“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 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. 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. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)
I preached this text this past Sunday, and, needless to say, it isn’t an easy text. In one of the most important statements in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Those words are absolutely foundational for understanding not only the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, but really the entire Bible. Many Christians today struggle to understand the relationship between the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. If Jesus fulfilled the law, what does that actually mean for New Testament believers today? Does the Old Testament still matter? Are Christians still obligated to obey all of its commands, laws, and ceremonies? In this passage, Jesus makes clear that He did not come to throw away the Old Testament Scriptures. He upholds their authority completely, even down to the smallest stroke (“iota” or “dot”). Yet at the same time, He teaches that the Law and the Prophets reach their intended goal and fulfillment in Him.
That fulfillment is seen in several ways throughout the New Testament. Jesus fulfills the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament Scriptures. He fulfills its patterns and shadows, such as the Passover lamb, the sacrificial system, and even Israel itself. He fulfills the true intent of the law by pressing beyond mere external obedience to the deeper issues of the heart. And ultimately, He fulfills the law perfectly through His sinless life and substitutionary death for sinners. This means Christians do not abolish the Old Testament, nor do we simply “woodenly” apply every old covenant command in the same way that Israel did. Rather, we read the entire Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of it all. The examples the apostles give throughout the New Testament help us see how this fulfillment works practically in the life of the church today.
This is why understanding ‘fulfillment’ here is so important. Without it, Christians can either fall into ‘legalism’ on one side, where it could become about external law-keeping, or functional rejection of the Old Testament on the other where we become like modern-day “Marcions” (a heretic in the early church who rejected the entire Old Testament). But Jesus teaches us a better way! The Old Testament still speaks with divine authority, yet it speaks to us now through the fulfillment that has come about in Jesus Christ and the new covenant.
First, before I give some practical examples of how this looks in the New Testament, allow me to expand a bit on what I mean that the old covenant has “come to an end,” or has become “obsolete,” and now new covenant believers are under “the law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Hebrews 8:13). The New Testament makes it clear that the Mosaic covenant, ratified by God through Moses, was terminated at the death of Christ. And now, a new covenant has been ratified.
For example, in Jeremiah 31:31, the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah speaks of a time coming when the old covenant will be replaced with a new covenant, “Behold the days are coming declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Then, in the Gospels, we do not hear anything about the new covenant until the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, at the Last Supper, when he says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20; see also 1 Corinthians 11:25). The author of Hebrews says, “For a will (covenant) takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive”(Hebrews 9:17). These are clear statements that the old covenant came to an end and the new covenant began at the time of the death of Christ.
Or in Hebrews 8-10, the author establishes again and again that the Mosaic covenant has been terminated and that Christ has now inaugurated the new covenant through his offering of himself and his ongoing high priestly ministry (see Hebrews 8:6-13). New Testament scholar Frank Thielman argues persuasively, “The entire law is obsolete, moreover, and not simply the portion of the law that regulates the priesthood and sacrifices…The entire Mosaic covenant, and not merely part of it, has been superseded by the new covenant.” (The Law and the New Testament: The Question of Continuity, pg. 131).
So then how do new covenant believers relate to the old covenant law? How has Christ “fulfilled” the Law and the Prophets? Let me expand on what I said this past Sunday by offering a few very practical examples and illustrations of how we see the New Testament authors applying the law in light of the coming of Christ and the inauguration of the new covenant.
One of the clearest examples is the sacrificial system. Under the old covenant, God commanded Israel to offer animal sacrifices repeatedly. Lambs, goats, and bulls were slain continually because sin demanded judgment. Blood had to be shed. Yet the book of Hebrews makes clear those sacrifices were never ultimate. They were shadows pointing forward to Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9 tells us that Christ entered the holy place “by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). The sacrifices of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Christians do not offer animal sacrifices today, not because the Old Testament was abolished, but because the reality to which those sacrifices pointed has arrived.
The shadow has given way to the substance. This is deeply comforting because it means that every Old Testament sacrifice was essentially preaching the gospel ahead of time. Every slain lamb whispered, “A greater Lamb is coming!” And when Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled everything those sacrifices anticipated. This means the believer never has to wonder whether enough has been done to deal with sin. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient forever.
In the Old Testament, Israel celebrated Passover to remember God delivering them from slavery in Egypt. The blood of the lamb caused judgment to “pass over” God’s people (Exodus 12). They ate unleavened bread as a symbol of separation from corruption and impurity.
