To Fulfill the Law
Can you believe that Christmas is less than a week away? It seems remarkable that the year has gone as quickly as it has. And so, for this last week before we celebrate on Sunday, I want to look at the reasons that Jesus said he came.
You know, we always talk about Jesus coming to earth at this time, and we read all the Christmas stories and it's very precious to do that. But I think it'll be profound for us this week to look at the words of Jesus and see in his own words why he arrived on the earth in the first place.
Fulfillment in Christ
So firstly, let's look at words of his in Matthew 5:17. He said “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.” And so, Jesus knew he came to earth to fulfill the Old Testament, the law and the prophets.
Moses was given the law by God in the book of Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and we get the essence of it in the Ten Commandments. But the New Testament is clear that the law is not a means of salvation, but it is designed to show people their sinfulness and to drive them to God for his gracious gift of salvation given through Christ. And so those who trust in Christ aren't under the law, they're under grace - Romans 6:14 says exactly that.
But I like what William McDonald says. He says even though the Christian is not under the law, that doesn't mean he is lawless. He is bound by a stronger chain than law because he's under the law of Christ. Instead of following the law to try and earn our way into God's good books, we live a life of obedience as a result of the love he has for us.
In fact, there's a common belief that there were three types of law in the Old Testament: the ceremonial law, which contained all the worship rituals of the people. Those are all completed in Christ - His death fulfilled all of those so that they didn't have to be done anymore. There was the civil law, which was the rules for daily living in the culture of that time. And of course, our culture is so different that we can't follow them strictly, but the principles behind the civil law can still be followed. And then there's the moral law, like the Ten Commandments, which are required to be obeyed because they reveal to us who God is and what he wants from us.
Christmas Fulfillment Joy
When we think of Christmas, friends, let's remember that Jesus said he came to fulfill the law. He came so that we don't have to do all those rituals anymore to try and make our way into God's good books, but he's fulfilled them.
He is the Lamb of God, so no more lambs have to be sacrificed. He is the tabernacle, so that none of those ornaments in the tabernacle need to be used anymore. All of those types of things in the Old Testament pointed to him, but now he has fulfilled them.
Praise him today and this Christmas, because his coming meant that the law is fulfilled and we can now live in joyful obedience rather than fearful following of the law.
