at all. For instance, the law says thou shalt not kill, and the spirit within believers allows us to control our anger so committing murder should not be something we need to feel burdened by. The law, however, given in the Old Testament stating that we shall not kill still stands.

Another example is that the law states we should not retaliate against others, and our spirit as believers knows we are to forgive even our enemies. If we have a forgiving spirit then we do not need to be burdened by the law that tells us we are not to retaliate because as believers and followers of Jesus Christ retaliation is not something we would seek.

In summation, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ we will fulfill the law without it being a burden to us because we have the desire in our hearts to live righteous lives that are pleasing to God. When we live our lives in this manner we abide by the law without having to be burdened by it.

With this point made, we must remember that the New Testament does not contradict the Old Testament. It is extremely important that we understand that the Bible in its entirety is the Word of God, and that each and every Word of it is true, relevant, and necessary. I've heard people dismiss things in discussion by making statements like "well that's in the Old Testament", or "I go by the New Testament," and what a mistake that is. To make statements like this is to discount or discard a large portion of the Word of Almighty God. The Bible is our instruction book for life given to us by our Lord and Savior, and to ignore even one Word of it is not acceptable. There are 66 books in the Bible, and God never intended for us to discount the 39 that make up the Old Testament.We cannot nor should we ever attempt to pick and choose the portions of the Bible that we feel are the ones that count, or still hold true. The ones that count and still hold true are and will always be each and every one of them. The Bible in its entirety is the whole truth.

Living life as a follower of Jesus Christ and abiding in the law is no burden. It  is not a life filled with stress secondary to focusing on the law, and it is not one made up of demonstrating that we obey the law by self-righteous behavior as the Pharisees did. Quite the contrary it is the greatest life anyone could ever live. It is a life filled with divine peace, comfort, happiness, and so many more great blessings. It is a life where the law exists, but is not a burden because it is obeyed and covered as we live our lives in obedience to God.

I encourage you to read and study the Word of God in its entirety, and to build a strong personal relationship with him. Remain steadfast in your walk with him, and never allow anyone to convince you that something is not relevant because it is written in the Old Testament. I urge you to know who you are in Christ, and know firsthand what his Word states. Doing so will prevent anyone from misguiding you whether purposefully or inadvertently because they themselves have been misled.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.