But in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul takes Old Testament Passover language and applies it directly to the New Testament church. He says, “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). But remember the context. Paul is addressing a grossly immoral sin issue that is going on in the Corinthian church. “A man has his father’s wife!” (1 Corinthians 5:1) But then he calls the church to remove sin from its midst, by removing the immoral man from among the church fellowship, comparing tolerated sin to the “leaven” spreading through the dough.
What is Paul doing? He is showing that the church now celebrates the true Passover through Christ. Jesus is the greater Passover Lamb. Through His blood, judgment passes over us. Through union with Him, we are delivered from a greater slavery than Egypt: slavery to sin. This also means holiness matters. Paul’s point is not merely theological. It is intensely practical. A church celebrating redemption while tolerating open rebellion against God is contradicting the meaning of the Passover itself. The fulfilled Passover creates a purified people. This is why church discipline matters. It is not harshness. It is holiness flowing from redemption.
Another fascinating example comes from Paul’s use of an obscure Old Testament law in 1 Corinthians 9:9. In Deuteronomy, God commanded Israel not to muzzle an ox while it treaded grain (Deuteronomy 25:4). The animal doing the work was allowed to eat from the grain it was helping harvest. At first glance, that law seems far removed from the life of the church. Yet Paul applies it directly to supporting pastors and ministers financially. Why? Because the principle underneath the command still remains. Those who labor should share in the fruit of their labor, and thus, we see the heart of this old covenant law about care for one’s livestock being ‘fulfilled’ as the new covenant church makes sure their pastors, who are working hard in ministry, are getting paid!
This is such an important example because it shows how fulfillment works. The Old Testament law is not discarded. Instead, Christ and the apostles reveal its deeper intention and application. The law about oxen was always teaching something larger about God’s concern for justice, provision, and care for laborers. Under the new covenant, that principle finds fuller expression in the life of the church. This helps us understand why Christians are not “cherry-picking” Old Testament laws. Rather, we are reading them through the lens of Christ, just as the apostles did.
Perhaps the most practical example of all is ‘love’ itself. Paul writes in Romans 13 that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10; see also Galatians 6:2). That statement is astonishing. Love fulfills the law because every command ultimately pointed toward rightly loving God and loving neighbor. In fact, here is what Paul says in full: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)
This perfectly fits Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. If you love your neighbor as yourself, there isn’t a single ‘iota’ or ‘dot’ from the law left unfulfilled. The Pharisees had reduced righteousness to external conformity. Jesus presses deeper. Murder begins in the heart with anger. Adultery begins in the heart with lust. The law was always aiming beyond mere external behavior to inward transformation. This is the radical righteousness Jesus demands.
The righteousness of the kingdom is not superficial morality. It is not religious performance. It is not simply avoiding outward scandal. It is a transformed heart that increasingly reflects the character of Christ. That transformation only comes through the new covenant. God does not merely command righteousness from outside of us. By His Spirit, He writes His law upon our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 6:17; 8:3-4; Hebrews 8:6-13). This is why Jesus fulfills the law not only by obeying it perfectly for us, but also by producing its righteousness within us. The Christian life is not lawlessness. Nor is it cold legalism. It is Spirit-empowered conformity to Christ. When believers bear one another’s burdens, forgive one another, flee sexual immorality, pursue holiness, and love their enemies, they are actually fulfilling the law of Christ. The Old Testament hasn’t been thrown away. It’s been fulfilled.
Although the New Testament authors repeatedly affirm that Christians are no longer under the Mosaic covenant and the Mosaic law, they also affirm a complementary truth, namely, that there is much valuable wisdom to be gained from the words of God in the Old Testament. This includes actions, attitudes, and personal character traits that are pleasing or displeasing to God for all time.
For example, Paul explains that every part of the Scripture, including the entire Old Testament, comes from God and is profitable for teaching us how to live: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). All Scripture, which Paul has in mind here the Old Testament, is profitable for gaining wisdom in living a godly and righteous life.
Or in Romans 15, Paul says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:7). Or in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now these things happened to them as an example (meaning the Old Testament saints), but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages as come.”
And so, even though Paul insists repeatedly that the Mosaic covenant has been terminated, he also clearly affirms that what is written down in inspired Scripture is holy and good and righteous (Romans 7:12). Which means the Old Testament is useful to the Christian in seeking to understand the kind of life that is pleasing to God. The Old Testament law can serve as wise guidelines for how to think through various ethical and moral decisions for the Christian life.
The entire Bible points to Jesus Christ. Every sacrifice, every ceremony, every promise, every pattern, every command ultimately finds its meaning in Him. As St. Augustine famously said, “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.” So when you read the Old Testament, do not ask merely, “What rule is here?” Ask, “How does this point me to Christ?” Because according to Jesus Himself, all of it does.
