JESUS FULFILLED THE OLD TESTAMENT (1)

LIBERTY AND LOVE #52

The most important aspect of teaching in the Old Testament is that which centers directly around the person and work of Jesus Christ. A sinner can see his need for salvation and subsequently respond to the offer of God’s grace by reading the New Testament. However, in order to grasp the truths of Christ's role as our atoning sacrifice, it would help to be acquainted with the preparatory role of the Old Testament in regard to him.

In reference to the Old Testament, Jesus stated, “Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For truly I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). Christ’s purpose was not to erase the importance of the Old Testament, even though he would be establishing a new and better covenant (Hebrews 8:1-6). He did not destroy the law, he fulfilled it. When Jesus spoke these words, he knew that the Old Testament as a law would soon be replaced by the covenant sealed with his blood (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:6-13). He wanted everyone to understand that the law, when it was taken out of the way, had been fulfilled—had served its purpose—and had not been destroyed in the sense that it was a worthless law.

Had Christ not ended the law of Moses and the prophets, he could not have fulfilled them, for the Old Covenant was a promise of his coming. If the Old Covenant stays in effect, the promise is never fulfilled. If a promise is perpetuated forever, such as would be the case with the promise of the coming Messiah if the old law was still operative, then that promise is never fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets by appearing in the flesh to fulfill the prophecies and the promises contained within. The Old Testament was a shadow of the good things to come, but not the reality of the things (Hebrews 10:1). Paul said that the contents of the Old Covenant were a “shadow” of things to come, but the reality is found in Christ (Colossians 2:17).

In what ways did Christ fulfill the law? Let us notice four.